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A2 Sociology 2015/16 Chat & Revision Thread

Hello! :smile:

Yes I'm aware this is a bit of an early start thread, but I think most people will know by now whether they're continuing the A2 in their college/6th form etc.

Most importantly, I believe we're the last lot to do the old spec Sociology -sniffles-, but this means our AS Grades will actually count towards the A2... which should be a good thing...

Fill in the typical brief into thingy if you want, I'll start:

Exam Board: AQA
Topics studying*: Beliefs + Crime & Deviance
AS Grade: A
A2 Personal Target Grade: A*

*(For AQA - Unit 3 choices are Beliefs, Global Development, or Mass Media. Unit 4 choices are either Crime & Deviance with Theory & Methods, or Stratification & Differentiation with Theory & Methods).

================
How's everyone finding it so far?

I started doing the A2 a few years back but left college, now that I've come back I'm surprised how much of Beliefs I've managed to remember so far. Think Beliefs will be the easiest section for me.I've read slightly ahead about [Social] Action theories and can tell I'm gonna struggle with them already.... :tongue:
===============

REVISION RESOURCES ON THE TSR "LEARN TOGETHER" SITE LINKED IN THE SPOILER BELOW

Spoiler

(edited 8 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Original post by Inexorably
Hello! :smile:

Yes I'm aware this is a bit of an early start thread, but I think most people will know by now whether they're continuing the A2 in their college/6th form etc.

More importantly, I believe we're the last lot to do the old spec Sociology -sniffles-, but this means our AS Grades will actually count towards the A2... which should be a good thing...

Fill in the typical brief into thingy if you want, I'll start:

Exam Board: AQA
Topics studying*: Beliefs + Crime & Deviance
AS Grade: A
A2 Personal Target Grade: A*

*(For AQA - Unit 3 choices are Beliefs, Global Development, or Mass Media. Unit 4 choices are either Crime & Deviance with Theory & Methods, or Stratification & Differentiation with Theory & Methods).
================

How's everyone finding it so far? I started doing the A2 a few years back but left college, now that I've come back I'm surprised how much of Beliefs I've managed to remember so far. Think Beliefs will be the easiest section for me.

I've read slightly ahead about [Social] Action theories and can tell I'm gonna struggle with them already.... :tongue:

Nice thread
You bought all the text books yet?
Reply 2
Original post by xxvine
Nice thread
You bought all the text books yet?


Yeah, I got the old A2 spec one off a friend + a revision one she had as well :smile: She also kindly gave me all the revision packs her teachers gave out so I can essentially read the course in advance haha!

Have you? :smile:
---
I think I'm gonna start making some TSR revision resources for this final A2 year. I have a crossword, a quiz and a very old revision sheet thing - all regarding Strain Theory - on the site. I'll get round to Durkheim's stuff shortly.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by Inexorably



Exam Board: AQA
Topics studying*: Beliefs + Crime & Deviance
AS Grade: A
A2 Personal Target Grade: A*



HEY we are doing the same stuff :biggrin:
Reply 4
Original post by ivy.98
HEY we are doing the same stuff :biggrin:


Omg woo!

Oh hey again, aren't you the one doing German too? (I am AS though)

By any chance are you doing Philosophy as well :colone:
Reply 5
Some people also do Power for Unit 3 :colondollar:
Reply 6
Original post by Inexorably
Omg woo!

Oh hey again, aren't you the one doing German too? (I am AS though)

By any chance are you doing Philosophy as well :colone:


Yeah thats me!
Nope, sorry :redface:

How are you finding A2 sociology so far? In my opinion it's nothing like AS :no:
Reply 7
Original post by Inexorably
Yeah, I got the old A2 spec one off a friend + a revision one she had as well :smile: She also kindly gave me all the revision packs her teachers gave out so I can essentially read the course in advance haha!

Have you? :smile:
---
I think I'm gonna start making some TSR revision resources for this final A2 year. I have a crossword, a quiz and a very old revision sheet thing - all regarding Strain Theory - on the site. I'll get round to Durkheim's stuff shortly.


Thats nice would have cost you like £25 for a brand new book...its the blue Rob Webb one right?

Am i right is saying there will be 2 different papers for Unit 1& 2 in the summer exams....
one paper for the old syllabus and one for the new syllabus?
Reply 8
Original post by ivy.98
Yeah thats me!
Nope, sorry :redface:

How are you finding A2 sociology so far? In my opinion it's nothing like AS :no:


its a lot harder trust me.......so much content.

I got a B overall and am on my gap year. May retake some units to boost my grade and UCAS
Reply 9
Original post by xxvine
its a lot harder trust me.......so much content.

I got a B overall and am on my gap year. May retake some units to boost my grade and UCAS


That doesn't sound good :frown: I thought I could wing sociology this year with my last years technique, which consisted of me never revising but just reading the whole textbook in the morning before the exam lol
I guess I'm wrong :bricks:
Reply 10
Original post by ivy.98
Yeah thats me!
Nope, sorry :redface:

How are you finding A2 sociology so far? In my opinion it's nothing like AS :no:


Finding it good actually. I did start the A2 a few years back (then left college to do work) and I'm surprised how much I remember of the brief period I did back then.

It looks way more interesting than AS but it is significantly harder haha.

Original post by xxvine
Thats nice would have cost you like £25 for a brand new book...its the blue Rob Webb one right?

Am i right is saying there will be 2 different papers for Unit 1& 2 in the summer exams....
one paper for the old syllabus and one for the new syllabus?


Not sure about Unit 1 & 2 in Summer. All I know is that A2 students will get 1 paper for Unit 3 and 1 for Unit 4.

yeah blue Rob Webb one :smile: I bought that + the AS one (revision) + AS + A2 revision booklets + all the revision guides she'd collected etc. for like £20 so I was happy.

Original post by ivy.98
That doesn't sound good :frown: I thought I could wing sociology this year with my last years technique, which consisted of me never revising but just reading the whole textbook in the morning before the exam lol
I guess I'm wrong :bricks:


Yeah my exam technique year 1 was wing it and I luckily got an A lmao. I'm actually trying to do proper revision in all of my subjects this year though.

I'm scared for Theory though... some of the theories such as symbolic interactionalism/dramaturgy/phenomenology/ethnomethodology etc. look confusing.
Reply 11
Original post by Inexorably


Yeah my exam technique year 1 was wing it and I luckily got an A lmao. I'm actually trying to do proper revision in all of my subjects this year though.

I'm scared for Theory though... some of the theories such as symbolic interactionalism/dramaturgy/phenomenology/ethnomethodology etc. look confusing.


That's what I say every year, never works as planned :s-smilie:
Yeah the theories scare me too, sounds really complicated ugh. Hopefully things will get clearer
Reply 12
Original post by ivy.98
That's what I say every year, never works as planned :s-smilie:
Yeah the theories scare me too, sounds really complicated ugh. Hopefully things will get clearer


Lmaooo. Thankfully I've got the year off to a good start by keeping on top of hwork and actually revising from the start of September, so just maybe I'll get it right this year.

Yeah hopefully :smile: Our classes are divided as the following though p/w:

2 hr lesson = Crime & Deviance
1.5 hr lesson = Beliefs
1 hr lesson = Theory

So theory is gonna be a lot of independent learning each week :frown:
Reply 13
Original post by ivy.98
That doesn't sound good :frown: I thought I could wing sociology this year with my last years technique, which consisted of me never revising but just reading the whole textbook in the morning before the exam lol
I guess I'm wrong :bricks:


Ahh you'll be fine. i am not the most brightest student tbh..and since you got an A in the AS...I am going to assume you are pretty clever!

One thing I will say is start learning and revising throughout the year. There is so much content that if you leave it to the end....unless you are very clever and have great memory, you will really struggle imo to learn everything before the exam.
Reply 14
Hey all :smile: Here are the resources I've put up on the TSR site so far:

[QUIZ] Durkheim's et al Functions of Crime - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/revision-tests/aqa-sociology-a2-durkheims-et-al-functions-of?game_type=quiz

[QUIZ] Merton Strain Theory - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/revision-tests/aqa-sociology-a2-merton-strain-theory?game_type=quiz

[CROSSWORD] Merton Strain Theory - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/revision-tests/aqa-sociology-a2-merton-strain-theory-2?game_type=crossword

[REVISION SHEET THING?] This is quite old lmao I forgot I made it - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/revision-notes/disadvantages_of_mertons_strain_theory

I really enjoy making these, 'cause I'm basically revising...as I'm creating a revision resource.. :tongue:
Reply 15
Original post by Inexorably
Lmaooo. Thankfully I've got the year off to a good start by keeping on top of hwork and actually revising from the start of September, so just maybe I'll get it right this year.

Yeah hopefully :smile: Our classes are divided as the following though p/w:

2 hr lesson = Crime & Deviance
1.5 hr lesson = Beliefs
1 hr lesson = Theory

So theory is gonna be a lot of independent learning each week :frown:


Oh wow my classes are divided completely different

2 hr lesson- Beliefs
3 hr lesson - Crime and Deviance

We are learning these topics now and around february we will start theory, after we've finished beliefs and crime
Reply 16
Original post by ivy.98
Oh wow my classes are divided completely different

2 hr lesson- Beliefs
3 hr lesson - Crime and Deviance

We are learning these topics now and around february we will start theory, after we've finished beliefs and crime


You FINISH crime by February??? My friend who did A2 last year said our lecturers struggled immensely to get all of the topics covered by the end of the course oh my :tongue:

We did have 5 hours of teaching before but I believe they reduced it this year cause money saving init. But even undr 5 hours our lesson formats would have been:

2 hrs Beliefs
2 hrs Crime & D
1 hr Theory

p/w
I'm a Warwick History fresher just jumping in to warn you guys that Crime and Deviance is very, very hard. Beliefs is so easyyyy and as sociology is so easyyy. But crime and deviance is easily double the workload of beliefs and it is poorly taught by teachers because they can't cope with the workload
Reply 18
Original post by Inexorably
You FINISH crime by February??? My friend who did A2 last year said our lecturers struggled immensely to get all of the topics covered by the end of the course oh my :tongue:

We did have 5 hours of teaching before but I believe they reduced it this year cause money saving init. But even undr 5 hours our lesson formats would have been:

2 hrs Beliefs
2 hrs Crime & D
1 hr Theory

p/w


Did I say February omg :redface: I have no clue why I said that *sigh*, my apologies

We finish just before the Easter holidays, if we won't then we will have to come in during the holidays, which I think is just cruel :s-smilie:
Reply 19
Original post by ivy.98
Did I say February omg :redface: I have no clue why I said that *sigh*, my apologies


We finish just before the Easter holidays, if we won't then we will have to come in during the holidays, which I think is just cruel :s-smilie:


Oops apologies on my behalf, you said you start Theory in feb so I assumed you finish C&D then :tongue:!!!

The easter holidays are in March this year also so :s if you have to go in.

Original post by Magnus Taylor
I'm a Warwick History fresher just jumping in to warn you guys that Crime and Deviance is very, very hard. Beliefs is so easyyyy and as sociology is so easyyy. But crime and deviance is easily double the workload of beliefs and it is poorly taught by teachers because they can't cope with the workload


Flicking just through the textbook, I can tell it's going to be a hugee topic.

Thankfully I know the lecturers at our college have had a lot of experience teaching Sociology and are very good at what they do. So that's a bit on the plus side I guess :tongue:

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