1. Sociology
Part 1 : Download a Specification AS & A Level Part 2 : Making Notes
Item A
Feral, or wild children are those who, for whatever reason, are not brought up by humans. One famous example of feral children is that of two infant girls, Kamala and Amala, who were lost in the jungle in India in about The girls had been found living with wolves, in a cave-like den. The older girl was 6 or 7 years old and the other , who died a year later, perhaps a year younger.
When captured, the girls were like animals. They were naked and ran in a sort of stooped crouch. They were afraid of artificial light. They were afraid of humans and kept a good distance. They did not display any characteristically human qualities. For example they did not use tools of any kind, not even a stick. They did not know how to make a shelter. They did not walk upright. They did not laugh. They did not sing. They did not show affection or attraction or curiosity towards humans. But what is especially striking is that the girls used no language. They used no noises or gestures to communicate. They did not point at things or directions, or nod their head in agreement or disagreement. They preferred to eat with the dogs in the compound, who seemed to accept them. They ate by pushing their faces into the food, the way dogs do, and they drank by lapping from a bowl.
Adapted from Singh, J.A. and Zingg, R.N. (1942)
Item B
Values are widely accepted beliefs that something is worthwhile and desirable. Examples of British values include; fair play, democracy, free speech and romantic love. Norms are values put into practice. They are specific rules of behaviour that relate to specific social situations. An example would be the way we prepare and eat food. Norms also govern how we are suppose to behave, e.g. by gender. Customs are traditional and regular norms of behaviour associated with specific social situations events, and anniversaries which are often accompanied by rituals and ceremonies. An example would be bonfire night. All members are given a social position or status by their culture. This can be ascribed (fixed at birth, e.g. gender or race), or achieved (where we have control, e.g. education). Lastly we are expected because of our statuses to behave in a certain way. This makes up our role. For example confidential and professional behaviour paired with medical knowledge make the role of a doctor. All these things together make up our culture. We learn our culture through a process called socialisation, where we are taught initially by the family, then through other organisations how to behave.
Read through items A & B. What does item A suggest has happened with the girls in item A?

2. Sociology Part 3 : Exam Style Questions
Define the term ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. [2 marks]
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using self-completion written questionnaires to investigate unauthorised absences from school. [20 marks]
Outline two problems of using structured interviews in sociological research. [4 marks]
Applying material from Item B and from your knowledge, evaluate the contribution of functionalist views to our understanding of the family. [20 marks]
As you can see from the questions above you will be asked a range of questions in the AS exam from 2 marks up to 20 mark essays. I have provided an example of a question from each of the topics you will look at in AS; education and methods in context (paper 1), research methods and families and households (paper 2). In the longer response questions there are a number of key skills required in your answer;
You need to be able to read through source material and pull out appropriate information to enhance your answer.
You need to use specific sociological terminology, e.g. socialisation, customs, norms.
You need to use specific evidence, e.g. ‘in the case of Kamala and Amala…’
You need to be able to compare and contrast information forming a logical argument, leading to a sound conclusion.
With this in mind we are going to ask you to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on the topic of feral children. This will be presented in your first sociology lesson. Your presentation must;
Have at least 6 slides of information.
Include information on a case study of feral children that is not the case in item A above.
Compare your experience of growing up to theirs, look at the age they were discovered and think of all the things you were able to do by then.
Use the sociological terms found in item B above to explain the differences between your experiences and theirs.
Have appropriate images (respectful images that exemplify what is being said), and could include a video.
Case studies can be found on the internet, possibilities could be; Genie, The Czech Twins, Isabella, Victor of Aveyron or Oxana Malaya though there are many more!