WG6 – Sixth Form Induction Information and Tasks
SUBJECT
SOCIOLOGY
In this subject you will be expected to:
Participate in discussion, group work and make presentations to the class. You will be required to
write discursive essays using sociological concepts and perspectives. It is essential that you are
willing to look at all aspects of an issue even those you do not agree with.
You will need to have an interest in:
- News and world wide current affairs.
- The way in which people live and think that are outside of your own experiences.
We cover the modules on Families and Households, Education and Sociological methods (the way
in which research into society is carried out)
Independent learning in this subject requires: (include 5hrs of independent study)
Reading
Research
Written WORK
Film and TV documentaries
Suggested reading List
Textbooks
Webb – AS Sociology
Haralambos, Richardson, Taylor and Yeo – Sociology in Focus for AS
Haralambos and Holborn – Sociology – Themes and Perspectives
Periodicals – available in the school library
Sociology Review – (any article) available in the Library
Interesting novels that link to areas of the course include:
1000 Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini : Good Women of China – Xue Xinran:
Brick Lane - Monica Ali: One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest – Ken Kesey
Useful Websites:
www.sociology.uk.net –this is used in connection with the Webb textbook.
www.jrf.org.uk –The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is one of the largest independent social policy
research charities in the UK
www.bbc.co.uk – this can be a complicated site but once mastered it will keep you up to date
with issues and events world wide.
www.statistics.gov.uk – this resource contains national statistics for the UK covering most areas of
the course. They are also analysed for you.
www.aqa.org.uk – this essential site has downloadable past papers and mark schemes for this
course. It is used extensively throughout the course.
Examples of Independent Study tasks:
Using the Sociology Review write a report on an article of your choice.
Internet research on women’s lives in Communist countries
Research and production of a presentation on a key thinker in Sociology
Report on an observation carried out during a specified period.
Use of official statistics website to investigate current trends in marriage, divorce, child bearing,
illegitimacy, family size and abortion, educational achievement of boys, girls, different ethnic
groups and different classes, poverty, suicide , crime and deviance and religion
Use of a variety of media to discuss current issues in the news.
Preparation of material to discuss in the next lesson
Watching a current affairs programme like Panorama or Question Time
Prepare a summary of an article to feedback to the group as a whole.
Information on AQA Modules
June 2015 – Families and Households (SCLY1) -1 HOUR WRITTEN PAPER
– Education with Sociological Methods (SCLY2) – 2 HOUR WRITTEN PAPER
There is no coursework
Future Career aspirations linked to this subject are:
Law, Personnel Work, Police, Teaching, Journalism, Social Work.
This subject links well with many others including Geography, History, Business and Economics,
Government and Politics, English and Medical sciences and would therefore assist any career paths
taken in these directions.
Induction Task & Success Criteria
All students must complete the following:
Investigate the changes that have occurred in our ideas of what childhood means.
1. You should find two people over the age of sixty-five (older, if possible) who are willing to be
interviewed. Explain why you wish to interview them. You will probably find that your interviewees are
quite happy to give you detailed information if you approach the interview in a sensitive manner.
Design a list of questions to ask. These should include information about the size of their families; how
they spent their leisure time, such as the games they played at different ages; their education; the
age at which they had their first job; what they wore and toys they owned. You will probably be able
to suggest other questions to ask.
2. Investigate the experiences of child soldiers in Somalia or child workers in Asia. Has childhood
disappeared? Investigate what childhood was like in Britain in medieval times? (Aries) Are there laws
to protect children today? What does Sue Palmer mean by the term ‘Toxic Childhood ?
Once you have your notes of these interviews, and completed your research you should answer the following
question in a short essay (Max 3 sides of A4)
Assess the view that childhood in society has improved.
This will include:
1. Consideration of how childhood is socially constructed – that is how it is created and defined by a
society at one point in time.
2. How the experience of childhood has changed over time.
3. A discussion of what has happened to Childhood and an assessment of whether it has improved for
all children or not?
This is how it will be marked:
Assess the view that childhood in society has improved. (24 marks)
AO1 10 marks – Knowledge and understanding
AO2 14 marks – Interpretation, analysis, application of examples and evaluation.
1 – 9 marks
Answers in this band will show only limited interpretation of the question. There will be limited knowledge about
childhood and little understanding of how it has changed over time.
Interpretation of the interview will be descriptive and will not be linked to improvements.
There will be no awareness that there is a counter argument to the question i.e. that for some children in the
world, childhood has not improved.
10 – 18
Answers in this band will show some reasonable breadth of knowledge and understanding of the issues raised
about the changing position and improvement of children in society. Interpretation of the interview will remain
largely descriptive but there will be an attempt analyse areas of improvement in children’s lives. There may be
generalised awareness that not all children’s lives have improved within society or across the world.
19 – 24
In this band, answers will make use of relevant sociological concepts and there will be detailed knowledge
and understanding of the material researched. This will be accurately and sensitively interpreted and applied
to question answering the debate about whether all children’s lives have improved backed by specific
examples. Students will consider a variety of views.
Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: compulsory schooling, leisure activities, children at
work, child protection agencies, specialised services for children, child soldiers, child trafficking, paedophilia,
child abuse, toxic childhood, the control of children, childhood is socially constructed.
Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing different social classes and their
experiences of childhood, how childhood has changed for the better and for the worse over time and
contrasting experiences of childhood in different countries. There will be a distinct conclusion.
Due In: First Sociology lesson in September 2014