BA Social Policy and Sociology Course Content
Year One
Compulsory modules
Identity, Difference and Inequalities investigates how we acquire our social identities, differentiate ourselves from other people and comprehend inequalities. In this module, we consider how far the world of ideas can shape peoples' sense of themselves, and how differences in gender, race, sexuality, disability and age can shape the way we perceive each other.
Sociological Thinking initiates you into the sociological way of seeing the world. This module provides the conceptual tools that will enable you to perceive the social patterns beneath a society's political rhetoric and media noise.
Central Debates in Welfare introduces you to two prominent themes within welfare theory: dependency and citizenship. In this module, we explore how issues such as social exclusion, race, demographic change, globalisation and the so-called 'underclass' challenge perceptions and policy directions about who deserves what and why.
Social Welfare and Social Change investigates the social, political, economic and cultural influences that shaped the post-war welfare state. In this module, we examine how the classic 1940s welfare state rested on false assumptions about the family, work and nationhood.
Study Skills for Social Science gives you the opportunity to gain practical skills in essay writing, researching, exam revision, referencing and avoiding plagiarism. The module also introduces you to giving effective presentations, group and teamwork.
Elective modules
You also choose an elective module to complete your year.
Year Two
Compulsory modules
Central Problems in Sociology focuses on the important thinkers within the history of the discipline, and explores how they have elucidated their main ideas and influenced each other. The module covers the themes of social integration, power, social change, the individual and society, as well as examining the social basis of culture, beliefs and consciousness.
Research Methods will provide you with a thorough understanding of how to design and conduct your own sociological research, and interpret results in an accurate manner. The module explores qualitative and quantitative approaches to social research, and covers issues from questionnaire construction to descriptive statistics.
Optional modules
You then choose one of the following modules.
- Drugs: Society, Politics and Policy
- Disability Studies: An Introduction
- Welfare and Crime: Continuity, Conflict and Change
- Urban Disorders, Social Divisions and Social Control
You then choose two of the following modules.
- Crime, Law and Regulation
- Race and Hollywood Cinema
- Drugs: Society, Politics and Policy
- Disability Studies: An Introduction
- The Sociology of Gender
- Sociology of Health and Illness
- Racism and Ethnicity Studies: A Global Approach
- Welfare and Crime: Continuity, Conflict and Change
- Gender, Race and Culture
- Tourism and Culture
- Emotions, Power and Contemporary Society
- Individual, Mind and Society
- The Sociology of the Environment
- Urban Disorders, Social Divisions and Social Control
Year Three
Compulsory modules
The only compulsory module in Year Three is your Social Policy Dissertation or Sociology Dissertation. You will agree a Social Policy or Sociology topic for study with an academic member of staff, who will then act as your supervisor. We encourage you to choose an area of personal, or professional, interest for your dissertation subject. The dissertation will be between 10,000 and 12,000 words.
Optional modules
You choose one of the following modules.
- Approaches to Social Exclusion in Later Life
- Governing Cultures, Identities and Emotions
- Organised Crime, Violence and the State
- Urban Regulation, Power and Difference
You then choose one module from the following list.
- Sexualities and Society
- Governing Cultures, Identities and Emotions
- Disability Rights and the International Policy Context
- Education, Culture and Society
- Urban Regulation, Power and Difference
- Discipline and Punish
- Sociology of Consumerism
- Protest and Social Movements
- Globalisation and the Sex Trade
- Understanding Interpersonal Violence
- Ethnicity and Popular Culture
You then choose another module from this list.
- Approaches to Social Exclusion in Later Life
- Disability Rights and the International Policy Context
- Urban Regulation, Power and Difference
- Discipline and Punish
- Globalisation and the Sex Trade
- Understanding Interpersonal Violence
- Ethnicity and Popular Culture
And you complete your course programme by choosing an elective module.
Key Information
UCAS code: LL34
Number of places: 35.
Duration
3 years full-time.
6 years part-time.
Entry Requirements
ABB at A level, plus C GCSE Mathematics
Full entry requirements
UK/EU student fees
£9,000 per year full-time.
International student fees
£12,500 per year full-time.
Full finance information
Admissions Contact
Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law
Tel: 0113 343 5049
Tel: 0113 343 5020
Fax: 0113 343 5019
Student Profile
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Josina Maynard
BA Social Policy and Sociology
2007 - 2013 (part-time) - View all profiles