BA(Hons) Sociology

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You'll study:

• Foundations in Social Theory - Provides a solid foundation in sociological knowledge by covering theories from the 'Founding Fathers' (Marx, Weber, Durkheim) through to contemporary feminism and applying their ideas to our everyday lives.
• Social Issues and Social Problems* - Covers diverse 'problems' (poverty, riots, drug misuse) to examine how Sociology makes a difference in the 'real world' by addressing pressing and complex social issues to identify policy solutions.
• Comparing Cultures - Challenges assumptions about our contemporary western, capitalist lifestyles by comparisons with other 'non-modern' ways of life to raise profound questions around the supposed superiority of our society and its future sustainability.
• Sociological Practice - Becoming a Social Scientist* - Cultivates the sociological imagination to examine how 'the private troubles of individuals reflect and constitute the public issues of our times' (C. Wright Mills) while providing the basics of social research skills.
• Critical Thinking (Sociology and Criminology) - Develops critical thinking capacities vital to higher education through symposia designed to enable an appreciation of the ambiguity and uncertainty of knowledge and the importance of advancing structured and coherent arguments to academic success.

*These modules are accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

Year two

You'll study:

• Theorising Social Life - Deepens knowledge of sociological theories through applying key theorists (for example, Bourdieu, Foucault and Ahmed) to a range of stimulating themes and topics (social class, gender and sexuality, 'race', culture, environment and work).
• Research, Theory and Practice: Developing Skills for Life and Work - This module will provide students with the knowledge and skills to conduct sociological research, evaluate and think critically about knowledge, research, and their positionality as researchers and individuals in society, and to reflect on their own skills, experiences and abilities for post-university life and employment.

Plus, one optional module from:

• Gender and Society - Examines gendered power relations amongst women and between women and men and explores gender identities and inequalities through focussing on a range of practices and phenomena (dieting, dating, drag queens, etc).
• Difference': 'Race', Ethnicity and Diversity in Contemporary Society - Uses our multi-cultural city of Bristol as a starting point for exploring diversity in a national and global context through a highly varied set of themes and topics (slavery, immigration, Islamophobia, etc).

Plus, one optional module from:

• Mind, Emotion and Society: an Introduction to Psychosocial Studies - Introduces the innovative field of psychosocial studies, examining the reciprocal influence between the less rational side of our minds and current social dynamics, and how to understand and investigate them.
• Modernity and Global Intimacies - This module explores in detail the sociology of intimacy, families, and personal life across different contexts, cultures, and countries.

Placement year (if applicable)

If you study on the four year (sandwich) course, you'll spend a year away from the University on a work placement or Study Year Abroad after Year two. This could be at one of our partner universities - in Sweden (Malmo), Poland (Warsaw), or Hong Kong.

Depending on which you choose, you'll either complete a Placement Learning or Learning and Development module.

See the Placements and Fees sections for more information.

Final year

You'll study:

• Sociology Project and Placement Module - You can either conduct an independent research project under the supervision of an expert in the sociological field in which the project is located, or undertake a short work placement and produce a critical reflection on this, drawing on sociological research and theory. 

Plus, one optional module from:

• Childhood Disorder and Disordered Childhood - Explores elements of contemporary childhood (e.g. poverty, medicalisation, fatherlessness, etc) through the lens of order/disorder within the framework of a late modernity that may be producing the over-regulation of children.
• Contemporary Critiques of Modern Society - Utilises advanced sociological theory to explain the crisis of modernity and discuss its possible resolution in relation to the big global issues (genocide, environmental catastrophe, economic collapse, war, etc).
• Sustainable Futures: Environment and Society in an Age of Crisis - Analyses real-world case studies (car-free cities, craft production, upcycling, etc) to consider how the creative efforts of urban citizens, in Bristol and beyond, are constructing alternative and sustainable lives in the contemporary City.

Plus, two optional modules from:

• Digital Media and Society - Investigates the main social effects on our everyday lives of the proliferation of new communication technologies and computational devices within the context of an informational capitalist society dominated by networked power.
• Protest, Policing and Public Order - Uses key concepts to produce a case study analysis of the mobilisation and policing of protest groups and social movements ranging from gay liberation and animal rights through to Extinction Rebellion and #Blacklivesmatter.
• Sociology of Sexes, Genders, and Sexualities - Explores social constructions and framings of sex, gender and sexuality- identity categories often assumed to be fixed and congruent, and investigates how they operate to provide a framework for society and for our individual lives and life course.
• Stop, Look, Listen: A Sociology of Culture - Uses cutting edge theory to problematise what culture is across a range of cultural fields, but with a particular emphasis on popular music as reflects the academic expertise of the module leader.
• Sociology of Human, Non-Human and Environmental Rights - Explores the theory, practise and violation of the rights of humans, animals and even nature itself, subjecting their impact on economy, society and politics to sociological critique, with a special focus on arguably the most extreme form of rights violation: genocide and ecocide.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.