Anthropology and Sociology

Curriculum Intent

To build a world which is tolerant, equal and just we must learn to identify intolerance, inequality and injustice, then set to the work of making them right. The purpose of both Sociology and Anthropology is to develop each student’s understanding of the social and cultural environments which humans have built and thereby arm them with the skills to thrive within, to put right and to improve upon those environments. GCSE Sociology students will focus on social issues within the UK, equipping themselves for positions of responsibility and consequence within Britain. In Anthropology they will broaden this and prepare themselves with the knowledge and skills to work with global audiences, organisations, partners and clients.

By introducing students to core social issues and debates we develop their knowledge of our society and foster skills of analysis, consideration and judgement making required to succeed in a diverse and interconnected global world. Students of the social sciences become well trained in the strengths and the intricate limitations of applying scientific and statistical approaches to many levels of organisational decision-making. We also nurture, and then hone the ability of students to put forward their arguments in discussion, but most importantly in formalised and evidenced academic essays.

Sociology and Anthropology are offered as:

  • GCSE Sociology in Years 10 & 11
  • IB Anthropology in Years 12 & 13

KS4

KS5

Key Stage 4 Sociology

Curriculum Overview

Students at Key Stage 4 have two lessons a week studying the AQA GCSE Sociology qualification

 Term 1Term 2Term 3Term 4Term 5Term 6
Year 10The Sociology of EducationThe Sociology of EducationResearch Methods in Social ScienceFamily in the UKFamily in the UKApplied Research Methods
Year 11Crime and DevianceCrime and DevianceInequality and Social StratificationInequality and Social StratificationRevision Resources/ Exam Practice

 

Year 10

Initially students will learn the core principles of the Sociological approach and the three main theoretical schools used to understand social phenomena. They will then explore the institution of education, questioning its overall purpose, how well it achieves its goals, how genders, social classes and ethnicities experience it differently and debate whether the current UK educations system is fit for purpose. Each section of this will be constantly linked back to the core principles, the theoretical schools and assessed through regular and tailored examination style questions.

In the third term students will learn about Sociology’s primary methods for collecting data, as well as how data is dissected, assessed and evaluated. Each of these methods will be learnt through their application to the education setting covered in the first two terms and assessed using exam style questions.

For the fourth and fifth term, students investigate how the institution of the British family has changed, including the liberation of women, ethnic diversification, new laws, shifting social expectations, the rise in divorces and the fall of marriage. Similarly, links will be made back to the core principles, the theoretical schools and assessment carried out through regular examination style questions.

In the final term students will recover research methods, now applying them to the topic of families. They will then consolidate their knowledge and revise for the end of Year Mock examinations. In the run up to these mocks, students will be guided on how to create and use revision resources for the first half of the GCSE course.

Year 11

For the first two terms of the second-year student will learn how the criminal justice system operates in the UK, some of the causes of crime and how they are policed and punished including their differences for genders, classes and ethnicities. They will apply the core principles of Sociology and the main theoretical approaches to these topics and debate whether the criminal justice systems are working well and how they can be improved. The application of research methods and the use of examination style assessment is integrated into the teaching of this unit as it is delivered.

For the third and fourth terms of the year students will move on to their final unit. This unit is the broader and more encompassing subject of social stratification, particularly social class and how individual’s life chances differ between genders, socio-economic groups, ethnicities and regions. They will then address poverty, welfare and the mechanisms of political power from a largely theoretical standpoint, integrating the learning from the previous units to create a strong overview of the structure of contemporary British Society.

The final term of Year 11 is spent creating revision resources for the latter two units. Students will practice a range of examination questions and will fine tune their understanding with the help of their specialist class teacher.

Assessment at GCSE

  • Paper 1: 50% of qualification. 1 hour and 45 minute examination made up of two topics, Families and Education. There are a series of short answer questions and two essay questions on each topic. Research Methods and Theory questions are integrated into each unit.
  • Paper 2: 50% of qualification. 1 hour and 45 minute examination made up of two topics, Crime and Social Stratification. There are a series of short answer questions and two essay questions on each topic. Again, Research Methods and Theory questions are integrated into each unit.

Further Reading/Resources

Class Textbook:

  • AQA GCSE (9-1) Sociology, Updated Edition Paperback, (2019), David Brown.
    • ISBN13; 978-1510470286

Examination Preparation Materials:

  • AQA GCSE 9-1 Sociology Workbook (Collins GCSE 9-1 Revision), (2018), Collins GCSE.
    • ISBN13; 978-0008227456
  • Grade 9-1 GCSE Sociology AQA All-in-One Complete Revision and Practice (with free flashcard download) (Collins GCSE 9-1 Revision) Paperback, (2017), Collins GCSE.
    • ISBN13; 978-0008227456

Wider Reading Materials:

  • Essential Concepts in Sociology Paperback – 24 Mar, (2017), A. Giddens, P. Sutton.
    • ISBN13; 978-1509516674
  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning Hardcover – 16 April 2020, (2020), J. Reynolds, I. Kendi.
    • ISBN13; 978-0316453691
  • Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies): Amazing women on what the F-word means to them, (2018), S. Curtis.
    • ISBN13; 978-0241357187

Key Stage 5 Anthropology

Curriculum Overview

Students at Key Stage 5 have six lessons a fortnight studying the IB Social and Cultural Anthropology qualification. These are split into three strands which are delivered in parallel by two subject specialists.

Year 12Term 1Term 2Term 3Term 4Term 5Term 6
Strand AThe Language of AnthropologyResearch Methods in Social ScienceStructures of Society and Culture
Strand BCore Text; In Search of Respect

 

 

Student Fieldwork Projects
Strand CAnthropological TheoryCore Text; Yanomamo

 

 

Year 13Term 1Term 2Term 3Term 4Term 5Term 6
Strand ACore Text; The Trobriand Islanders

 

 

Revision 

 

 

 
Strand BCore Text; Pretty Modern

 

 

   
Strand CEthics in AnthropologyAdvanced Theory  

 

Year 12

Strand A: The Language of Anthropology unit introduces students to the core principles of Anthropological study. We look at the way in which societies are structured and how culture is formed, practiced and reproduced. In Research Methods in Social Science, students will learn about Anthropology’s primary methods for collecting data, as well as how data is dissected, assessed and evaluated. This builds very well on the learning of GCSE Sociology students, or those taking Psychology. Finally we will look at some of the structuring topics of Anthropology, including;

  • How different societies organise themselves politically and economically.
  • How different societies deal with health illness and death.
  • How communities create a sense of identity and belonging.
  • How religious beliefs such as Shamanism and Witchcraft operate.
  • How conflict arises, practiced and how it can be mitigated in different societies.

Strand B: Reading from the book In Search of Respect by Philippe Bourgois’, we study social marginalization in inner-city America. Under the Area of Enquiry: Belonging, we investigate how Bourgois managed to gain the trust and long-term friendship of street-level drug dealers in one of the roughest ghetto neighbourhoods in the United States – East Harlem. In the fourth and fifth terms students get time in class to work toward their own fieldwork projects.

Strand C: For the first two terms students will become familiar with a broad range of Anthropological Theories. These build on and move significantly past those studied at GCSE. From the third term onwards students will be reading from the book, Yanomamo The Fierce People. Here we look at the work of legendary Anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon and explore life for a stone tool using people from the Amazon rainforest who are under almost continual threat from tribal warfare. The shamanic people practice regular raids and use the spirits of the forest beings to protect them from their enemies. We also investigate how this highly religious people, who practiced cannibalism, changed as they came into contact with missionaries and the wider globalised world.

Year 13

In Year 13, we study a further 3 topics:

Strand A: Reading from the book, The Trobriand Islanders of Papua New Guinea by Anette Weiner, we study a society run by women and totally preoccupied with yams. Following in the footsteps of the titan of Anthropology, Bromislaw Malinowski, we explore a society where women hold the major reins of power, where sorcerers are paid in axes to murder enemies in secret, and where great armadas of colourful boats set out on epic voyages across the pacific in search of trade and friendship.

Strand B: Reading from the book, Pretty Modern by Alexander Edmonds, we study the plastic surgery trade in Rio De Janeiro. Under the Area of Enquiry: The Body, we investigate how people control and modify their bodies to fit different cultural ideals. From the prominent Maori tattoos to the lip plates of Suri tribeswomen, we investigate how humans use their bodies as a canvas through which they express their cultural standards and beliefs.

Strand C: In the first term we study the brief but crucial topic of Ethics in Anthropology. This topic underpins much of what gives the subject meaning and delves into the philosophical and moral dilemmas which face a researcher of the vastly different worlds which humans inhabit. From the second term onwards we return to theory. In this unit we look at Anthropological explanations for the features of human societies, trying to form a larger picture of the commonalities and differences between us and why these came to be.

Assessment in IB Social and Cultural Anthropology

STANDARD LEVEL
External assessment (3 hours)

 

Paper 1 (1 hour 30 minutes) 40% of total grade

– Three compulsory questions based on an unseen text similar to the Core Texts. One compulsory broader question.

Paper 2 (1 hour 30 minutes) 40% of total grade

– Section A: one compulsory question which requires students to make meaningful connections between one of their Core Texts and a contemporary real-world issue.

– Section B: one question chosen from a selection of eighteen, requiring students to apply their knowledge of Core Texts and Theory to one of the Structures of Society and Culture.

80% of total grade
Internal assessment (30 hours) 20% of total grade

 

– Observation report

– Methodological and conceptual extension of initial fieldwork

– Second fieldwork data collection and analysis

– Critical reflection

20% of total grade

 

HIGHER LEVEL
External assessment (4 hours 30 minutes)

 

Paper 1 (2 hours) 30% of total grade

– Three compulsory questions based on an unseen text similar to the Core Texts. Two compulsory questions on broader principles, fieldwork practice and ethics.

Paper 2 (2 hour 30 minutes) 45% of total grade

– Section A: one compulsory question which requires students to make meaningful connections between one of their Core Texts and a contemporary real-world issue.

– Section B: two questions chosen from a selection of eighteen, requiring students to apply their knowledge of Core Texts and Theory to one of the Structures of Society and Culture.

75% of total grade
Internal assessment (30 hours) 25% of total grade

 

– Three compulsory activities based on the topics Research Methods in Social Science

– Written fieldwork proposal form and completed literature search.

– A presentation to their peers and a written critical reflection.

– Conducted fieldwork and a written research report and reflection.

25% of total grade

Further Reading/Resources

General purpose textbooks;

  • Barnard, A., 2000. Social Anthropology: a Concise Introduction for Students: Taunton: Studymates. An excellent introduction to key subjects and theories in Anthropology. This book is very clear and concise. It does not deal with subjects in much depth and should be supported by other reading.
  • Eriksson, T., 2004 What Is Anthropology? London: Pluto press. This is a very accessible book with chapters on key concepts in Anthropology such as culture and society and Anthropological Theory.
  • Hendry, J., 2008 Sharing Our Worlds: An Introduction to Cultural and Social Anthropology. Basingstoke: Palgrave McMillan. This very readable textbook and provides overviews of many of the topics we cover. There is also a very useful resource list at the end of each chapter which includes films, novels and questions for discussion.
  • Inda, J., and Rosaldo, R., 2008 The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader, Second Edition Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Excellent material on capital, rulers and subjects, commodities, media, ideologies, ‘disorderly development’ and the San and lots more.
  • Metcalf, P., 2005 Anthropology: the Basics, Oxon; Routledge. This is a very readable book that deals with topics and theories in an understandable and fluid way. The chapters are not easy to dip in and out of and are less useful for revision by subject.
  • Monaghan, J., and Just, P., 2000 Social and Cultural Anthropology: a Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. This is an excellent little book which integrates overviews of many of the key topics with illustrations from the author’s own fieldwork.

Theory Books;

  • Erickson, P., and Murphy, L., 1999 A History of Anthropological Theory. Hertfordshire: Broadview Press. A very thorough and sophisticated exploration of Anthropological knowledge from the time of the Greeks until the present. This book is very enlightening with regard to the philosophical developments of the last 3000 years. Also contains a useful index and comprehensive encyclopaedia of theoretical terms.
  • Leighton, R., 1997 An Introduction to Theory in Anthropology. Cambridge: CUP. A very good and clear introduction to theory including; functionalism, structuralism, interactionist theories, Marxism, post-modernism, and others.
  • Park, M., * Biological Anthropology. , New York: McGraw-Hill . This is an excellent introduction to the theory of evolution, human evolutionary history and the major contributions this is to our modern understanding of humanity. There are now seven edition of this book. The more recent additions, 2012, are more up-to-date in this fast moving and dynamic academic subject. Older editions, 2005+, are cheaper and still contain the majority of the information we will need.

Fieldwork Guides:

  • Kutsche, P., 1998 Field Ethnography: A Manual for Doing Cultural Anthropology. Prentice Hall. The whole purpose of this book is teaching ethnography by doing ethnography. It is structured around a set of five assignments that you do. Each assignment has a number of specimen papers and analysis by which to judge your own work and further your technique. This book is an excellent companion for a Higher level Student who is conducting their fieldwork project.
  • Roben, A., and Sluka, J., 2007 Ethnographic Fieldwork: An Anthropological Reader. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. An excellent and comprehensive text exploring many of the difficulties both external, internal and ethical, experienced during fieldwork. Clearly guides the reader through different types of ethnographic writing. This text is better for the students who need help assessing and evaluating their fieldwork data.

Ethnographies

  • Chagnon, N., 1997 Yanomamo, Belmont: Wadsworth Learning. An excellent textbook on the Yanomamo of The Amazoon Rainforest. This text also covers the theory of Cultural Ecology very well, relating it directly to the material. Part of the case studies in Cultural Anthropology series.
  • Evans-Pritchard, E., 1940 The Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People. Oxford: Clarendon Press. This is another key text in Anthropology. It gives a good description of the Nuer a large society that survives without leaders.
  • Evans-Pritchard, E., 1976. Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande. Oxford: Clarendon Press. A brilliant description of a large kingdom in the Sudan in which magic rules their daily lives of its people.
  • Goodale, J., 1980 Tiwi Wives : A Study Of The Women Of Melville Island, North Australia. Washington: University of Washington press. A very thorough investigation into the lives of Tiwi women. This book is accurate, dense and includes quantitative data to back up its points.
  • Hart, C., Pilling, A., and Goodale, J., 1988. The Tiwi of North Australia. Belmont: Wadsworth Learning. An excellent textbook on the Tiwi of Melville and Bathurst Islands. Part of the case studies in Cultural Anthropology series.
  • Lee, R., 2003 The Dobe Ju/’hoansi. Belmont: Wadsworth Learning. An excellent textbook on the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. Part of the case studies in Cultural Anthropology series.
  • Malinowski, B,. 1932. Argonauts of the Western Pacific. New York; Routledge. This is one of the first and most influential ethnographies ever written, and excellent exploration of the lives of the Trobriand Islanders of East Papua. This text is heavy with information making it harder to use for revision.
  • Marshall Thomas, E., 1989 The Harmless People. New York: Vintage Books. A good, readable, introduction to the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. Reads as a journey rather than a textbook.
  • Mead, M., Coming-Of-Age in Samoa. London; Harper Perennial. The ground-breaking text that brought feminism into anthropology. This book explores adolescence, sexuality and society with conclusions that were very controversial at the time.
  • Weiner, A., 1988 The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea, Belmont: Wadsworth Learning. An excellent textbook on the Trobriand Islanders of East Papua. Part of the case studies in Cultural Anthropology series.

 

British Values:

British Values in Anthropology and Sociology

Democracy:

  • GCSE: In Unit 4 Social Stratification, we deal directly with democracy in the UK, problems with democracy, alternatives (only in brief) and power groups within a democratic system.
  • IB: Anthropology; in the Unit the Language of Anthropology, we look at political power in different societies; this includes democracy in the UK.

Rule of law:

  • GCSE: In Unit 3 Crime and Deviance, we deal directly with law and order, including how we define criminality, the justice system, causes of criminality and debates over the specific legal boundaries that exist in the UK.
  • A level: In Unit 3 Crime and Deviance we deal directly with law and order, including how we define criminality, the justice system, causes of criminality and debates over the specific legal boundaries that exist in the UK. We just do it to far more depth at A level including a Theoretical dissection of causes and solutions.
  • IB: Anthropology; in the Unit the Language of Anthropology, we look at law in different societies; this includes law in the UK.

Individual Liberty:

  • GCSE: In The Introduction to Sociology, and throughout the course we debate Structure vs Agency. These ideas are a fundamental part of the course and question the level of Liberty that we experience/ should experience as UK citizens.
  • A level: Throughout the course we debate Structure vs Agency. These ideas are a fundamental part of the course and question the level of Liberty that we experience/ should experience as UK citizens.
  • IB: Anthropology; Throughout the course we debate Structure vs Agency. These ideas are a fundamental part of the course and question the level of Liberty that we experience/ should experience as UK citizens.

Mutual respect:

  • GCSE: In all four Units, we deal directly with diversity in the UK. These topics require a direct and sensitive investigation of issues of diversity, promotion of a shared understanding, respect for each other’s views and a constructive debate about unity and collaboration in a Multicultural society.
  • A level: See GCSE. We also go into far more depth at A level including a Theoretical dissection of causes and solutions.
  • IB: Anthropology; this is effectively the central tenant of Anthropology. It forms a core part of our methodology for the entire course. We debate it directly in the Ethics Unit covered on the Higher-level course as well.

Tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs:

  • A level Sociology; Unit 3 Beliefs In Society deals directly with this topic. We study religious tolerance and cosmopolitanism within Western Multicultural society. We also investigate religious intolerance and fundamentalism, as well as secular fundamentalism and intolerance.
  • IB: Anthropology; this is effectively the central tenant of Anthropology. It forms a core part of our methodology for the entire course. We debate it directly in the Ethics Unit covered on the Higher-level course as well.