“Sociology is the study of society as the production of people, and people as the production of society.”

In the same way that a mechanic assesses a car in terms of its many components, Sociologists study society by breaking it down into its constituent parts. If any part of a car (engine; radiator; tyres) fails – the car as a whole will fail to function properly. If any part of society (family; education; crime prevention) fails to serve its function, society as a whole will fail in serving the interests of all its members. Sociology studies these separate parts and examines their importance to society as a whole, whilst assessing competing explanations for their success in serving their function.

AS Level
The Family	Changes in Family relationships Patterns of marriage; cohabitation, separation; divorce and childbearing. Family Diversity Gender roles in the Family
Education	The role of the Education system Explanations of differential achievement by social groups by class; gender and ethnicity The importance of school factors (teacher expectations; pupil subcultures and hidden curriculum)
Sociological Methods	Research Perspectives Distinctions between primary and secondary and qualitatitve and Quantitative data Primary Research Methods in Sociology (Questionnaires; Interviews; Observation; Experiments) Secondary sources (Official Statistics; personal documents)
A2 Level
Sociological Investigation	Students carry out research into a sociological subject area of their choice
Power & Politics	Explanations for the nature and distribution of power The role of the modern State Political ideologies and parties Changes in levels of (and forms of) political participation (such as voting in general elections) The role of political parties; pressure groups and the mass media in the political process
Stratification & Differentiation	Different ways of measuring social class, and the relationship between class and occupation Theories of stratification Differences in life chances by social class; ethnicity; gender and race Explanations for changes in the class structure The nature, extent and significance of patterns of social mobility