Sociology
At the Matthew Arnold School, the GCSE Sociology course aims to nurture and develop pupils’ curiosity and interest in the world around them, from local to global contexts.
The course enables pupils to gain confidence in viewing the world through a range of critical lenses, from Marxism to more obscure and subject specific frameworks such as Interactionism. The course and the companion extra-curricular lunchtime club are designed to build upon pupils’ literacy and oracy skills, with cross-curricular links being made with disciplines such as Geography, History, Religious Studies and English throughout their time at the Matthew Arnold School.
Curriculum Sequence
Exam Specifications & Useful Links
Students follow AQA’s GCSE Sociology course (8192).
Other useful links:
-
âSocial Science {bites} Podcasts
https://www.socialsciencespace.com/about-socialsciencebites/
"An accessible introduction to a field that tackles some of the biggest issues of our time" - Prospect Magazine
The social world is a world we create, that we all have in common. In this illuminating podcast series, leading social scientists share their perspectives on how our social world is created, and how social science can help us understand people and how they behave.
Tune in each month and explore our extensive back catalogue for interviews on topics ranging from crowd psychology and behavioural economics to inequality and the fear of death.
- Understanding Society Podcasts
https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/podcasts
Interviews with researchers and experts on findings and policy issues.
“Some of our podcasts are short introductions to a topic, whilst others are more in-depth conversations.”
Reading Lists
|
Title |
Author |
GCSE/ A Level Unit |
|
Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison |
Michel Foucault |
Crime and Deviance |
|
The Good Immigrant |
Nikesh Shukla |
The Sociology of Education |
|
I, Phoolan Devi: The autobiography of India’s bandit queen |
Phoolan Devi |
All units |
|
Natives: Race and Class in the ruins of Empire |
Akala |
All units |
|
Chavs: The demonisation of the working class |
Owen Jones |
All units |
|
Shantaram |
Gregory David Roberts |
Beliefs in Society, Crime and Deviance |
|
Criminal Classes: Offenders at School |
Angela Devlin |
The Sociology of Education |
|
Roots |
Alex Haley |
All units |
|
Who Guards the Guards? |
Brian Stratton |
Crime and Deviance |
|
Breadline Britain: The Rise of Mass Poverty |
Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack |
Theory and Methods |
|
Getting By: Estates, Class and Culture in Austerity Britain |
Lisa McKenzie |
Theory and Methods |
|
A Glasgow Gang Observed |
James Patrick |
Crime and Deviance |
|
The ragged trousered philanthropist |
Robert Tressell |
All units |
|
1984 |
George Orwell |
All units |
|
Obedience to Authority |
Stanley Milgram |
Theory and Methods, The Sociology of Education |
|
The Myth of Meritocracy: Why Working-Class Kids Still Get Working-Class Jobs |
James Bloodworth |
The Sociology of Education, Theory and Methods |
|
We Should All Be Feminists |
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie |
Theory and Methods |
|
The Communist Manifesto |
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels |
All units |
|
Learning to Labour: How working class kids get working class jobs |
Paul Willis |
The Sociology of Education |
|
The Death of Justice: Guilty until proven innocent |
Michael O’Brien |
Crime and Deviance |
Curriculum documents:
Autumn Term Curriculum Snapshot
Spring Term Curriculum Snapshot
