OCR AS Level Sociology Past Papers

OCR AS Level Sociology (H180) introduces students to the two foundational sociological areas that underpin the discipline: how individuals acquire their social identities through processes of socialisation, and how social inequality is structured and reproduced across dimensions of class, gender, and ethnicity. Both areas are examined with reference to sociological research methods and theoretical perspectives. Component 1: Socialisation, Culture and Identity (H180/01, 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks) examines how social identities are formed through primary socialisation (family, peer groups) and secondary socialisation (education, media, religion, the workplace). The component covers theoretical perspectives on socialisation — functionalist accounts (Parsons's role theory, Merton's strain theory), Marxist perspectives (Althusser's ideological state apparatuses, Gramsci's hegemony), feminist perspectives (liberal, radical, and socialist feminism on gender socialisation), and interactionist/social constructionist perspectives (labelling, self-concept). The concept of culture (shared norms, values, and beliefs) and its transmission across generations is central, alongside contemporary debates about identity formation in a globalised, media-saturated society. Component 2: Researching and Understanding Social Inequalities (H180/02, 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks) examines patterns and explanations of social class, gender, and ethnic inequalities in contemporary UK society, and also assesses sociological research methods. Class inequality content covers the measurement of class (occupation-based classifications, wealth and income data), theoretical explanations of class reproduction (Bourdieu's cultural capital and social capital, Marxist and functionalist perspectives), and patterns of inequality in education, employment, and health. Gender inequality examines the gender pay gap, the feminisation of poverty, gendered career segregation, and theoretical explanations. Ethnic inequalities examines disproportionate unemployment and educational underachievement for certain minority ethnic groups, and theoretical explanations including structural racism and cultural explanations. Research methods covers quantitative and qualitative approaches, their epistemological underpinnings, and evaluation of sociological research design.