Sociology BA (Hons)

Your first year of study provides you with a comprehensive introduction to sociology and will encourage you to ‘think like a sociologist’ by helping you develop the knowledge and skills needed to foster a critical understanding of the social world and our place within it. You will study:

Foundations in Sociology

You will learn about, and how to develop and apply, a sociological imagination, using the influential work of American sociologist, C. Wright Mills. You will also explore what sociology is for and what it can hope to achieve. Study will then progress to examine one of the fundamental pillars underpinning sociological knowledge and inquiry: sociological theory.

Social Identities and Inequalities

Attention will then turn to examining some of the major social divisions that are a feature of contemporary society. Here attention will focus on issues of social class, race/ethnicity, and gender and disability. Current issues and social movements, such as Black Lives Matter and Me Too, will provide a way of understanding the corrosive impact of social inequality and the need for social change.

Social Institutions

Here, we focus attention on key social institutions such as religion, the media, work and health. In these sessions, you will study how these organisations influence how society is structured and functions. Attention will also be given to the various ways that these institutions govern social norms and how they can meet the needs of individuals as well as society as a whole.

Becoming Sociological Researchers

Study will then progress to examine the second fundamental pillar underpinning sociological knowledge and inquiry: research methods. Here you will learn about a range of different methods through which sociologists can investigate the social world. You will be encouraged and supported to carry out research so that you can experience what it is like to do sociological research.

Understanding Social Change

Next, attention turns to developing a critical understanding of the determinants and effects of social change. You will learn about how globalization has been a driver of social change and the uneven impacts in the Global North and the Global South. You will also encounter topics such as social movements, nationalism, migration, and the environment.

Cradle to the Grave

Here you will learn about sociological approaches to the life course and consider the ways in which government, policy and social norms intersect with people’s lives. Here you will learn about distinct life phases such as childhood and emergent adulthood and engage in critical discussion about how the State and social institutions govern and reproduce norms of families and family life.  

If you are studying Sociology as a Single Honours degree, you will also study:

Applied Social Sciences

Here you will be introduced to a wide variety of issues and approaches from across the Social Sciences.
You will study the following:

Histories

Here you will study the histories of particular, and often marginalised, social groups, including: Liverpool’s history, Black history, women’s histories, queer histories, among others.

Cultural Representations

You will examine the ways in which particular groups and social identities are mis/represented in culture. This includes the processes by which certain social groups are ‘othered’.

‘Isms’...

Here you will explore various ‘isms’ and their applications across the social sciences. These include: Marxism, Feminism, Postcolonialism, and Ableism.

Deconstructing Scientific Knowledge

This block of learning will cast a critical lens on scientific discourses and the ways in which scientific knowledge has been used to marginalise and oppress a range of minority groups.

In your second year, building upon the first, you will develop an understanding and working knowledge of leading theoretical frameworks in sociology, alongside key approaches to research methods, and the links between them. You will study:

Key Thinkers 

You will begin by exploring key thinkers from within the classical sociological tradition. This part of the course will assess the lasting contribution of thinkers from the classical era to understanding contemporary social issues in the 21st century.
Study will then move to explore social thinkers from within the contemporary era. Here you will develop a deeper understanding of thinkers and ‘Schools’ of thought from within sociology and across the wider social sciences.

Social Research in Action 

This part of the course begins by introducing you to the qualitative tradition of research within sociology, by which sociologists study the social world. Here you will learn about, and get ‘hands-on’ experiences of doing, social research, including ethnography, interviews, and how to process the data you gather.

Attention will then shift to learning how to work with quantitative data. Here you will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to work with, and to think critically about, about large-scale data sets. 

If you are studying Sociology as a Single Honours degree, you will also study:

Gender and Sexuality

In this block, you will develop a deeper understanding of social issues and debates around gender and sexuality, including theoretical developments, issues of inequality and discrimination, and factors that perpetuate exclusion versus those that promote diversity and inclusion.

Class in the 21st Century

In this block you will further your knowledge and understanding of social class as a marker of identity and dis/advantage. You will explore how class is theorised, measured and inhabited as lived experience. Debates around the idea of a ‘classless’ society will be explored, alongside issues about how social class is mis/represented in popular culture.

The Problem of Race

Study continues by exploring ‘race’ within contemporary society. Here you will examine issues and debates surrounding contemporary practices of exclusion, prejudice and discrimination, alongside the long-lasting impact and legacy of racism, imperialism, and colonisation. 

Religion and Society

You will also study the impact of faith and belief in contemporary society. Here you will examine debates around secularisation and the extent to which we are now a ‘post-secular’ society. You will also examine the relationship between religion and public life and some of the social explanations advanced to account for the resurgence of religious fundamentalism.

The third year study involves developing an advanced understanding of social processes and issues within contemporary society. You will study:

Advanced Research Courses

You will also have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of specialist courses that reflect the research interests of staff within the School of Social Sciences. Subject to availability, these may include courses in the following areas: social aspects of death and dying, the sociology of stories/story-telling, gender and migration, critiques of contemporary capitalism, poverty and precarious employment, corporate power, health inequalities, and many others besides.

Dissertation

Utilising the knowledge and skills you have developed in the first and second years of study, you will conduct independent research on a sociological topic of your own choosing. You will do this under the supervision and direction of a member of staff from within the Sociology team.

Advanced Studies in Sociology

Alongside your independent research project, you will learn from the experiences of established researchers on how to do social research.  Here you will be supported in your independent research by learning how to develop an idea for a project, how to conduct a literature review, navigate practical and ethical issues, analyse data, ‘write-up’ your research, and get your dissertation ‘over the line’.

You will also deepen your knowledge and understanding by learning about current issues - and the role of sociology - within contemporary society. These may vary from year to year depending upon the research interests of staff within the sociology team.

If you are studying Sociology as a Single Honours degree, you will study a range of themes related to real-world issues in the 21st century. These might vary according to the specialist research interests of staff within the sociology team but may include a focus of global social issues (such as human trafficking) and the impact of neoliberalism on individual lives and the communities of which they are a part.

You may also select to extend your undergraduate degree by doing a fourth year of study.  By selecting this option (for which student loan funding is available) you will graduate with a masters level qualification - a Masters of Social Science (MSocSci) instead of a BA in Sociology. You will study:

Professional Strand Options

Here will choose from professionally oriented options in the following areas:

Digital Literacy

This is aimed at supporting you to develop clear and effective communication skills for workplace environments, where professional activities are increasingly organised around digital technologies. 

In particular, graduate level occupations usually require advanced competency in identifying key trends across diverse information and data sources, and in communicating outcomes to inform organisational strategies, resource allocations, professional practices, and stakeholder relationships. 

Learning will focus on five areas: key principles of digital communication theory; professional writing for cross-platform media; mobile technologies and professional social media communication; data analysis and communication; and report writing and presentation skills.

Strategic Leadership

Here you will develop a critical understanding of strategic leadership and its practical application for personal and organisational effectiveness. The theoretical frameworks presented will be critically analysed against real world problems and contexts across a range of sectors.

Learning will cover a range of theoretical frameworks, from early leadership theory to current thinking. This includes the following: trait theory; style theory; situational/contingency theory; transactional/ transformational leadership; emotional intelligence; dialogical and distributed leadership. Alongside this you will explore integrated developments in, and current models of, leadership in the public, private and third sectors.

Managing  Community Funding Bids

Here you will develop the skills needed for community and voluntary sector management focused on bid writing. You will learn about the central aspects of successfully applying for funding for community-based organisations.

You will learn how to identify the specific needs within particular communities and how to formulate focused aims and objectives in relation to developing community projects. Learning will also focus on further elements of using data to support project application and processes of evaluation to demonstrate achievement of outcomes and impact.

You will also examine theoretical frameworks and concepts and utilise practical examples to support your application of theory in practice. Contemporary management of Youth and Community Development will be investigated, reflecting current shifts and trends in practice.

Choices from MA Options

You will also get to pick options offered by the School of Social Sciences from across our existing M-Level provision.

These include modules from Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, Criminology, Disability Studies, and Youth and Community Development. You can choose to study any of these options without necessarily having any prior subject specific knowledge of these areas.

Work-based Placement

A key element to the MSocSci is the professional placement, which is compulsory as part of the 4th year of study. These placements will help you to recognise the breadth of your potential and highlight future career opportunities. Placements can take place in a variety of areas and disciplines including the following:

- Welfare organisations, social care initiatives, educational establishments and not-for-profit organisations
- Political parties, charities, NGOs, campaign groups, government bodies and political and international organisations.

Placements will normally take place when you do not have any timetabled face-to-face sessions. You will be expected to complete a set number of days on your placement. You will be prepared for and supported during your placement by the School’s Placement Coordinator. You will undertake a reflective portfolio that will link directly to your placement activities. In most circumstances, placements will be arranged by the University. However, you can work with the School’s Placement Coordinator to create your own placement opportunity.