Sociology BA (Hons) (with Foundation Year)
UCAS Code: L301|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Hope Park|UCAS Campus Code: L46Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Contemporary society is becoming ever more complex and the need to understand how it works is increasingly important. Sociology is the study of how society is organised, how this influences the attitudes and behaviour of individuals and the impact this has on social relationships, both within and between societies. Accordingly, sociology is now commonly regarded as an essential discipline for understanding the development of all modern societies. The Sociology degree at Liverpool Hope will help you to think critically and constructively about the key questions relating to modern society.
Our sociology degree is based around a core that provides inputs from social theory and from the comparison of different forms of society. The degree will help you to examine ‘common-sense’ assumptions about the world by exploring the issues that confront society, both nationally and globally, and by studying the theories and methods that help to explain and understand these issues. It also examines and evaluates the methods of research which make the study of society possible. The degree enables you to study a range of additional topics which cover the whole spectrum of sociological inquiry.
Staff are enthusiastic and dedicated and will help you to get the most out of your degree. In line with Liverpool Hope’s commitment to social justice, both nationally and internationally, Sociology attempts to understand social issues and problems that confront the modern world and, in so doing, challenges received wisdom.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together; seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students; and tutorials, which typically have no more than 10 students. You will also have workshops, guided reading activities and use the University’s Virtual Learning Environment. You will also have the opportunity to go on a number of field trips, and to meet regularly with your personal tutor.
If you are studying Sociology as a Single Honours degree, in your first year of study there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 teaching hours in your second year and approximately 8 teaching hours in your third year. If you are studying Sociology as part of a Combined Honours degree, in your first year of study there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second year and approximately 4 teaching hours in your third year. Your remaining teaching hours at first, second and third years will be spent in your other subject as a Combined Honours student: again, approximately 6 hours at first year, 5 hours at second year, and 4 hours at third year.
On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend a number of hours studying independently each week, as well as studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments that you may have.
In your third year you will also be expected to attend one-to-one meetings with your dissertation supervisor, who will guide you through the process of conducting an independent research project.
Assessment and feedback
Throughout your three years of study, you will have a number of assessments, including essays, portfolios, reports, individual and group presentations, and written exams. In your final year, you will also complete a dissertation research project on a topic of your choice.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments and will also have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor. You will also receive regular formative verbal feedback on your academic performance from your tutor.
Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.
Year One
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 to develop the knowledge and skills needed to foster critical understanding of the social world and our place within it. You will study:
A Sociological Imagination
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.
Sociological Foundations
Study will then progress to examine the fundamental pillars underpinning sociological knowledge and inquiry: sociological theory and the research methods by which sociologists come to know the social world.
Social Divisions
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, among others. 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.
Contemporary Issues
Study will also move to examine a range of current social issues within society central to contemporary sociology. These include a focus on the climate emergency, globalisation, social movements, the social aspects of health and illness, religion, and others besides.
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.
Year Two
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.
Year Three
The third year study involves developing an advanced understanding of social processes and issues within contemporary society. You will study:
Advanced Research Courses
Here you will select from a wide variety of courses from across the School of Social Sciences that reflect the specialist academic interests of particular researchers. These include courses from Sociology, Childhood & Youth, Criminology, Disability Studies, Social Policy, and Social Work, among others.
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, learning disabilities, domestic violence, youth and community work, homelessness, 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.
Entry requirements
There may be some flexibility for mature students offering non-tariff qualifications and students meeting particular widening participation criteria.
Careers
A degree in Sociology provides you with a wide skills base that is transferable to a variety of employment and career opportunities.
As well as detailed subject-specific knowledge, you will also learn skills that are vital for employment in a wide range of careers, such as critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making, effective written and oral communication, time management, and the ability to work both in a team and independently. You will also gain the ability to reflect critically on a wide-range of social issues and to research and analyse data in a variety of forms. Many employers find these skills essential and they recognise the value in employees having had a sociological education.
As the British Sociological Association (BSA) notes, a typical career pathway for graduates in Sociology has typically been social work or some other kind of public sector welfare employment such as the probation service. In practice, however, Sociology graduates now enter a wide variety of careers that include (but are by no means limited to) work within: the social services and wider caring professions; the civil service and local and national government; teaching and lecturing; third sector advocacy; think tanks and policy development; the police and criminal justice system; human resource management; media and creative industries; health promotion and public health; business and finance; ICT development; environmental campaigning; and international development. There is also the potential to go on to Postgraduate study and to become a professional Sociologist.
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2023/24 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Additional costs
On top of your tuition fees, you also need approximately £100 to purchase core textbooks.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2023/24 are £12,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is also available with Foundation Year as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: