SYLLABUS

Cambridge O Level
Sociology

2251
For examination in June and November 2016

Cambridge Secondary 2

Changes to syllabus for 2016

This syllabus has been updated. Significant changes to the syllabus are indicated by black vertical
lines either side of the text.

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Cambridge International Examinations 2014

Contents
1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 2
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

Why choose Cambridge?

Why choose Cambridge O Level?
Why choose Cambridge O Level Sociology?
How can I find out more?

2. Teacher support .............................................................................................................. 5

2.1 Support materials
2.2 Resource lists
2.3 Training

3. Syllabus content at a glance ........................................................................................... 6

4. Assessment at a glance ................................................................................................. 7
5. Syllabus aims and assessment objectives...................................................................... 8
5.1 Syllabus aims
5.2 Assessment objectives
5.3 Relationship between assessment objectives and components

6. Syllabus content ........................................................................................................... 10

7.

Description of components .......................................................................................... 19

8. Other information ......................................................................................................... 20

Introduction

1.

Introduction

1.1 Why choose Cambridge?

Recognition
Cambridge International Examinations is the worlds largest provider of international education programmes
and qualifications for learners aged 5 to 19. We are part of Cambridge Assessment, a department of the
University of Cambridge, trusted for excellence in education. Our qualifications are recognised by the worlds
universities and employers.
Cambridge O Level is internationally recognised by schools, universities and employers as equivalent in
demand to Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education). Learn more at
www.cie.org.uk/recognition

Excellence in education
Our mission is to deliver world-class international education through the provision of high-quality curricula,
assessment and services.
More than 9000 schools are part of our Cambridge learning community. We support teachers in over 160
countries who offer their learners an international education based on our curricula and leading to our
qualifications. Every year, thousands of learners use Cambridge qualifications to gain places at universities
around the world.
Our syllabuses are reviewed and updated regularly so that they reflect the latest thinking of international
experts and practitioners and take account of the different national contexts in which they are taught.
Cambridge programmes and qualifications are designed to support learners in becoming:

confident in working with information and ideas their own and those of others

responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others

reflective as learners, developing their ability to learn

innovative and equipped for new and future challenges

engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference.

Support for teachers

A wide range of materials and resources is available to support teachers and learners in Cambridge schools.
Resources suit a variety of teaching methods in different international contexts. Through subject discussion
forums and training, teachers can access the expert advice they need for teaching our qualifications. More
details can be found in Section 2 of this syllabus and at www.cie.org.uk/teachers

Support for exams officers

Exams officers can trust in reliable, efficient administration of exams entries and excellent personal support
from our customer services. Learn more at www.cie.org.uk/examsofficers

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Introduction

Not-for-profit, part of the University of Cambridge

We are a not-for-profit organisation where the needs of the teachers and learners are at the core of what we
do. We continually invest in educational research and respond to feedback from our customers in order to
improve our qualifications, products and services.
Our systems for managing the provision of international qualifications and education programmes
for learners aged 5 to 19 are certified as meeting the internationally recognised standard for quality
management, ISO 9001:2008. Learn more at www.cie.org.uk/ISO9001

1.2 Why choose Cambridge O Level?

Cambridge O Levels have been designed for an international audience and are sensitive to the needs of
different countries. These qualifications are designed for learners whose first language may not be English
and this is acknowledged throughout the examination process. The Cambridge O Level syllabus also allows
teaching to be placed in a localised context, making it relevant in varying regions.
Our aim is to balance knowledge, understanding and skills in our programmes and qualifications to enable
candidates to become effective learners and to provide a solid foundation for their continuing educational
journey.
Through our professional development courses and our support materials for Cambridge O Levels, we
provide the tools to enable teachers to prepare learners to the best of their ability and work with us in the
pursuit of excellence in education.
Cambridge O Levels are considered to be an excellent preparation for Cambridge International
AS and A Levels, the Cambridge AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education) Group Award,
Cambridge Pre-U, and other education programmes, such as the US Advanced Placement program
and the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. Learn more about Cambridge O Levels at
www.cie.org.uk/cambridgesecondary2

Guided learning hours

Cambridge O Level syllabuses are designed on the assumption that learners have about 130 guided
learning hours per subject over the duration of the course, but this is for guidance only. The number of
hours required to gain the qualification may vary according to local curricular practice and the learners prior
experience of the subject.

1.3 Why choose Cambridge O Level Sociology?

Cambridge O Levels are established qualifications that keep pace with educational developments and
trends. The Cambridge O Level curriculum places emphasis on broad and balanced study across a wide
range of subject areas. The curriculum is structured so that students attain both practical skills and
theoretical knowledge.
Cambridge O Level Sociology is accepted by schools universities and employers as proof of knowledge and
understanding. Successful Cambridge O Level Sociology candidates gain lifelong skills, including:

a better understanding of how we become who we are

the ability to analyse human behaviour within their own society, between different cultures and across
different periods of time

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Introduction

an appreciation of the effects that choice of methodology can have on social science investigations

the ability to use sociological evidence and ideas to challenge their own beliefs and the beliefs of other
people about issues such as equality, education, the family and crime.

Cambridge O Level Sociology is an ideal foundation for further study at Cambridge International A Level, and
the skills learnt can also be used in other areas of study and in everyday life.
Students may also study for a Cambridge O Level in other Social Science subjects. In addition to Cambridge
O Levels, Cambridge also offers Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International AS & A Levels for further
study in Sociology as well as other related subjects. See www.cie.org.uk for a full list of the qualifications
you can take.

Prior learning
Candidates beginning this course are not expected to have studied Sociology previously.

Progression
Cambridge O Levels are general qualifications that enable candidates to progress either directly to
employment, or to proceed to further qualifications.
Candidates who are awarded grades C to A* in Cambridge O Level Sociology are well prepared to follow
courses leading to Cambridge International AS and A Level Sociology, or the equivalent.

1.4 How can I find out more?

If you are already a Cambridge school
You can make entries for this qualification through your usual channels. If you have any questions, please
contact us at [email protected]

If you are not yet a Cambridge school

Learn about the benefits of becoming a Cambridge school at www.cie.org.uk/startcambridge. Email us at
[email protected] to find out how your organisation can register to become a Cambridge school.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Teacher support

2.

Teacher support

2.1 Support materials

Cambridge syllabuses, past question papers and examiner reports to cover the last examination series are
on the Syllabus and Support Materials DVD, which we send to all Cambridge schools.
You can also go to our public website at www.cie.org.uk/olevel to download current and future syllabuses
together with specimen papers or past question papers and examiner reports from one series.
For teachers at registered Cambridge schools a range of additional support materials for specific
syllabuses is available online from Teacher Support, our secure online support for Cambridge teachers.
Go to http://teachers.cie.org.uk (username and password required).

2.2 Resource lists

We work with publishers providing a range of resources for our syllabuses including textbooks, websites,
CDs, etc. Any endorsed, recommended and suggested resources are listed on both our public website and
on Teacher Support.
The resource lists can be filtered to show all resources or just those which are endorsed or recommended
by Cambridge. Resources endorsed by Cambridge go through a detailed quality assurance process and are
written to align closely with the Cambridge syllabus they support.

2.3 Training
We offer a range of support activities for teachers to ensure they have the relevant knowledge and skills to
deliver our qualifications. See www.cie.org.uk/events for further information.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Syllabus content at a glance

3.

Syllabus content at a glance

All candidates take Paper 1 and Paper 2.

Paper 1
Unit 1:

Theory and
methods

How do different sociologists interpret society?

How do sociologists study society?
What types of information and data do sociologists use?

Unit 2:

Culture, identity
and socialisation

What is the relationship between the individual and

society?
How do we learn to be human?

Unit 3:

Social inequality

What is social stratification?

What are the main features of social inequality and how are
these created?

Unit 4:

Family

What are the different types of family?

How are family roles changing?
What are the changes affecting the family?

Unit 5:

Education

What is the function of education?

What factors help to explain differences in educational
achievement?

Unit 6:

Crime, deviance
and social control

What are crime, deviance and social control?

What are the patterns of crime?
What are the explanations of crime?

Unit 7:

Media

Who controls the media?

What is the influence of the media?

Paper 2

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Assessment at a glance

4.

Assessment at a glance
Components

Weighting

Candidates take:
Paper 1

2 hours (including 15 minutes reading time)

60%

Candidates answer one compulsory data response question and one optional
structured question from a choice of two.
80 marks
and:
Paper 2

1 hour 45 minutes (including 15 minutes reading time)

40%

Candidates answer two optional structured questions from a choice of four.

70 marks

Availability
This syllabus is examined in the June and November examination series.
This syllabus is available to private candidates.
Detailed timetables are available from www.cie.org.uk/examsofficers
Cambridge O Levels are available to Centres in Administrative Zones 3, 4 and 5. Centres in Administrative
Zones 1, 2 or 6 wishing to enter candidates for Cambridge O Level examinations should contact Cambridge
Customer Services.

Combining this with other syllabuses

Candidates can combine this syllabus in an examination series with any other Cambridge syllabus, except:

syllabuses with the same title at the same level

0495 Cambridge IGCSE Sociology

Please note that Cambridge O Level, Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge International Level 1/Level 2
Certificate syllabuses are at the same level.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Syllabus aims and assessment objectives

5.

Syllabus aims and assessment objectives

5.1 Syllabus aims

The educational aims of Cambridge O Level Sociology are to:

promote candidates awareness, knowledge and understanding of human societies

develop candidates understanding of sociological methods, including the collection, analysis and
interpretation of data

provide an introduction to sociological concepts, theories and research findings

stimulate awareness of the range and limitations of sociological theory and research

promote candidates understanding of continuity and change in social life

encourage a critical awareness of social, economic and political processes, and their effects

develop the capacity for critical evaluation of different forms of information and evidence

promote an appreciation and understanding of individual, social and cultural diversity

enhance candidates ability to apply sociological knowledge and understanding to their own lives and
their participation within society.

5.2 Assessment objectives

The assessment objectives (AOs) in Cambridge O Level Sociology are:

AO1: Knowledge and understanding

Candidates should be able to:

demonstrate knowledge and understanding of appropriate sociological topics

understand the theoretical and practical considerations influencing the design and application of
sociological enquiry

understand and apply sociological terminology and concepts.

AO2: Interpretation of evidence

Candidates should be able to:

demonstrate an awareness of the main methods of sociological enquiry and their uses

interpret and apply relevant evidence and data

show an awareness of different types and sources of evidence.

AO3: Analysis and evaluation

Candidates should be able to:

evaluate the strengths and limitations of particular sociological studies and methods

recognise limitations and bias in evidence and distinguish between fact, opinion and values

reach conclusions based on a reasoned consideration of available evidence

organise and present sociological evidence and arguments in a coherent and purposeful form.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Syllabus aims and assessment objectives

5.3 Relationship between assessment objectives and components

The marks and weightings allocated to each of the assessment objectives are summarised below:
Assessment Objective

Paper 1 (marks
out of 80)

Paper 2 (marks
out of 70)

Weighting for
qualification

AO1: Knowledge and understanding

3035

2530

3540%

AO2: Interpretation of evidence

2530

2025

3035%

AO3: Analysis and evaluation

2025

1520

2530%

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Syllabus content

6.

Syllabus content

The content is organised into seven study units, which explore the nature of social relationships, processes
and structures. The first unit provides a foundation for the other units of the syllabus by considering the
methods and procedures employed in sociological research. Promoting candidates understanding of
research methods and their limitations is a key component of the syllabus and this underpins each of the
other study units.
Teachers should emphasise how different levels of social life (macro and micro) are interconnected and
encourage candidates awareness of the interrelated nature of the social structure. Candidates will also be
expected to recognise the significance of class, gender, ethnic and age differences within societies. Crosscultural and historical comparisons, analysis and use of examples are encouraged.
The Cambridge O Level Sociology syllabus has been designed so that teachers in any society can
apply candidates own experiences, local case studies and sociological work relating to their own
way of life to an understanding of the central ideas and themes of sociology in modern industrial
societies.

Paper 1
Paper 1 comprises three units, all of which are fundamental to the study of sociology and provide a
foundation for studying the units in Paper 2. Candidates should study all three units in Paper 1.
Unit 1: Theory and methods
This first unit provides a foundation for the other parts of the syllabus by considering the approaches and
procedures used in sociological research. This provides a basis for understanding the uniquely sociological
way of looking at society. It underpins and provides an understanding of each of the other study units.
(a) How do different sociologists interpret society?

Structuralist and interpretivist approaches; the individual, identity and society.

How different views (Functionalist, Marxist, feminist) on conflict and consensus create alternative
perspectives.

(b) How do sociologists study society?

10

The distinction between positivist and interpretivist approaches to research methods.

The main steps in devising and implementing a research strategy: research aims, selection of topic,
hypothesis setting and revision, pilot studies, sampling.

Difficulties in implementing a research strategy.

Ethical issues affecting the choice and implementation of a research strategy.

The main methods used in sociological investigation: questionnaires/social surveys, interviews,

experiments, case studies, longitudinal studies, participant and non-participant observation, content
analysis and triangulation. Coverage should include the strengths and limitations of each method,
assessment of their usefulness in sociological research and awareness of the types of evidence
produced.

The importance of analysing and evaluating research with reference to issues of validity, reliability,
generalisability, representativeness and research bias.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Syllabus content

(c) What types of information and data do sociologists use?

The difference between primary and secondary data; the uses, strengths and limitations and value of
each type of data.

Qualitative and quantitative data. The strengths and limitations of qualitative sources including
historical and personal documents, diaries and media content. The ability to interpret and evaluate
evidence from short qualitative sources. The strengths and limitations of quantitative sources
including official statistics. The ability to interpret data from diagrams, charts, graphs and tables.

Key terms:

Bias
Case study
Causation
Comparative study
Conflict
Consensus
Content analysis
Correlation
Covert participant
observation
Ethical issues
Field experiments
Focus group
Generalisability
Group interview
Hawthorne/Observer Effect
Historical documents
Hypothesis
Identity
Interpretivism
Interviewer bias

Interviewer effect
Laboratory experiments
Longitudinal survey
Macro/micro approaches
Non-participant observation
Objectivity
Official/non-official statistics
Open/closed/pre-coded
questions
Overt participant
observation
Perspectives
Pilot study
Positivism
Postal questionnaires
Primary data
Qualitative data/research
Quantitative data/research
Questionnaires
Reliability

Representativeness
Respondent
Response rate
Sampling methods/random/
snowballing/quota/stratified
Sampling frame
Secondary data
Self-completion
questionnaires
Semi-structured interview
Social survey
Structuralism
Structured interview
Subjectivity
Survey population
Telephone questionnaires
Trend
Triangulation
Unstructured interview
Validity

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

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Syllabus content

Unit 2: Culture, identity and socialisation

This unit considers the relationship between the individual and society and how far humans are shaped by
social processes by comparison with alternative influences, such as biological and psychological factors.
(a) What is the relationship between the individual and society?

Culture, norms, values, roles and beliefs as social constructions and how these influence human
behaviour.

Conformity and non-conformity; the agencies and processes of social control. Examples of rewards
and sanctions applied in different societies and organisations (e.g. schools, the workplace). The
formation and existence of sub-cultures (e.g. youth sub-cultures, religious sub-cultures) in society
and how these impact on consensus and conflict.

Diversity and cultural variation in human behaviour and issues related to cultural relativism/
multiculturalism. The debate about whether globalisation is creating a global culture.

Age/age group as an example of social construction.

(b) How do we learn to be human?

Primary and secondary socialisation.

Processes through which children learn social expectations (e.g. manipulation, hidden curriculum).

Main agencies of socialisation (e.g. family, education, media) and their impact on the individual,
including the consequences of inadequate socialisation.

The nature/nurture debate.

Role, age, gender, ethnic group and class as influences on social identity.

Key terms:

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Adolescence
Adulthood
Age/age groups
Agencies of socialisation
Belief
Child-centred
Childhood
Coercion
Cultural relativism
Culture
Customs
Diversity
Elderly
Ethnic minority
Ethnicity/race
Femininity/masculinity
Feral children

Gender/sex
Globalisation/global culture
Hidden curriculum
Imitation
Inadequate socialisation
Law
Lifestyle
Manipulation/canalisation
Multicultural society
Nature/nurture
Norms/values
Ostracism
Peer group
Peer pressure
Primary socialisation
Rewards/sanctions
Role

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Role conflict
Role modelling
Secondary socialisation
Social class Social
conformity
Social construction
Social control/formal and
informal
Social identity
Social institutions
Social interaction
Social order
Status (achieved/ascribed)
Stereotype
Sub-culture
Value consensus
Youth sub-culture

Syllabus content

Unit 3: Social inequality

This unit explores the way in which social processes stratify society in all parts of the world, the reasons
why inequalities exist, as well as how they are created and perpetuated.
(a) What is social stratification?

Forms of social stratification in modern industrial society: class, age, ethnicity and gender.

Ascribed and achieved status.

Life chances and why these differ between and within stratified groups.

(b) What are the main features of social inequality and how are these created?

Wealth and income: the evidence and reasons for the distribution of wealth and income in different
societies and the impact of welfare states and other government measures to reduce inequality,
including equal opportunities legislation. The problems of defining wealth and poverty. The causes of
poverty and the consequences of being rich or poor in a global context.

Ethnicity: examples of racial prejudice and discrimination in education, employment and housing.
Scapegoating and the consequences of racism for ethnic groups.

Gender: effect of gender on the life chances of males and females, with particular reference to
gender discrimination in employment. The changing role of women in modern industrial societies and
explanations of gender discrimination.

Social class: ways of defining and measuring social class. The changing nature and role of different
classes and class cultures. The nature, extent and significance of social mobility.

Key terms:
Absolute poverty
Achieved status
Age/Ageism
Apartheid
Ascribed status
Blue collar worker/white
collar worker
Bourgeoisie
Capitalism
Caste
Civil rights/human rights
Closed society
Culture of poverty
Cycle of poverty
Dependency culture
Disability
Discrimination
Distribution of wealth/
redistribution of wealth
Domestic labour
Elite
Embourgeoisement/
proletarianisation
Equal opportunities
Fatalism
Feminism

Gendered division of labour

Glass ceiling
Immediate/deferred
gratification
Income
Industrial societies
Institutional racism
Intergenerational social
mobility
Intragenerational social
mobility
Life chances
Lifestyle
Market situation
Marxism
Meritocracy
Middle class
Minority ethnic groups
Minority groups
Occupational structure
Open society
Patriarchy
Poverty line
Poverty trap
Power
Prejudice

Privileged groups
Professions/professional
worker
Racism
Relative poverty
Reserve army of labour
Scapegoating
Skilled worker/unskilled
worker
Slavery
Social class
Social exclusion
Social inequality
Social mobility
Social stratification
Status
Traditional societies
Underclass
Upper class
Vertical and horizontal
segregation
Wealth
Welfare state
Working class/new working
class

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

13

Syllabus content

Paper 2
Unit 4: Family
This unit offers candidates the opportunity to explore the sociology of the family, including definitions,
structure, variations and alternatives, and changing roles and relationships within the family.
(a) What are the different types of family?

The nuclear and extended family, reconstituted/step-family, single-parent family and same sex family.

The influence of social stratification and ethnicity on family diversity.

The functions of the family and the loss of functions debate.

Alternatives to the family, including other types of households (e.g. one-person household, shared
household) and communes.

Cross-cultural comparisons and variations in marriage including monogamy, serial monogamy,

polygamy and polyandry. Alternatives to marriage, such as cohabitation and civil partnerships. Trends
in marriage and divorce.

(b) How are family roles changing?

Conjugal roles, maternal and paternal roles, roles of children and members of the wider family,
including grandparents.

Changes in family relationships and conjugal roles, including symmetrical family debate and issues
relating to patriarchy and gender equality within the family.

Variations in family relationships reflecting the influences of social stratification and ethnicity.

The negative aspects of family life, including domestic violence, gender inequality, child abuse and
neglect.

(c) What are the changes affecting the family?

14

Industrialisation, urbanisation and family change.

Demographic trends: family size and birth rates; death rates and life expectancy.

The consequences for the family of an ageing population.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Syllabus content

Key terms:
Arranged marriage
Beanpole family
Boomerang family
Birth rate
Cereal packet family
Child-centeredness
Civil partnerships
Cohabitation
Commune
Conjugal roles
Dark side of the family
Death rate
Demographic trends
Divorce
Divorce rate
Domestic division of labour
Domestic violence
Dual burden
Dual worker families
Dysfunctional family

Empty-nest families
Empty-shell marriage
Extended family
Family diversity
Family functions
Family roles
Feminism
Fertility rate
Gender
Gender equality
Household unit
Industrialisation
Joint conjugal roles
Kinship
Marital breakdown
Marriage
Matriarchy
Matrifocal
Modern industrial society
Monogamy

Nuclear family
One-parent/single-parent
family
One-person household
Patriarchy
Polyandry
Polygamy
Polygyny
Primary socialisation
Reconstituted family
Secularisation
Segregated conjugal roles
Serial monogamy
Step-child
Step-parent
Symmetrical family
Traditional conjugal roles
Traditional societies
Urbanisation

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

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Syllabus content

Unit 5: Education
This unit considers the influence of education on the individual and on society. This includes the role of
education, the main changes in education, patterns of educational achievement.
(a) What is the function of education?

Informal and formal education.

Education as an agency of socialisation and social control.

The relationship between education and social mobility.

Different types of schools, including state, private, single-sex and faith schools.

(b) What factors help to explain differences in educational achievement?

Patterns in educational achievement and experience in relation to gender, ethnicity and social class.

Material, cultural and linguistic influences of family background on educational achievement.

The influence of school, teachers, pupil sub-cultures and the peer group on educational achievement.

Measuring intelligence, selection and its relationship to educational achievement.

The roles of the official curriculum and the hidden curriculum.

Key terms:

16

Anti-school sub-culture
Comprehensive system
Cultural capital
Cultural deprivation
Culture of masculinity
Discrimination
Educational achievement
Educational inequality
(based on class, gender and
ethnicity)
Elaborated code
Ethnocentrism
Equality of opportunity
Faith schools
Formal education
Functions of education
Hidden curriculum
Home factors

Immediate/deferred
gratification
Informal education
Intelligence
IQ tests
Labelling
Life chances
Material deprivation
Meritocracy
Official curriculum
Positive discrimination
Post-compulsory education
Private school
Restricted code
Rewards
Sanctions
School factors
Secondary socialisation

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Selective education
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Setting
Single-sex schools
Socialisation
Social conformity
Social control
Social expectations
Social factors
Social mobility
Social stratification
State schools
Streaming
Vocationalism

Syllabus content

Unit 6: Crime, deviance and social control

This unit considers the nature of criminal, deviant and normal behaviour in different social contexts. This
includes definitions and explanations of crime and deviance and patterns of crime.
(a) What are crime, deviance and social control?

The difference between crime and deviance, including how definitions of these terms may vary
between societies and across time.

Formal and informal social control, including agencies of social control such as the media, religion,
the police, courts and the penal system.

(b) What are the patterns of crime?

Measurements of crime and their strengths and limitations: official statistics, self-report studies and
victim surveys.

Patterns and explanations of crime by age, class, gender and ethnicity.

Policing and law enforcement, including policing strategies, e.g. targeting, surveillance, crime
prevention.

Crime related to new technologies (e.g. the Internet).

Dealing with crime: community sentencing, punishment, prison, rehabilitation, other deterrents.

(c) What are the explanations of crime and deviance?

Sociological explanations of deviant and criminal behaviour: Labelling theory, Marxist theory,
socialisation (e.g. family and peer groups), lack of opportunity, relative deprivation, masculinity, status
frustration.

The role of law enforcement agencies and the media in defining crime and deviance, stereotyping,
labelling and deviancy amplification.

The development of sub-cultures and links to crime and deviance, with particular reference to youth.

Key terms:

Agencies of social control

Anomie
Community sentencing
Conformity
Corporate crime
Crime
Crime rates
Crime prevention
Cybercrime
Dark figure
Deterrent
Deviance
Deviancy amplification
Deviant career
Dominant values
Exile/Ostracism
Formal social control
Inadequate socialisation

Informal social control

Internet crime
Judicial system
Juvenile delinquency
Labelling
Law enforcement agencies
Masculinity
Master status
Material deprivation
Moral panic
Official crime statistics
Peer group
Penal system
Policing
Prison
Rehabilitation
Relative deprivation
Rewards

Sanctions
Self-report studies
Socialisation
Sociological explanation
Status frustration
Stereotyping
Stigma
Sub-culture
Surveillance
Targeting
Urban crime
Victim surveys
White-collar crime
Youth culture/
Youth sub-culture

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

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Syllabus content

Unit 7: Media
This unit examines contemporary culture and communication through reference to the influence of the
media. Key areas include: the nature and content of the media, the influence of the media, development of
the new media.
(a) Who controls the media?

The various forms of the media, (e.g. television, radio, newspapers, books, films, Internet, including
social media).

Role of advertising.

Ownership and control of the media.

Freedom and censorship in the media.

Pluralist, Marxist and postmodernist perspectives on the nature and role of the media.

Patterns of media use, (e.g. by gender, age, social class and ethnicity).

Media representation of ethnicity, gender, age, class and disability.

(b) What is the influence of the media?

The role of the traditional/new media in shaping values, attitudes and behaviour, with particular
reference to television and violence; political beliefs and voting; patterns of consumption; gender
stereotyping; traditional stereotyping, the influence of the Internet in areas such as social
networking.

Agenda setting, gate-keeping and stereotyping through the selection and presentation of the news.

Explanations of the influence of the media: hypodermic-syringe model, audience selection, cultural
effects approach, uses and gratifications model.

Bias and distortion in the media, including propaganda and moral panics.

Developments in the media including changes in ownership, globalisation, interactivity, the digital
divide, diversification and convergence within the media.

Influence of media representations on the audience.

Key terms:

18

Advertising
Agenda setting
Audience selection
Bias
Broadcasting
Censorship
Citizen journalism
Convergence
Cultural effects approach
Democracy
Digital divide
Distortion
Diversification
Dominant values
Exaggeration
Folk devils
Gate-keeping
Globalisation
Hypodermic-syringe model

Imitation
Indoctrination
Interactivity
Invisibility
Labelling
Lifestyle
Marxist
Mass communication
Media content
Media culture
Media representation:
ethnicity/gender/age/class/
disability
Moral panic
Narrowcasting
New media
News values
Newsworthiness
Norm-setting

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Opinion polls
Pluralist
Postmodern/postmodernist
Propaganda
Public/private funding
Public service broadcasting
Role models
Scapegoats
Sensationalism
Social control
Social media
Socialisation
Stereotyping (e.g. gender/
traditional)
The press
Traditional media
Uses and gratification model

Description of components

7.

Description of components

All candidates will take Papers 1 and 2.

Paper 1 (2 hours)
Candidates will answer two questions from a choice of three: one compulsory data response question from
Section A and one optional structured question from either Section B or Section C. The duration of 2 hours
includes 15 minutes reading time.
The compulsory question in Section A will be based on source material. The question will carry 45 of the 80
marks for the paper. Candidates should spend approximately one hour answering this question. Section A
will test Syllabus Unit 1 (Theory and methods).
Sections B and C will consist of structured questions based on stimulus material. The stimulus will take the
form of a short quotation or statement. Section B will test Syllabus Unit 2 (Culture, identity and socialisation)
and Section C will test Unit 3 (Social inequality). Questions for Unit 2 and Unit 3 have five parts, focusing
on understanding, practical interpretation, enquiry and analytical skills. There will be one question related to
each of these units. Candidates are expected to have studied both units.

Paper 2 (1 hour 45 minutes)

Candidates will answer two optional questions from a choice of four (Sections A to D). The duration of
1 hour 45 minutes includes 15 minutes reading time.
Each question will carry 35 of the 70 marks for the paper. Candidates should spend approximately 45
minutes answering each of the two questions.
Paper 2 will consist of structured questions based on stimulus material. The stimulus will take the form of
a short quotation or statement from a sociological source. Paper 2 will test Syllabus Unit 4 (Family), Unit 5
(Education), Unit 6 (Crime, deviance and social control) and Unit 7 (Media). Questions for Units 4 to 7 have
five parts, focusing on understanding, practical interpretation, enquiry and analytical skills. There will be one
question related to each of these units. Questions may also draw on knowledge from Unit 1.

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

19

Other information

8.

Other information

Equality and inclusion

Cambridge International Examinations has taken great care in the preparation of this syllabus and
assessment materials to avoid bias of any kind. To comply with the UK Equality Act (2010), Cambridge has
designed this qualification with the aim of avoiding direct and indirect discrimination.
The standard assessment arrangements may present unnecessary barriers for candidates with disabilities
or learning difficulties. Arrangements can be put in place for these candidates to enable them to access the
assessments and receive recognition of their attainment. Access arrangements will not be agreed if they
give candidates an unfair advantage over others or if they compromise the standards being assessed.
Candidates who are unable to access the assessment of any component may be eligible to receive an award
based on the parts of the assessment they have taken.
Information on access arrangements is found in the Cambridge Handbook which can be downloaded from
the website www.cie.org.uk/examsofficer

Language
This syllabus and the associated assessment materials are available in English only.

Grading and reporting

Cambridge O Level results are shown by one of the grades A*, A, B, C, D or E, indicating the standard
achieved, A* being the highest and E the lowest. Ungraded indicates that the candidates performance fell
short of the standard required for grade E. Ungraded will be reported on the statement of results but not
on the certificate. The letters Q (result pending), X (no results) and Y (to be issued) may also appear on the
statement of results but not on the certificate.

Entry codes
To maintain the security of our examinations, we produce question papers for different areas of the world,
known as administrative zones. Where the component entry code has two digits, the first digit is the
component number given in the syllabus. The second digit is the location code, specific to an administrative
zone. Information about entry codes can be found in the Cambridge Guide to Making Entries.

20

Cambridge O level Sociology 2251. Syllabus for examination in 2016.

Cambridge International Examinations

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Cambridge International Examinations 2014

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