Exam Board: AQA Level & Subject: AS and A Level Sociology (7191, 7192) First teaching: September 2015 First exams: June 2017

Level: A-level, undergraduate Subject: Sociology Themes and Perspectives is your essential A-level and undergraduate sociology guide. It’s fully updated to match the latest sociology teaching, research and developments to support your learning about sociology today.

This student book provides in-depth coverage of AQA's 2015 specifications, with chapters on education, research methods, methods in context and families and households. The clear, easy to navigate structure is precisely mapped to the AQA specification, with chapters offering the depth, detail and clarity that students need to analyse and evaluate at the highest levels.

The second edition of Ken Browne’s highly successful Introducing Sociology for AS-level provides in-depth and up-to-date coverage of the complete specification for AQA AS-level sociology. The first edition of this book was widely praised for its comprehensive coverage, and student-friendly style. In this second edition, all of the chapters have been revised to include new studies, reports and statistics. Key sociological terms are now systematically highlighted all the way through the book, and included in a comprehensive glossary, with fresh questions and activities added to develop and test students’ understanding further. Fuller consideration of issues of identity has been given throughout the text. More detailed advice has been provided on coursework, including a top-mark example to show students exactly what they have to do to achieve the highest grades. What’s more, two authentic exam questions are now included on every topic. Pitched at exactly the right level for AS sociology, the book provides all the tools necessary to help students achieve top grades, and a sound basis for progression to A2. A host of cartoons, photographs, graphs, tables, and spider diagrams help to enliven the text, as well as reinforcing key issues. Web sites and web-based activities are included throughout, encouraging students to engage with the most recent social changes, and developments in sociology. Although it assumes no previous knowledge of sociology, its dedicated and in-depth coverage of all the AQA’s AS topics provides a useful reference tool for the synoptic elements at A2. The second edition of Introducing Sociology for AS Level combines sociological rigour and accessibility in a way unrivalled by any other book at this level. It will be an invaluable resource to anyone following the AQA specifications.

"This research should make us extremely sceptical that the constant search for 'higher standards' and for ever-increasing achievement scores can do much more than put in place seemingly neutral devices for restratification." - Michael W Apple, John Bascom Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison Recent educational reforms have raised standards of achievement but have also resulted in growing inequalities based on 'race' and social class. School-by-school 'league tables' play a central role in the reforms. These have created an A-to-C economy where schools and teachers are judged on the proportion of students attaining five or more grades at levels A-to-C. To satisfy these demands schools are embracing new and ever more selective attempts to identify 'ability'. Their assumptions and practices embody a new IQism: a simple , narrow and regressive ideology of intelligence that labels working class and minority students as likely failures and justifies rationing provision to support those (often white, middle class boys) already marked for success. This book reports detailed research in two secondary schools showing the real costs of reform in terms of the pressures on teachers and the rationing of educational opportunity. It will be important reading for any teacher, researcher or policymaker with an interest in equality in education.

Exam Board: AQA Level & Subject: A level Sociology First teaching: September 2015 First exams: June 2016 AQA approved