BA(Hons) Sociology (with Foundation Year)

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.

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: Environmental 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'll 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.

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.