BSc(Hons) Sociology with Psychology (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.
• Introduction to Psychology - Provides the fundamentals of the discipline through an examination of theories, approaches and themes ranging widely from biological psychology and neuroscience through to infant and child development, and individual differences, group behaviours and identity.
• 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.
• 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).
• Research, Theory and Practice: Developing Skills for Life and Work
• Identities in Psychology.

Plus one Independent Study optional module from (indicative titles as follows):

• Independent Study A
• Independent Study B
• Independent Study C
• Independent Study D
• Independent Study E.*

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

• 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.).
• Modernity and Global Intimacies
• Mind, Emotion and Society: An Introduction to Psychosocial Studies.

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, one optional module from:

• Independent Study (Sociology)*.

Plus, two Sociology optional modules from (indicative titles as follows):

• 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.
• Sociology of Human, Non-Human and Environmental Rights.*
• Sociology of sexes, Genders, and Sexualities.*

And two Psychology optional modules from (indicative titles as follows):

• Animal Behaviour and Cognition
• Clinical Aspects of Mental Health
• Constructing Gender in Society
• Developmental psychology: Contexts, Neurodiversity and Complexities
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology in Practice
• Human Sexuality
• Principles of Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Psychology and Social Justice
• Psychology of Appearance and Embodiment
• The Arts and Mental Health.*

* 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

Learn through a mix of formal lectures, seminars, workshops, one-to-one tutorials and ICT-based learning.

Seminars have a maximum of 20 students, to give you a good level of tutor input and support.

The course give you the chance 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

Benefit from our close links with local schools, to take part in education-focused projects, apply your knowledge and engage with the local community.

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

Sociology

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

Psychology

It will be approximately half coursework and half controlled assessments, although this varies module to module.

Coursework includes essays, journal article and book reviews, research reports, literature review, computer based tests and a personal reflective journal. Controlled assessment includes unseen and seen examinations, timed assignments and group and individual presentations.

Learn more about assessments.