GCSE Sociology (AQA)

• debates within sociology including conflict versus consensus
• how sociological knowledge and ideas change over time and how these ideas inform our understanding of the social world
• the contextualised work (a sense of time and place) of key classical sociologists Durkheim, Marx and Weber referencing both their view of the world and their contribution to the development of the discipline
• different sociological perspectives on social structures, social processes and social issues, including those informed by: feminism, functionalism, interactionism and Marxism as specified in the topics listed below and key arguments (identified through reading and responding to extracts from key sociological texts )
• the interrelationship between the core areas of sociology
• how to use sociological research methods as outlined in the topics and how they apply in the specified contexts i.e. families, education, crime and deviance, social stratification. Teachers may encourage their students to undertake small-scale research projects in order to develop their understanding of the practical difficulties faced by the sociologists working in the field

Key sociological terms and concepts concerned with social structures, social processes and social issues and the explanation of social phenomena including: society, socialisation, norms, values, roles, labelling, discrimination, power and authority.

For each topic area students are asked to critically evaluate and compare and contrast theories or explanations, including the key features of each theory or explanation in the context of a specific topic and area of sociology.

Students are expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key sociological theories by reading and responding to extracts which illustrate the different views of sociologists. They should be able to critically analyse and evaluate how the issues have been interpreted by these sociologists.

For each topic area students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of relevant methods and methodological issues, for example the use of official statistics, qualitative and quantitative approaches and the use of mixed methods.

They will explore and debate contemporary social issues in order to be able to challenge everyday understandings of social phenomena from a sociological perspective. The knowledge, understanding and skills they develop will provide a basis for further study and career choices.

• Differing views of the functions of families.
• Parsons functionalist perspective on primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities.
• How family forms differ in the UK and within a global context.
• The work of the Rapoports on family diversity.
• Different views of conjugal role relationships.
• The feminist perspective of Oakley on the idea of the conventional family.
• Changing relationships within families.
• How relationships within families have changed over time.
• The theory of the symmetrical family and the principle of stratified diffusion developed from the functionalist perspective of Willmott and Young.
• Different criticisms of families (isolation and unrealistic idealisation, loss of traditional functions, lack of contact with wider kinship networks, the status and role of women within families, marital breakdown, dysfunctional families).
• The work of Zaretsky on developments in families from a Marxist perspective and Delphy and Leonard’s feminist critique of families.
• Changing relationships within families.
• How relationships within families have changed over time.
• The theory of the symmetrical family and the principle of stratified diffusion developed from the functionalist perspective of Willmott and Young.
• Different criticisms of families (isolation and unrealistic idealisation, loss of traditional functions, lack of contact with wider kinship networks, the status and role of women within families, marital breakdown, dysfunctional families).
• The work of Zaretsky on developments in families from a Marxist perspective and Delphy and Leonard’s feminist critique of families.
• Changes in the pattern of divorce in Britain since 1945 and the consequences of divorce for family members and structures.

• Different views of the role and functions of education.
• The functionalist perspective of Durkheim on education as the transmission of norms and values and Parsons on achieved status and the operation of schools on meritocratic principles.
• Different views of the correspondence principle on the relationship between education and capitalism as developed from a Marxist perspective by Bowles and Gintis.
• Factors affecting educational achievement.
• The work of Halsey on class-based inequalities and Ball on parental choice and competition between schools.
• Processes within schools affecting educational achievement.
• The work of Ball on teacher expectations and Willis on the creation of counter school cultures.

• The social construction of concepts of crime and deviance and explanations of crime and deviance.
• The work of Merton on the causes of crime from a functionalist perspective and Becker from an interactionist perspective.
• Formal and informal methods of social control.
• The work of Heidensohn on female conformity in male dominated patriarchal societies.
• Factors affecting criminal and deviant behaviour and ways in which criminal and deviant behaviour have generated public debate.
• The work of Albert Cohen on delinquent subcultures and Carlen on women, crime and poverty.
• The usefulness of the main sources of data on crime, the collection of official data on crime, patterns and trends in crime figures and the ‘dark figure’.

• Different views of the functionalist theory of social stratification.
• The work of Davis and Moore on social stratification from a functionalist perspective.
• Different views of socio-economic class.
• The work of Marx and Weber on socio-economic class.
• Different views on factors affecting life chances.
• The work of Devine revisiting the idea of the affluent worker.
• Different interpretations of poverty as a social issue.
• The work of Townsend on relative deprivation and Murray on the underclass.
• Different forms of power and authority.
• The work of Weber on power and authority.
• Describe and explain different views on factors affecting power relationships.
• The work of Walby on patriarchy.

• Research design
• Qualitative and quantitative methods
• Different types of data
• Primary and secondary sources
• Interpretation of data
• Practical issues
• Ethical issues