CAPE Sociology Syllabus 2026

Students will trace the historical evolution of Sociology as a discipline, both globally and specifically within the Caribbean context.

Students will discuss core sociological concepts like social order, change, status, roles, norms, groups, socialization, and culture.

Students will evaluate major sociological theoretical perspectives, including Consensus/Functionalist, Conflict/Marxist, Interactionist, and Feminist approaches.

Students will discuss issues of Caribbean socio-cultural diversity, including continuity, change, conflict, assimilation, and popular cultural expressions.

Students will explain the principles and practices of scientific research within Sociology, including its scientific nature and ethical considerations.

Students will distinguish among various sociological research methods, including positivism, interpretivism, quantitative, qualitative, and sampling techniques.

Students will learn to practically apply various sociological research methods to investigate and analyze a specific sociological issue.

Students will demonstrate the ability to apply ethical principles effectively in the design and conduct of sociological research.

Students will explain the characteristics, functions, and transformations of various family types in the Caribbean, including historical and contemporary influences on kinship patterns.

Students will evaluate consensus, interactionist, conflict, and feminist theories commonly used to analyze the Caribbean family.

Students will discuss critical issues affecting Caribbean families, such as domestic violence, poverty, changing gender roles, child abuse, and divorce.

Students will explain the characteristics, functions, and transformations of selected religions in the Caribbean, covering belief systems, organizational types, and specific religious dynamics.

Students will evaluate consensus, conflict, interactionist, and feminist theories commonly applied to the analysis of religion.

Explain key concepts of social stratification including class, colour, race, ethnicity, caste, gender, status, and mobility.

Identify and differentiate between open and closed types of social stratification systems.

Assess the main theoretical perspectives on stratification, including functionalist, conflict, interactionist, feminist views, and Caribbean theorists.

Discuss the historical evolution of social stratification in the Caribbean from the period of slavery to the present day.

Analyze the social, economic, and political impacts of stratification systems on Caribbean societies.

Students will define and differentiate core concepts used in population studies, such as crude birth rate, fertility rate, dependency ratio, and human development index.

This chapter explains how quantitative and qualitative measures are used to describe and analyze population trends in both developed and developing countries.

Students will critically examine major sociological perspectives on population, including Malthusian, Marxist, Neo-Malthusian, and Demographic Transition theories.

This chapter evaluates various population policies, such as birth control, migration, food security, and housing, in different developmental contexts.

Students will define key concepts in development studies, including underdevelopment, sustainable development, modernization, industrialization, and various economic metrics.