GCSE Sociology AQA
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258 topics in 8 modules
βοΈ Core 4 topics
- The Sociological Approach
- Social Structures
- Social Processes
- Social Issues
βοΈ Families 6 topics
- Functions of Families
- Family Forms
- Families: Conjugal Role Relationships
- Families: Changing Relationships within Families
- Families: Criticisms of Families
- Families: Divorce
βοΈ Education 4 topics
- Roles and Functions of Education
- The Relationship between Education and Capitalism
- Educational Achievement
- Education: Processes within Schools
βοΈ Crime and Deviance 4 topics
- The Social Construction of Crime and Deviance
- Crime and Deviance: Social Control
- Crime and Deviance: Criminal and Deviant Behaviour
- Crime and Deviance: Data on Crime
βοΈ The Sociology of Families and Education 117 topics
- The Sociological Approach: Conflict vs consensus
- The Sociological Approach: How sociological ideas change over time, and effects
- The Sociological Approach: Contextualised work of Durkheim
- The Sociological Approach: Contextualised work of Marx
- The Sociological Approach: Contextualised work of Weber
- The Sociological Approach: Feminism
- The Sociological Approach: Functionalism
- The Sociological Approach: Interactionalism
- The Sociological Approach: Marxism
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: society
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: socialisation
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: norms
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: values
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: roles
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: labelling
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: discrimination
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: power
- The Sociological Approach: Key term: authority
- Families: Key Text: Delphy and Leonard, Familiar Exploitation
- Families: Key Text: Oakley, Conventional Families
- Families: Key Text: Parsons, The social structure of the family
- Families: Key Text: Rapoport, British families in transition
- Families: Key Text: Willmott and Young, The Symmetrical Family
- Families: Key Text: Zaretsky, Capitalism, the Family and Personal Life
- Families: Key Text: Sociological research methods
- Families: Functions of families: Sexual
- Families: Functions of families: Reproductive
- Families: Functions of families: economic
- Families: Functions of families: educational
- Families: Functions of families: functionalist perspective (Parsons)
- Families: Functions of families: feminist perspective
- Families: Functions of families: Marxist perspective
- Family forms: UK families
- Family forms: global families
- Family forms: nuclear families
- Family forms: extended families
- Family forms: reconstituted
- Family forms: lone parent
- Family forms: single sex
- Conjugal role relationships: joint roles
- Conjugal role relationships: segregated roles
- Conjugal role relationships: domestic division of labour in traditional families
- Conjugal role relationships: domestic division of labour in contemporary families
- Conjugal role relationships: decision making
- Conjugal role relationships: money management
- Conjugal role relationships: dual career families
- Conjugal role relationships: child rearing
- Conjugal role relationships: leisure activities
- Conjugal role relationships: functionalist perspective
- Conjugal role relationships: feminist (Oakley)
- Conjugal role relationships: Marxist
- Changing family relationships: pre-industrial period
- Changing family relationships: industrial period
- Changing family relationships: contemporary period
- Changing family relationships: quality of parenting
- Changing family relationships: relationships between teens and adults
- Changing family relationships: care of the disabled/elderly
- Changing family relationships: arranged marriage
- Changing family relationships: functionalist perspective (WIlmott and Young)
- Changing family relationships: feminist perspective
- Changing family relationships: Marxist perspective
- Criticisms of families: isolation and unrealistic idealisation
- Criticisms of families: loss of traditional functions
- Criticisms of families: lack of contact with wider kinship networks
- Criticisms of families: status of women within families
- Criticisms of families: marital breakdown
- Criticisms of families: dysfunctional families
- Criticisms of families: functionalist perspective
- Criticisms of families: Marxist perspective (Zaretsky)
- Criticisms of families: feminist perspective (Delphy and Leonard)
- Divorce: pattern of divorce in Britain since 1945
- Divorce: reasons for rise in divorce
- Divorce: consequences of divorce for family members
- Divorce: increase in numbers of lone parent families
- Divorce: functionalist perspective
- Divorce: feminist perspective
- Divorce: Marxist perspective
- Education: Key Text: Ball, Beachside Comprehensive
- Education: Key Text: Ball, Bowe and Gerwitz, Market forces and parental choice
- Education: Key Text: Bowles and Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America
- Education: Key Text: Durkheim, Moral Education
- Education: Key Text: Halsey, Origins and Destinations
- Education: Key Text: Parsons, The school class as a social system
- Education: Key Text: Willis, Learning to Labour
- Education: Roles and functions: serving the economy
- Education: Roles and functions: facilitating social mobility
- Education: Roles and functions: fostering social cohesion
- Education: Roles and functions: primary schools
- Education: Roles and functions: secondary schools
- Education: Roles and functions: state schools
- Education: Roles and functions: private schools
- Education: Roles and functions: home schooling
- Education: Roles and functions: de-schooling
- Education: Roles and functions: functionalist perspective (Durkheim)
- Education: Roles and functions: feminist perspectives
- Education: Roles and functions: Marxist perspectives
- Education: Roles and functions: Parsons key ideas
- Education and capitalism: Bowles and Gintis
- Education and capitalism: sociological perspectives on correspondence principle
- Educational achievement: effect of class
- Educational achievement: effect of gender
- Educational achievement: effect of ethnicity
- Educational achievement: functionalist perspectives
- Educational achievement: feminist perspectives
- Educational achievement: Marxist perspective
- Educational achievement: Halsey, class-based inequalities
- Educational achievement: Ball, parental choice and competition between schools
- Processes within schools: streaming and setting
- Processes within schools: mixed-ability teaching
- Processes within schools: labelling
- Processes within schools: self-fulfilling prophecy
- Processes within schools: interactionist perspectives
- Processes within schools: functionalist perspectives
- Processes within schools: feminist perspectives
- Processes within schools: Marxist perspectives
- Processes within schools: Ball, teacher expectations
- Processes within schools: Willis, counter school cultures
βοΈ Social Stratification 6 topics
- Functionalist Theory of Stratification
- Social Stratification: Socio-Economic Class
- Social Stratification: Life Chances
- Social Stratification: Poverty as a Social Issue
- Social Stratification: Power and Authority
- Social Stratification: Power Relationships
βοΈ The Sociology of Crime and Social Stratification 98 topics
- Crime and Deviance: Key Text: Becker, Outsiders
- Crime and Deviance: Key Text: Carlen, Women, Crime and Poverty
- Crime and Deviance: Key Text: Cohen, Delinquent Boys
- Crime and Deviance: Key Text: Heidensohn, Women and Crime
- Crime and Deviance: Key Text: Merton, Social Theory and Social Structure
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: Anomie
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: labelling
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: structural theories
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: subcultural theories
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: interactionist theory
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: feminist theory
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: Maxist theory
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: functionalist theory
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: Merton
- Crime and Deviance: Social construction: Becker
- Social Control: Methods
- Social Control: Functionalist perspectives
- Social Control: Feminist perspectives (Heidensohn)
- Social Control: Interactionist perspectives
- Social Control: Marxist perspectives
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Effect of social class
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Effect of gender
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Effect of ethnicity
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Effect of age
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: concerns over violent crime
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: debates over sentencing
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: treatment of young offenders
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: the prison system
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: media coverage of crime
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: interactionist perspectives
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: functionalist perspectives
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: feminist perspectives
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Marxist perspectives
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Albert Cohen
- Criminal and deviant behaviour: Carlen
- Data on crime: main sources
- Data on crime: pattern and trends in figures
- Data on crime: 'dark figure' of crime
- Data on crime: functionalist perspectives
- Data on crime: feminist perspectives
- Data on crime: Marxist perspectives
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Davis and Moore, Some principles of stratification
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Devine, Affluent Workers Revisited
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Marx, Karl Marx Selected Writings
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Murray, Losing Ground
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Townsend, Poverty in the United Kingdom
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Walby, Theorizing Patriarchy
- Social Stratification: Key Text: Weber, The Theory of Economic and Social Organisations
- Functionalist theory of stratification: effective role allocation
- Functionalist theory of stratification: performance linked to promise of rewards
- Functionalist theory of stratification: Davis and Moore
- Functionalist theory of stratification: compare to feminist perspectives
- Functionalist theory of stratification: compare to Marxist perspectives
- Socio-economic class: divisions in society
- Socio-economic class: functionalist perspectives
- Socio-economic class: feminist perspectives
- Socio-economic class: Marxist perspectives
- Socio-economic class: Weber
- Life chances: effect of social class
- Life chances: effect of gender
- Life chances: effect of race and ethnicity
- Life chances: effect of sexuality
- Life chances: effect of age
- Life chances: effect of disability
- Life chances: effect of religion and belief
- Life chances: functionalist perspectives
- Life chances: feminist perspectives
- Life chances: Marxist perspectives
- Life chances: Devine
- Poverty as a social issue: culture of poverty
- Poverty as a social issue: material deprivation
- Poverty as a social issue: governments' attempts to alleviate poverty
- Poverty as a social issue: impact of globalisation
- Poverty as a social issue: functionalist perspectives
- Poverty as a social issue: feminist perspectives
- Poverty as a social issue: Marxist perspectives
- Poverty as a social issue: Townsend
- Poverty as a social issue: Murray
- Power and authority: traditional power
- Power and authority: charismatic power
- Power and authority: rational-legal power
- Power and authority: formal sources of power
- Power and authority: informal sources of power
- Power and authority: functionalist perspectives
- Power and authority: feminist perspectives
- Power and authority: Marxist perspectives
- Power and authority: Weber
- Power relationships: effect of social class
- Power relationships: effect of gender
- Power relationships: effect of sexuality
- Power relationships: effect of race
- Power relationships: effect of age
- Power relationships: effect of disability
- Power relationships: effect of religion and beliefs
- Power relationships: functionalist perspectives
- Power relationships: feminist perspectives
- Power relationships: Marxist perspectives
- Power relationships: Walby on the patriarchy
βοΈ Sociological Research Methods 19 topics
- Research Methods: Research Design
- Sociological research methods: research design
- Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
- Sociological research methods: quantitative methods
- Research Methods: Different Types of Data
- Sociological research methods: qualitative methods
- Research Methods: Primary and Secondary Sources
- Sociological research methods: mixed methods
- Research Methods: Interpretation of Data
- Sociological research methods: different types of data
- Research Methods: Practical Issues
- Sociological research methods: primary and secondary sources of data
- Research Methods: Ethical Issues
- Sociological research methods: interpretation of data- graphs
- Sociological research methods: interpretation of data- diagrams
- Sociological research methods: interpretation of data- charts
- Sociological research methods: interpretation of data- tables
- Sociological research methods: practical issues (time, cost etc)
- Sociological research methods: ethical issues
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GCSE Sociology AQA Revision Content
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GCSE Sociology AQA - Core - The Sociological Approach Content Preview
Core
The Sociological Approach
An Introduction to the Sociological Approach
- Sociology is the study of societies, specifically looking at how people interact and organise themselves within these societies.
- Sociologists consider both macro, large-scale structures, and micro, individual interactions.
The Theoretical Perspectives
- There are several key theoretical perspectives within sociology: functionalism, Marxism, feminism, interactionism and postmodernism.
- Each perspective uses different methods to analyse and interpret social phenomena.
Functionalism
- Functionalism views society as a system where all parts work together to maintain balance.
- It suggests laws, morals, family, and education all have a specific purpose to contribute to societal stability.
Marxism
- Marxism views society from a conflict perspective, focusing on issues of class inequality and power imbalance.
- It highlights the struggle between the bourgeoisie (owning class) and proletariat (working class).
Feminism
- Feminism focuses on understanding the social inequality that stems from gender roles.
- It critiques patriarchal societies that advantage men and disadvantage women.
Interactionism
- Interactionism is a micro perspective that studies individual interactions and behaviours.
- It places importance on symbols and non-verbal communication in understanding social behaviour.
Postmodernism
- Postmodernism suggests that society is diverse and constantly changing, rejecting grand theories of society.
- It argues that truth and knowledge are not absolute, but are constructed by individuals.
The Importance of Theory
- Theories offer different ways to interpret society, and guide the methods and tools sociologists use.
- Itβs crucial to understand these theories as they lay the groundwork for all sociological research.
Sociology and Science
- Sociology is sometimes referred to as a social science due to its application of scientific methods, like observation and hypothesis testing.
- However, some argue that sociology cannot be a true science as it studies humans, who possess consciousness and free will.
Sociological Methods
- Sociologists employ numerous research methods such as surveys, interviews, case studies, observations and secondary data analysis.
- Each method has strengths and limitations, which influence the validity and application of the findings.
Ethics in Sociological Research
- Ethics are essential in sociological research and include principles like informed consent, confidentiality, and respecting participants' rights.
- Unethical behavior can lead to harm for participants and tarnish the credibility of the sociological discipline.
Question: What is the key difference between macro and micro perspectives in sociology?
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