WHY SOCIOLOGY?

Stan Cohen described sociology as trying to understand the “different images of the same world”.

Higher Sociology teaches pupils to view the world through the key sociological concepts of Marxism, Feminism, Functionalism and Interactionism.

Pupils will gain an understanding of the types of culture that exist in the UK from high culture through to subculture and the impact that they have upon the formation of identity.  Pupils also gain the opportunity of studying key social issues such as wealth inequality and education through sociological perspectives before investigating a social issue that particularly interests them.

Furthermore, pupils will understand the importance of selecting the most appropriate and ethical research method in a variety of situations

WHO CAN TAKE SOCIOLOGY?

This is an academically challenging subject that introduces pupils to a variety of new terminology and concepts. Therefore, due to the language demands of the course, pupils must have achieved at least a C in either Higher English or A-B in either Higher History or Modern Studies to be eligible.  This makes it a sixth year only Higher course.

ASSESSMENT

The course is assessed in two parts:

Exam – the exam comprises sixty marks equally divided into 3 sections. One of these will be a 20 mark essay and the others will be a mixture of short and long responses.

Assignment – the independently researched and written assignment comprises the remaining 30 marks. This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to engage with a social issue which particularly interests them and view it through the different lenses offered by sociological perspectives.