Head of Department: Mrs B Brown 

Department team member:

• Mrs S Moss 

“The function of Sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden” – Pierre Bourdieu 

Students will often ask me, ‘ What is Sociology?’ ,to which I respond, ‘Sociology is the study of the way in which humans are shaped by things they don’t see.’ 

Studying Sociology will encourage you to look at the world in a more critical way and question why society functions in the way that it does. Powerful knowledge in Sociology equips you with an understanding of the inequalities and power balances that exist in society, and the skills to understand and debate a wide range of issues.The Sociology curriculum offers a key focus on society in the UK today looking back to how society has arrived at its current position, and suggesting how it may continue to evolve.

You are the future workforce of our country, and potentially even further afield, therefore it is essential that you have an understanding of how your world has been made into what we see today and how even as individuals you can influence positive change in the future. Through the teaching of the core themes:  

• socialisation, culture and identity  
• social differentiation, power and stratification.

You will understand some critical arguments into why individuals behave the way they do as well as, understand how society is able to control human behaviour. 

Sociology will encourage you to question your beliefs about society that you may have previously taken for granted. Sociology is about your life and the work around you. It is a subject that you will have experience of and one that will help you to understand many aspects of your future. Good Sociologists are open-minded, able to analyse information and see things from more than one point of view. Sociology aims to develop skills of critical thinking, independent review and extended essay writing offering you the full package to be able to successfully transition to higher education and beyond. 

What we do:

The sociology curriculum aims to give a broad understanding of the structures and processes that exist in society through the study of a range of perspectives such as Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Postmodernism and Social Action Theory. You will examine key topics such as families, education, crime and beliefs in society and how they may advantage or disadvantage different groups in society. 

Key topics in sociology across the two years are shown below: