BA Politics and Sociology Course Content
Year One
Compulsory modules
Freedom, Power and Democracy: an introduction to political ideas asks you to consider and then reconsider whether you believe in democracy, freedom, equality and rights, what these ideas mean, whether they are realised in practice and how power really operates in our society.
Sociological Analysis of Contemporary Society examines the key features of contemporary British society and culture from a sociological perspective. In this module, we consider what aspects of our lives and the social world might be changing, and why such change may occur.
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.
Introduction to IT for Humanities Students will teach you the appropriate way to access, process and present scholarly sources and related information.
Optional modules
You then choose one of the following modules
- British Politics
- European Politics
- International Politics
- Globalisation
You can then choose further modules, either in the named subjects or in another subject, to complete your programme.
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.
Optional modules
You choose one of the following modules.
- The Age of Ideology
- Theories of Democracy
- Theories of Justice
- Theories of Political Morality
You choose another of the following modules.
- British Central Government
- Governing the European Union
- Making the European Union
- Politics and International Relations of Pacific Asia
- Politics in Russia
- United States Politics
You choose a module from this list.
- Sociology and Social Policy Research Methods
- Globalization: Equality and Diversity
- 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
- Individual, Mind and Society
- Men, Masculinities and Identity
- The Sociology of the Environment
- Urban Disorders, Social Divisions and Social Control
You also choose modules from the following list to complete your programme, or you can choose elective modules from other disciplines.
- British Central Government
- The Conservative Party from Churchill to Cameron
- The Labour Party from Attlee to Brown
- Development and Social Change
- North-South Linkages
- Governing the European Union
- Making the European Union
- Politics and International Relations of Pacific Asia
- Politics in Russia
- United States Politics
- Foreign Policy Analysis
- International Organisations and World Order
- Security Studies
- The Age of Ideology
- Nationalism in the Modern World
- Theories of Democracy
- Theories of Justice
- Theories of Political Morality
- Parliamentary Studies
- Approaches to Political Science
Year three
There are no compulsory modules in year three.
Optional modules
You choose two of the following modules.
- British Political Parties
- Prime Ministers and British Politics
- The End of British Politics?
- Rural Development: Theoretical and Policy Issues
- Gender and Development
- Approaches to HIV/AIDS in the Developing World
- Violence and Reconciliation in Eastern Africa
- Contemporary West European Socialist Parties
- Environmental Politics and Policy in the EU
- Europe in the World
- Extreme Right Parties in Contemporary Western Europe
- American Foreign Policy
- Israel: Politics and Society
- Political Corruption
- Political Leadership in the Contemporary West
- Crisis Diplomacy: Coercion, Sanctions and the Use of Force in International Relations
- Dirty War: Insurgency, the State and Cities
- Global Political Theory and the Environment
- Terrorism and Security
- Critical Theory
- Gramsci and the Theory of Modern Politics
- Dissertation
- Video Games: Politics, Society and Culture
You then choose two of the following modules.
- Sexualities and Society
- Governing Cultures, Identities and Emotions
- Citizenship, Identity and Social Change
- Disability Rights and the International Policy Context
- Education, Culture and Society
- Nation and Culture
- Housing in Urban Society
- Discipline and Punish
- Protest and Social Movements
- Globalisation and the Sex Trade
- Understanding Interpersonal Violence
- Ethnicity and Popular Culture
You then complete your year by taking another two modules, either from your named subjects or another discipline.
Key Information
UCAS code: LL32
Duration
3 years full-time.
6 years part-time.
Entry Requirements:
AAB at A level, plus C in 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