Sociology and Humanities – (B.A.)

Our BA Sociology and Humanities is an excellent course allowing you to develop strong expertise in social science and arts subjects. You study sociology, which looks at the different kinds of social tensions, interactions and networks that make up everyday life, asking why individuals, groups, cultures and peoples are the way they are and how they might be different.

Sociology combines two key ways of thinking about social life. First, it poses broad theoretical questions about the world. What holds societies together? Do people pull together because they have to or because they want to? What motivates so many people to migrate from their own societies to others? Second, it provides practical means of investigating and answering those questions. Sociologists are skilled at interviewing, conducting focus groups, designing surveys, observing organisations, evaluating data and handling basic statistics. These different research methods allow sociologists to work across many fields, from media industries, consumer research, gender relations, globalisation and psychosocial dynamics to social policy, crime, education, health and inequality.

First year students take Sociology and the Modern World, which explores how social scientists have theorised major social changes, and The Enlightenment, which offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the cultural and historical shifts shaping contemporary life. There are a range of optional modules available.

We teach through large-group lectures and smaller-group seminars and classes. You contribute in many ways, for example, by analysing set readings, giving presentations or completing research tasks. Some modules have their own websites where you can download powerpoints and podcasts, and contribute to online discussions.