Cambridge OCR
Level 3
QN: 601/3997/3
Curriculum Active
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Advanced GCE in Sociology
Official qualification regulated by Ofqual, awarded by Cambridge OCR. Classified as a GCE A Level. Total guided learning hours: 360 hours.
Qualification Level
Level 3
Awarding Body
Cambridge OCR
Syllabus Units
3 Units
Guided Hours
360 hrs
Instant access to interactive lessons, quizzes, and spaced revision.
Course Syllabus & Study Modules
Complete breakdown of verified curriculum topics and learning objectives.
1
Crime and Deviance
Crime control and punishment
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse different forms of crime control (e.g., surveillance, policing, imprisonment)
- Evaluate the effectiveness and ethical implications of crime control strategies
2
Crime and Deviance
Globalisation and crime
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the impact of globalisation on crime (e.g., organised crime, cybercrime)
- Analyse the role of the state and international organisations in controlling crime
3
Crime and Deviance
Patterns and Trends in Crime
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse patterns of crime by class, gender, ethnicity and age
- Evaluate official crime statistics
4
Crime and Deviance
Social distribution of crime
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse patterns of crime by class, gender, ethnicity, and age
- Evaluate official statistics and alternative sources of data on crime
5
Crime and Deviance
Theories of crime and deviance
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist, interactionist, and feminist theories of crime
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each theory
6
Crime and Deviance
Theories of Crime and Deviance
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist, interactionist and realist theories of crime
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each theory
7
Education
Educational Achievement and Inequality
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse factors affecting educational achievement by class, gender and ethnicity
- Evaluate policies to reduce inequality in education
8
Education
Educational policy and inequality
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the impact of educational policies on inequality (e.g., marketisation, academies, free schools)
- Evaluate the effectiveness of policies in promoting equality of opportunity
9
Education
Ethnicity and educational achievement
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse ethnic differences in educational achievement
- Evaluate explanations for ethnic inequalities (e.g., racism, cultural factors, language)
10
Education
Gender and educational achievement
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse gender differences in educational achievement
- Evaluate explanations for gender gaps (e.g., feminisation of education, laddish culture)
11
Education
Social class and educational achievement
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the relationship between social class and educational attainment
- Evaluate explanations for class differences (e.g., material deprivation, cultural deprivation, school factors)
12
Education
The Role of Education in Society
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist and feminist perspectives on education
- Analyse the relationship between education and social inequality
13
Education
Theories of education
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist, feminist, and interactionist theories of education
- Evaluate the role of education in society
14
Families and Relationships
Childhood and the life course
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the social construction of childhood
- Analyse changes in the status of children and the concept of the 'toxic childhood'
15
Families and Relationships
Family diversity
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe different family types (e.g., nuclear, extended, lone-parent, same-sex, reconstituted)
- Analyse the reasons for increasing family diversity
16
Families and Relationships
Family Dynamics and Change
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse changes in marriage, divorce and cohabitation
- Evaluate the impact of social change on family relationships
17
Families and Relationships
Family roles and relationships
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse conjugal roles and the division of domestic labour
- Evaluate the concept of the 'symmetrical family' and the 'dual burden'
18
Families and Relationships
Marriage, divorce and cohabitation
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse trends in marriage, divorce, and cohabitation
- Evaluate explanations for these trends (e.g., secularisation, changing laws, individualisation)
19
Families and Relationships
Theories of the family
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist, feminist, and postmodernist theories of the family
- Evaluate the role of the family in society
20
Families and Relationships
Theories of the Family
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist, feminist and postmodernist perspectives on the family
- Evaluate the diversity of family forms
21
Globalisation and the Digital World
Digital technology and social change
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the impact of digital technology on social relationships, work, and leisure
- Evaluate the digital divide and its implications
22
Globalisation and the Digital World
Digital World and Social Media
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the role of digital technology in social life
- Evaluate the impact of social media on identity and relationships
23
Globalisation and the Digital World
Globalisation and culture
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the relationship between globalisation and cultural change
- Evaluate the concepts of cultural imperialism and cultural hybridity
24
Globalisation and the Digital World
Globalisation and inequality
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain how globalisation affects global inequality
- Analyse the role of transnational corporations and global institutions
25
Globalisation and the Digital World
Globalisation and Social Change
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Define globalisation
- Evaluate the impact of globalisation on culture and identity
26
Globalisation and the Digital World
Theories of globalisation
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain different sociological perspectives on globalisation (e.g., hyperglobalist, sceptical, transformationalist)
- Evaluate the impact of globalisation on society
27
Health and Medicine
Health care and the medical profession
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the role of the medical profession and the concept of medical dominance
- Evaluate the impact of marketisation and consumerism on health care
28
Health and Medicine
Inequalities in Health
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Examine statistical evidence on mortality rates by social class
- Assess the role of lifestyle factors in ethnic health inequalities
- Evaluate the contribution of the Black Report to understanding health inequalities
- Compare materialist and cultural explanations for class health gradients
- Analyse the interaction of gender and class in shaping health outcomes
- Critically discuss the psychosocial hypothesis for health inequalities
29
Health and Medicine
Mental health
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain sociological approaches to mental health (e.g., labelling, social causation, social construction)
- Analyse the social distribution of mental illness
30
Health and Medicine
Social Construction of Health and Illness
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the social construction of health and illness
- Analyse the role of the medical profession
31
Health and Medicine
Social distribution of health and illness
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse patterns of health and illness by class, gender, ethnicity, and age
- Evaluate explanations for health inequalities (e.g., material, cultural, psychosocial)
32
Health and Medicine
Theories of health and illness
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain biomedical and social models of health
- Analyse sociological perspectives on health (e.g., functionalist, Marxist, feminist, interactionist)
33
Media
Media and audiences
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe the key features of the hypodermic syringe model and its assumptions about audience passivity.
- Analyse the uses and gratifications approach in explaining how individuals select and use media to meet personal needs.
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of reception analysis in understanding diverse audience interpretations.
- Assess the extent to which media content influences audience behaviour, drawing on empirical studies and theoretical perspectives.
34
Media
Media representations
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Critically analyse media representations of social class, gender, ethnicity, age, and disability using sociological concepts such as stereotyping, tokenism, and symbolic annihilation.
- Evaluate the direct and indirect effects of media representations on audience perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour, drawing on theories of media effects and audience reception.
- Apply content analysis techniques to identify patterns of representation in media texts.
- Assess the extent to which media representations have changed over time and the factors driving these changes.
- Synthesise sociological perspectives to debate the role of media in shaping social identity and reinforcing hegemonic ideologies.
35
Media
New media and digital technology
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the impact of new media on society (e.g., social media, citizen journalism)
- Evaluate the digital divide and the concept of the 'network society'
36
Media
Theories of the media
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain pluralist, Marxist, feminist, and postmodernist theories of the media
- Evaluate the role of the media in society
37
Religion, Belief and Faith
Religion and social change
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Analyse the relationship between religion and social change (e.g., Weber's Protestant ethic, liberation theology)
- Evaluate the role of religion in promoting or inhibiting change
38
Religion, Belief and Faith
Religious diversity and new religious movements
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe different types of religious organisations (e.g., churches, sects, cults, New Age movements)
- Analyse the reasons for the growth of new religious movements
39
Religion, Belief and Faith
Secularisation
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the concept of secularisation and evaluate the secularisation thesis
- Analyse evidence for and against secularisation in contemporary society
40
Religion, Belief and Faith
Theories of religion
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the functionalist perspective on religion as a source of social order and cohesion.
- Critique Marxist theories that view religion as an instrument of class oppression and ideological control.
- Analyse feminist arguments that religion institutionalises patriarchal power and reinforces gender inequality.
- Evaluate postmodernist claims that religion has become a fluid, personalised, and consumer-driven phenomenon.
- Compare and contrast functionalist, Marxist, feminist, and postmodernist accounts of religion’s role in society.
- Assess the extent to which these theories remain relevant in explaining the role of religion in contemporary society.
41
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
Mixed methods and triangulation
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the rationale for using mixed methods
- Evaluate the use of triangulation in sociological research
42
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
Qualitative research methods
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe and evaluate participant observation, unstructured interviews, and case studies
- Analyse the strengths and limitations of qualitative methods
43
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
Qualitative Research Methods
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe participant observation, unstructured interviews and case studies
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of qualitative methods
44
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
Quantitative research methods
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe and evaluate questionnaires, structured interviews, and experiments
- Analyse the strengths and limitations of quantitative methods
45
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
Quantitative Research Methods
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe surveys, questionnaires and structured interviews
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of quantitative methods
46
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
Sources of data
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Identify and evaluate primary and secondary sources of data
- Analyse the use of official statistics, documents, and media sources
47
Research Methods and Methodological Issues
The research process
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Outline the stages of the research process
- Explain the importance of research questions, hypotheses, and pilot studies
48
Social Differentiation and Stratification
Age and stratification
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain how age affects stratification and inequality
- Analyse the social construction of age and ageism
49
Social Differentiation and Stratification
Ethnicity and stratification
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain how ethnicity affects stratification and inequality
- Analyse the relationship between ethnicity, class, and gender
50
Social Differentiation and Stratification
Gender and stratification
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain how gender affects stratification and inequality
- Analyse feminist perspectives on gender and class
51
Social Differentiation and Stratification
Social class
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Define social class and explain different models of class (e.g., NS-SEC, Goldthorpe)
- Analyse the relationship between class and life chances
52
Social Differentiation and Stratification
Theories of stratification
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain functionalist, Marxist, Weberian, and feminist theories of stratification
- Evaluate the usefulness of each theory
53
Social Inequality and Difference
Gender and Ethnicity
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain gender and ethnic inequalities
- Analyse the intersection of gender, ethnicity and class
54
Social Inequality and Difference
Social Class
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain theories of social class inequality
- Analyse patterns of class inequality in contemporary society
55
Socialisation, Culture and Identity
Culture and Identity
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Define culture and identity
- Analyse how identity is formed through socialisation
56
Socialisation, Culture and Identity
Culture and subculture
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Define culture, subculture, and counterculture
- Analyse the relationship between culture and identity
57
Socialisation, Culture and Identity
The relationship between the individual and society
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the concepts of socialisation, culture and identity
- Analyse the relationship between the individual and society through sociological theories
58
Socialisation, Culture and Identity
The role of socialisation in the creation of identities
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain how socialisation shapes different identities (e.g., class, gender, ethnicity, age)
- Analyse the role of agencies of socialisation (family, education, media, peer group)
59
Socialisation, Culture and Identity
Theories of socialisation
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Describe different theories of socialisation (e.g., functionalist, Marxist, feminist, interactionist)
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each theory
60
Socialisation, Culture and Identity
Theories of Socialisation
Verified
Key Learning Objectives:
- Explain the process of socialisation
- Compare functionalist, Marxist, feminist and interactionist perspectives on socialisation
Regulatory & Verification Details
- Qualification Number (QN)
- 601/3997/3
- Regulated Status
- Available to learners
- Awarding Body
- Cambridge OCR
- Qualification Type
- GCE A Level
- Operational Start
- Sept 2015