Psychology and Sociology BA(Hons)

Course structure

This course covers all of the major branches of psychology: developmental, cognitive, social and biological. It also teaches the conceptual and historical issues of psychology as well as the research methods used in its academic practice, while giving you the chance to specialise in subdisciplines like cyberpsychology and ecopsychology.

Sociology modules focus on getting behind the news to help you critically engage with contemporary issues such as poverty and globalisation. You also look at how individuals form groups and communities, and how they coordinate social action and protest. 

You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, group tutorials, individual tutorials, guided independent study and self-directed study. In your second year you can choose to go on placements with a local organisation.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up-to-date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you will be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 1

Year 1 introduces both psychology and sociology. You will also learn about research methods, which you will later apply in your own research work. 

Modules

• Introduction to Applied Psychology

  You will be introduced to the basic approaches and theories within psychology and consider issues of application in the field.

• Developmental Psychology

  The module will introduce you to key theories and topics in child development and lifespan development. You'll examine issues from infancy through middle-childhood to adulthood to explore how people develop through time. The module provides an historical, biological, social and cultural context for studying child development, and life-span development to help you frame the theoretical perspectives presented.

• Introduction to Psychological Research Methods

  This module will introduce you to the range of research methods used in psychology and will enable you to develop the skills necessary to collect and analyse quantitative data. It also provides an introduction to qualitative data collection and analysis.

• Contemporary Social Inequalities

  This module will provide you with the theoretical and conceptual tools to confront normative/normalising explanations of difference and inequality. You'll understand the ways that ‘differences’ and inequalities are formed and their consequences for everyday lived realities.

• Sociological Imaginations

  This module will introduce you to contemporary ‘sociological imaginations’ of the social world and will give you the opportunity to apply sociological theories and concepts to contemporary topics. You'll develop your ability to think sociologically, by first understanding key sociological concepts and then exploring how these are applied in contemporary sociological research examples.

• Foundations of Sociology

  This module will equip you with an understanding of traditional sociological theory and its applications today. You'll be introduced to the foundations of sociology including key thinkers, key debates, and main theoretical perspectives.

  The module will examine the development of classical ideas and the continued relevance for different sociological perspectives throughout the twentieth century. Recent challenges to traditional sociological theory will also be examined and assessed.

Year 2

Year 2 will elaborate on the scientific basis of psychology and show how we process the outside world.

Modules

• Psychology, the Body and Individual Differences
• Psychology, Cognition and Social Worlds
• Theorising the Social World 
• Sociology of the Life Course 
• Psychological Research Methods

Options*

• Community Engagement: Theory into Practice 
• Critical Analysis

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Final year

Your final year at Brighton will give you room to choose  which areas of psychology or sociology you would most like to pursue.

Modules

• Critical Community Psychology
• Dissertation OR Psychology Dissertation
  (the psychology dissertation must be taken and passed to be eligible for graduate basis of chartered membership of the BPS)

Options*

• Cyberpsychology
• Ecopsychology
• Mental Disorder and Anthropology
• Critical Addiction Studies
• Sexualities
• Society and Outer Space  
• Utopian Theory and Practice  
• Psychology of Poverty  
• Class and Power
• The Sociology of Globalisation
• Human Rights
• Death and Society
• 'Race' and Ethnicity in Society
• Education and Society
• Childhood and Society
• Immigration and Race
• The Sociology of Parenting
• Sex and Society
• Class and Conflict in Contemporary Britain

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placements

In your second year the Community Engagement option module offers the opportunity to engage with a local not-for-profit organisation and gain valuable hands-on experience. It is a great opportunity to develop your vocational skills and gain practical work experience while contributing to the wider community.

You will spend around 50 hours volunteering with the organisation. This will be supported and underpinned by organisational training, tutor support and by in-class teaching covering theories of community engagement, organisational structure and culture, and reflective learning. 

We will help you find a placement that is right for you from the range of local organisations who choose to work with our students.

The module features guest lectures delivered by external speakers drawn from the wider community. You will also produce a portfolio where you will reflect on your experiences and learning, with reference to practice examples and reflective theory. 

Facilities for learning 

We have invested £250,000 in our multi-purpose Psychology Resource Laboratories.

The labs include: 

• an applied cognition lab 
• a creative methods lab for interactive experiments and focus groups 
• experimental booths for one-to-one computer-based experiments 
• mobile eye tracker, eye-tracking glasses and psychophysiology measuring kit.

You will also benefit from an open-access teaching space and a dedicated psychology technician who will support your experiments.

Click the image above to view a virtual tour of our Psychology Resources Laboratories.

Meet the team

Dr James Ravenhill, course leader

Dr Mark Wright - Developmental Psychology module

Dr Hewa Khedir - Sociological Imaginations module

Dr Charlie Lea - Psychological Research Methods

Dr Natalie Pitimson - Sociology of the Life Course

Dr Rebecca Graber - Critical Community Psychology

Dr Linda Tip - Dissertation

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Local area

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Support and wellbeing

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