A crowd of protestors with slogan 'We need a change'.

BA(Hons) Sociology (with Foundation Year)

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
L30F
Application
UCAS
Level
Undergraduate
School
School of Social Sciences
Tariff points
48
Campus
Frenchay
Duration
Four years full-time; five years sandwich; part-time
Delivery
Full-time; sandwich; part-time
Programme leader
Aga Kowalska

This course is open for applications

Page last updated 5 March 2024

Introduction

Get to the heart of the issues facing society today by taking placements or internships, working with leading experts and developing your own insights into how to make a difference.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Why study sociology?

In a rapidly changing social landscape, studying society and people's relationship with it is increasingly important.

By exploring the nature, causes and effects of people's beliefs and behaviour, we can better understand social order and social change.

Sociologists are particularly good at evaluating, reasoning and communicating. They assess and map the context of social issues and problems skills that employers will value whatever career you choose.

Why UWE Bristol?

BA(Hons) Sociology focuses on how we can make a difference to 'self and society' using sociological theories and approaches.

Through a broad range of modules, and with the support of our staff who are leaders in their field, you'll engage with real issues, and develop fresh insights and solutions to help improve people's lives.

Learn to evaluate evidence, approach problems from multiple perspectives, and build your expertise in research, analysis and communication.

Carry out your own research projects to develop, test and apply new solutions to contemporary problems. Student projects have focused on the refugee/economic migrant crisis, representations of gender or religion in the media, homelessness, the gender pay gap, the policing of public order and demonstrations, the impact of new technology on cultural industries, and how social class affects attitudes to education. These illustrate just a small number of the types of projects students undertake.

Gain industry insights from guest speakers, and take part in work-based learning through our links with organisations such as the Bristol Youth Offending Team, Bristol Youth Education Service and the police.

Activities such as volunteering, placements and internships will build valuable vocational experience, and deepen your skills and knowledge further, to make you highly sought after when you graduate.

Recent graduate Sophia Hanke was inspired by her course to make a short three-minute film titled 'Welcome to Sociology at UWE Bristol', which features students and lecturers talking about their course.

Where can it take me?

The broad skills and industry-focused experience you'll gain will make you attractive to a wide range of employers.

You could pursue a career in research, education, social work, charity work, counselling, politics, journalism or writing, or work in the justice, legal or media sectors.

You could also go on to do a postgraduate course or research degree.

Graduating in Sociology from UWE Bristol will open up a variety of interesting and rewarding future possibilities for you. In this short film, some of our recent Sociology graduates discuss how their course has helped them to develop their graduate careers.

Sociology graduates - where are they now

Structure

Content

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

Year zero (foundation year)

All foundation year students study together and will take four compulsory modules covering introductions to Sociology, Criminology, Philosophy, Politics and International Relations, Psychology, and university-level academic and study skills.

This will ensure that you have the necessary grounding across all the social science disciplines, enabling you to develop a range of perspectives that will enrich your learning at Year one and beyond.

You'll study:

  • Essentials of Academic Practice
  • Exploring the Social World and the Problems of Crime
  • From Plato to Nato
  • People and Social Science.

You normally need to pass your foundation year before going into Year one.

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.

*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).
  • Nature and Use of Research (Sociology) - Develops the research knowledge and skills already developed at level one and starts applying them to your own independent research project undertaken at level three by way of producing a research proposal.
  • Developing Self and Society (Sociology) - Designed to help make a difference to yourself and society by linking sociological knowledge to work and community-based engagement thereby helping to identify personal qualities, professional skills and career aspirations.

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.).

or

  • 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.).

And, one optional module from (indicative titles as follows):

  • Transgression*.

or

  • Love, Intimacy and Personal Life: The Sociology of Families - Investigates continuity and change in intimate personal relationships and family life through a focus on a range of phenomena (online dating, weddings, refugee parenting, pets as kin etc.).

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 or study placement after Year two.

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 - Produces an independent research project conducted under the supervision of an expert in the sociological field in which the project is located. A short placement may, if chosen, form the basis for this research.

Plus, three optional modules from:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Childhood Disorder and Disordered Childhood - Explores elements of contemporary childhood (for example, 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.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • The Sociology of Madness and Mental Disorders*.
  • Psychoanalysis, Society and the Irrational*.
  • Seeing and Society: Applied Visual Sociology*.

*Module descriptions to follow as soon as possible.

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 will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

Develop your academic and practical skills through a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, technology-based learning, media presentations, independent project work and reflective diaries.

Explore technological, cultural and psycho-social processes through an impressive range of modules. We offer modules that differ in learning approach, so you can choose those that match your style.

You'll get to interact with different organisations and social groups, and attend regular presentations from visiting practitioners so you can learn about industry challenges and best practice.

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Approximate percentage of time you'll spend in different learning activities*:

YearScheduled learning and teaching studyIndependent studyPlacement study
024%76%0%
124%76%0%
223%74%3%
319%81%0%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Community and public projects

Get involved in our Social Science in the City series of events, which engage the public in research and ideas being pursued across the University.

Study time

You'll have at least 12 hours of teaching and related activities each week.

Assessment

We'll assess you using essays, seminar presentations, timed assignments, group and individual projects, literature reviews, and computer-based assessments.

Learn more about assessments.

Approximate percentage of marks awarded by each assessment method*:

YearWritten exam assessmentCoursework assessmentPractical exam assessment
022%65%13%
124%53%23%
220%64%16%
39%78%13%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Features

Placements

Students who undertake work experience tend to graduate with better degrees and with improved employability skills, making them sought after graduates.

We have links with lots of employers, including the Alzheimer's Society, Bristol Children's Playhouse, Bristol Fair Trade Network, Bristol Refugee Rights, Claremont Special School, Lifeskills Centre or The Big Issue.

We also offer volunteering and other work-based experiences, to deepen your knowledge and skills.

You'll get help to find a placement and support throughout from staff within the School and our award-winning careers service.

Study facilities

Learn in modern, well-equipped facilities to support your study of sociology.

Enjoy 24 hour access to our main university library, which has spaces for silent and group study, and rooms you can book. 

You'll have use of books, trade press, academic journals, and industry databases both on and off campus.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Psychology, Sociology and Criminology facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Life

Accommodation

An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

Our graduates are increasingly in demand by employers for their research and IT skills, their literacy and numeracy, and their understanding of individuals, social institutions and processes.

Many students choose to go into the public sector in local or central government or the civil service. Others take their skills into healthcare, the justice service, education, journalism, politics, public relations or human resources.

Many students also progress to postgraduate study and research degrees.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

Useful resources

Fees

Supplementary fee information

Additional costs

This refers to items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing. 

Learn more about costs.

Entry

Typical offers

  • Tariff points: 48
  • Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Grade C/4 in English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
  • A-level subjects: No specific subjects required.
  • EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: No specific subjects required.

    For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.

  • Access: No specific subjects required.
  • Baccalaureate IB: No specific subjects required.
  • Irish Highers: No specific subjects required.
  • T Levels: No specific subjects required.

Entry requirements

If you exceed the entry requirements you may be eligible for BA(Hons) Sociology.

International applicants

If you are an international student your recommended route of study for this degree is through our International College, which upon successful completion to the required level and with good attendance, guarantees entry to year one of the degree.

Read more about entry requirements.

How to apply

Read more about undergraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information

Unistats

UWE Main Campus