Sociology (Joint Honours)

Three years full-time or flexible part-time.

Our students develop a critical understanding and insight into contemporary sociological themes and issues. They can choose from a range of current and relevant specialisms within sociology and will gain a thorough grounding in research methods with good opportunities for the practical application of research skills. The curriculum is designed to promote employable skills and includes specialist input from careers guidance experts and a careers fair. Recent graduates have described the course as "very challenging", "well structured and well taught", "very supportive" and "thoroughly enjoyable and mind expanding".

Stage one

Stage one offers students an introduction to a range of sociological theories and debates in relation to the development of modern societies in the information age and the small-scale aspects of society such as identity formation and the idea of self.

Stage two

The focus is broadened at stage two with the compulsory module, Cultural Transformations, where students examine key changes in society, culture and identity in the 21st century. Students are also introduced to the kinds of research methods adopted by sociologists and the modules provide ample opportunity for practical application. Students can also choose from a range of specialisms including Family and Intimate Relationships, Identity and Community, Crime and Justice, Gender, Race and Representation, and Globalisation and Development in the 21st Century. Single honours students have the opportunity to do a research placement at their second stage. Previous students have been placed in local schools, local newspapers, theatres, with voluntary organisations and the probation service.

Stage three

Stage three builds on the earlier stages in providing compulsory and optional modules. Modernity and Beyond offers a more advanced theoretical understanding of sociological issues with particular reference to the major global transformations of the 21st century. The range of optional modules offered develops and expands on these issues with reference to contemporary topics and new developments in sociology. Stage three specialisms include Gender, Race and Crime, Childhood and Society, The Body, Sex and Society, Social and Cultural Change in the 1960s, and Development and Change in the Third World.

• Relevant contemporary issues studied within a clear theoretical framework
• Great opportunity for placement experience at stage two

• Conducting Social Research
• Crime and Society
• Cultural Transformations
• Ideology, Fantasy and Film
• Introduction to Media Studies
• Modernity and Beyond
• Socialisation, Conformity and Deviance
• Sociology of Intimate Relationships
• Social Identities and Everyday Life
• Work and Technology in the Information Age

Course Outline

Sociology may be taken as a major, joint or minor subject in the Joint Honours degree programme. Stage one and two modules are also available as 'elective choices' even if Sociology is not taken as a main subject.

Subject aims

The general aims of the course are to:

1.    Introduce and critically examine sociological perspectives through an exploration of diverse social structures, institutions and processes, thus enabling students to appreciate the distinctive contribution sociologists make to our understanding of social phenomena.

2.    Appreciate and demonstrate sociology's intellectual relationship with other disciplines.

3.    Develop a critical understanding of, and an ability to apply a range of theoretical approaches and methodologies, and thus enable students to recognise the essentially contested nature of the conclusions which are reached.

4.    Encourage students to develop a sociological imagination which is progressively more critical and analytic.

5.    Provide a coherent framework within which flexibility and specialisation is facilitated.

6.    Encourage an awareness of the possible policy implications of sociological knowledge.

7.    Appreciate the significance of cultural diversity for an understanding of social issues.

Subject content

Stage one

In stage one we have chosen two fascinating and relevant areas to introduce students to their journey through Sociology.

The compulsory modules are:

Social Identities and Everyday Life

In this module we explore the changing relationship between the individual and society from traditional through modern and into the contemporary age. We study a range of classical and more recent theorists as they grapple with the complexities of social change and the concomitant fragmentation in individual and collective identity. Here we recognise the competing notions of structure and agency and consider the reality of our modern lives and the apparent opportunities and choices it gives us as individuals but also as part of collective identities. The module both introduces students to the discipline of Sociology as well as challenging their own assumptions about individuality, gender, ethnicity, class and sexuality.

Work, Technology and the Information Age

In this module we explore the extraordinary social changes brought about by the communications revolution and in particular its impact upon work and life. While social identities are primarily concerned with the UK, in this module we take a more global perspective. Complementing social identities we also study a number of classical and modern theorists and their analysis of change in contemporary society. We also introduce some methodological issues and build in some practical applications of sociological ideas. This module is about doing as well as studying including a volunteer day.

Students can supplement their core studies by selecting modules in which they are interested or pathways that can be pursued in years two and three. 

Optional modules at stage one include:

Socialisation, Conformity and Deviance, which attempts to reintegrate the micro and macro-sociological approaches through a consideration of how we learn our social rules in the contexts of families, classrooms and playgrounds.

Crime and Society, which examines the causes of criminality and its impact on modern society. 

A further module, Introduction to Media Studies, is also open to Sociology students, as well as one in Research Methods and a number of more political oriented modules. Students can also choose to complement their Sociological study with modules in World Development.

Stage two

Stage two builds on the conceptual foundations, knowledge and skills acquired in stage one.

Thinking Sociologically: Cultural Transformations

A fascinating investigation of some of the major cultural transformations of the 21st century. Here we will consider migration, social inequalities, religion and language. Building on year one, students will also be introduced to some of the great thinkers of the discipline as well as more recent sociologists of importance.

Social Research- Principles and Practice

This module is compulsory for Sociology majors/joints, and it examines the relationship between social research and public policy, and between sociological theory and research methods.

There are a number of specialist modules to follow and to build on the interests established in stage one Sociology:

• Those students interested in human relationships will enjoy our new module on family and relationships, Family and Intimacy
• Crime and Justice - guides students through the processes of the criminal justice system from point of arrest to disposal of criminal cases at court. In explaining the ways in which 'justice' is considered, negotiated or undermined the module considers the recent series of reforms affecting the system
• Media, Identity and Culture - focuses on the relationship between community and the media. It explores theories of mass culture and of citizenship and also examines the way in which media can facilitate small-scale, distinctive communities and identities of various kinds
• Race, Gender and Representation - examines the links between gender, race and social policy. It will focus on key pieces of legislation considered in the context of state building in nineteenth and twentieth century Britain
• Media Power and Responsibility - will provide an introduction to the study of media by exploring both historical and current issues
• Globalisation and Development in the 21st Century - offers an interdisciplinary perspective on development studies, with an emphasis on sociological and political perspectives. Drawing on the major theories of development, it explores key issues in development and globalisation with particular reference to the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, which form the so-called Third World
• Politics, Crime and the Media - Both crime and deviance are essential ingredients in the mass media and popular culture and much of our understanding of these phenomena derives from these sources. This module examines both the production and reception of media representations of crime. It also explores the reasons for the perennial fascination with crime in the news and entertainment media
• Outsiders  -The main theme of the module is to explore the way certain groups operate with particular reference to those who form 'deviant' subcultures. The module also examines the way these groups perceive themselves away from conventional stereotypes

Stage three

Stage three seeks to develop a more advanced theoretical understanding of sociological issues, with particular reference to the major transformations of late 20th and early 21st century society.

Modernity and Beyond is compulsory to major or joint Sociology students.  This module explores the inter-relationship of politics, economics and society in the developments associated with 'late' modernity, and provides a critical introduction to a range of modern social theories situated within the debate on modernity and its futures as well as building on the student's previous theoretical studies.

A range of other modules allow students to specialise in areas of their course choice which take up particular issues within the context of current debates and controversies surrounding the reshaping of the modern world.  

• Crime: Perspectives in Gender and Race
• The Body, Sex and Society
• Media in the Global Age
• Protest and Subversion
• The Sixties: Radicalism and Counter-Culture
• Ideology, Fantasy and Film
• Development and Change in the Third World
• Media, Crime and Justice

 Please note that the optional modules offered in any given year will depend on the availability of specialist staff and student numbers.

The third year is the culmination of the student's journey through Sociology and they have the opportunity of putting their sociological imaginations into practice in the compulsory dissertation module. This builds on the stage two Methods module. Supervisors provide a supportive context for setting up, guiding and undertaking the research through to the final write up. While dissertations are closely supervised by tutors on an individual basis, the module also provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and peer evaluation.

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and directed private study. Students are also expected to work independently, and active participation in seminars is encouraged through the use of workshops, student presentations and small group activities. Computer-assisted learning techniques may feature in some parts of the course. Support in a range of study skills is built into the programme and supported by the specialist librarians and the Centre for Academic Practice and NUPAD.

The evidence of research on the employment destinations of graduates shows that Sociology students are highly employable in a range of occupations in both the public and private sectors. A number of our graduates go on to make careers in the social and caring services, while others can be found in a wide variety of professions including advertising and journalism, retail and marketing, financial services, and teaching and lecturing. Around a quarter of our graduates go on to complete further study at postgraduate level, some on vocational courses such as those providing teacher training or a social work qualification, while others follow masters courses in sociology and related disciplines. The transferable skills learnt in sociology are much sort after by employers in a wide variety of contexts, such as retailing, management, commerce etc.