Psychology and Sociology BA(Hons)

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Top reasons to choose this course

• Our course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), the UK’s independent regulator of the psychology profession.
• We follow the BPS curriculum, this means the content of your course prepares you for entry to the profession and for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GPC) of the BPS.
• Varied study methods – modules generally involve weekly lectures followed by seminars or practical sessions. These run alongside structured learning activities and independent study.
• Study all the major branches of psychology: developmental, cognitive, social and biological.
• Experienced and enthusiastic lecturers create an environment in which curious and critical future psychologists can develop and flourish.

• Our Psychology Research Laboratories are fully equipped to support a wide range of experimental and qualitative research, enhancing your learning experience.
• Placement opportunities enable you to put theory into practice, gain experience and make key contacts in the sector.
• Volunteering opportunities outside your course broaden your experience and links with sector.
• Visiting lecturers share their experiences of working in industry.

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 will 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 a placement 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 use in your own research work. 

Modules

• Developmental Psychology

  This module addresses key issues in child development and lifespan development to provide you with an introduction to the field of developmental psychology. You will examine issues from infancy through middle childhood to adulthood, exploring how people develop through time. Content covers the broad themes of history and theories of childhood development; cognitive development; development through the lifespan; social development; culture and development; and atypical development.

• Psychology and Society

  This module introduces the social history of psychology and seeks to embed psychology within the social and historical contexts of its development, critically exploring how these contexts have shaped the aims, methods and outcomes of psychological theory and research. You will look at key issues, debates and approaches in psychology, and develop essential skills for higher education study, including reflexive learning, critical analysis, team working and independent study.

• Psychological Investigations – Foundations

  You will learn the quantitative and qualitative research skills and methods used in psychology and develop expertise in study design, data collection and analysis, and critical thinking. You will also develop the ability to communicate complex information such as research design, data, interpretation of findings and limitations.

• Psychology Investigations – Practical Applications

  You will develop your understanding of research design and analysis, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Indicative content includes probability and significance testing; normal distribution and sampling distribution; formulating research questions and choosing appropriate research design and analyses; data preparation and management; and analyses for experimental and correlational designs.

• 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 will 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 will study the foundations of sociology, including the key thinkers, debates and theoretical perspectives. You’ll also examine the development of classical ideas and the continued relevance for different sociological perspectives throughout the twentieth century as well as recent challenges to traditional sociological theory.

Year 2

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

Modules

Core modules

• Theorising the Social World

  This module introduces contemporary sociological and social theory, looking at debates around neo-liberalism and the individualisation thesis, including consumption, choice, freedom, notions of the self and globalisation. You will also explore the relevance of gender, race and intersectionality, social class and different notions of the self.

• Psychological Investigation: Becoming an Independent Researcher

  This module teaches you about quantitative and qualitative research methods relating to psychology, including advanced experimental design and multivariate analyses. You will gain experience in small-scale research projects and develop skills in reviewing literature, research design, data collection, data analysis and report writing.

• Brain, Body and Cognition

  This module covers two core areas of psychology: biological psychology and cognitive psychology. You will gain a foundational knowledge and understanding of the biological basis of behaviour, including biological methods and ethical issues. You’ll explore classic and contemporary theory, research, debate and real-world applications of cognitive functions and their underlying physiology.

• Sociology and the Life Course

  This module examines areas of significant sociological interest and introduces you to contemporary areas of study using different models of academic criticism and evaluation. Key topics covered include life course versus lifecycle; competing theories of childhood; cross-cultural perspectives on youth; debates around the changing nature of work in a global society; and debates within the sociology of death, including around euthanasia.

• Social Psychology and Individual Differences

  Introducing two main areas of psychology, this module will look at social psychology and the psychology of individual differences. Through theory, research, ethical considerations and real-world applications, it addresses the social, cultural, conceptual and historical issues related to our experiences in the social world and how these are influenced by disposition.

Options*

• Psychology Mental Health and Distress

  This module covers psychological understandings of mental health and distress. It looks at the role of biology, culture and history in the formulation of mental health problems and the role and validity of diagnoses in clinical management. It also evaluates psychological explanations, personal experiences and interventions for mental health and distress.

• Forensic Security

  This module introduces you to forensic psychology with a focus on security. You will explore the psychological and behavioural underpinnings of feelings of security. You’ll look at the psychological factors in various measures – such as raising awareness of crime in the community and identifying the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime – that police, government and security personnel take in ensuring the security of people in the community.

• Community Engagement

  At the heart of this module is a 40-hour voluntary engagement within a local, not-for-profit organisation. You will also explore community engagement theory, reflect on your personal values and aspirations, and develop transferable skills through both theory and practice. You will develop awareness of broad social, structural and economic issues which impact the work of local not-for-profit organisations and the lived experiences of the communities they support.

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

Placements

Spend a year on placement

Gain valuable experience and earn money during an optional placement year following year 2. You’ll return to the final year of your degree with added confidence, real-world experience and valuable contacts. 

A placement year significantly improves your CV, giving you a distinct advantage over others when applying for jobs and starting your career. It will also help you to develop the softer skills such as communication and teamwork.

For the assessed part of your placement, you will create a reflective piece of work on professional practice and skills. 

The university has links with a wide range of organisations including in health, culture and heritage, housing, councils, the police, the probation service, policy think tanks and charities.

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in getting a placement that meets with your interests and career ambitions. They can help with CVs and cover letter writing, applications, online testing and more. Plus, they’ll provide support and guidance when you’re on placement and make sure that everything is going well.

Other placement opportunities

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’s 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 an organisation, often working with vulnerable people in sometimes challenging situations. This will be supported and underpinned by organisational training, tutor support and in-class teaching covering theories of community engagement, organisational structure and culture, and reflective learning. 

Previous students have had placements with organisations including:

• CCHF All About Kids
• Centre for Ecotherapy
• Connect
• Samaritans
• MS Society
• Fresh Start
• Alzheimer’s Society
• Sussex Prisoners’ Families
• Age UK
• YMCA
• MindOut
• Trust for Developing Communities
• Healthwatch Brighton & Hove.

Final year

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

You’ll decide which dissertation to focus on, choosing from the Psychology Dissertation – which must be taken and passed for you to be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the BPS – or the Dissertation where you will explore a topic that really interests you.

Modules

Core modules

• Community Wellbeing and Social Justice

  This module looks at the practices, values and theories underpinning a social justice approach to community wellbeing and the diverse approaches used by psychologists to address inequalities-based challenges to wellbeing. It will cover topics including empowerment, marginalisation, participatory action research and creative methods. The module culminates in a Festival of Social Justice, in which you will work with other students to present social justice issues.

• Psychology Dissertation

  The Psychology Dissertation will enable you to initiate, design, conduct, analyse, interpret and report an empirical research study under supervision. As well as a series of lectures, workshops and online resources, you will attend tutorials which will guide extensive independent study culminating in a research report of 8,000 words maximum.

• Dissertation

  This enquiry-based module requires you to write a fully developed, researched and evidenced academic dissertation on a topic of your choice related to your degree programme. You will demonstrate the research, data handling, critical thinking, organisational and writing skills you have developed over the course of your undergraduate study.

Options*

• Violence and Society

  In Violence and Society, you will examine how patterns of power, control and dominance permeate society and impact on our social understandings and experiences of violence. You will gain an understanding of the key themes and issues around violence and its macro, cultural and embodied manifestations. By the end of the module, you’ll have a critical awareness of violence as constructed at different levels of society and in different arenas.

• Sociology Topic 1

  This module will enable you to study an area of sociological interest structured around analysis of a significant issue related to current sociology. Drawing on the sociological knowledge you gained in your first and second years, you’ll apply concepts and theories to a specific topic and integrate research materials to reach your own conclusions. Topics could include childhood and society; race and ethnicity; religion and society; death and society; and class and conflict in contemporary Britain.

• Society and Outer Space

  Drawing insights from across the social sciences and humanities, this module explores the argument that societies are produced in relation to the rest of the universe. It covers a range of work from anthropological perspectives on cosmology, through studies of the role of satellites in warfare, communications and surveillance, to analysis of space fiction and the representation of aliens.

• Class and Power

  The study of social class and power is a central concern of sociology, and this module examines ways of measuring class and whether social mobility exists in modern Western societies. It will explore how successful classical sociologists were in theorising class and provide you with advanced social scientific perspectives on class and power. Content might include measuring social class; Marx on class and power; gender and class; race and class; and the underclass.

• Sociology of Globalisation

  This module explores the emergence of globalisation and considers the implications of living in an increasingly globalised world. You will develop a critical appreciation of current theories, issues and debates around the subject and explore the way in which globalisation has arguably become the central idea in trying to understand the social changes that we are living through today.

• Sociology Topic 2

  In this module, you will study an area of sociological interest structured around the analysis of a significant issue appropriate to current sociology. Drawing on the sociological knowledge you gained in your first and second years, you’ll apply concepts and theories to a specific topic and integrate research materials to reach your own conclusions. Topics could include families and parenting; cities and society; sex and society; human rights; and health and society.

• Cyberpsychology

  In this module you will explore how interactive technologies affect an individual’s sense of self, experience of relationships and psychological wellbeing. You will also reflect on your own use of interactive media – such as mobile phones, video games, online games, interactive TV, email – and how this shapes your psychological experience.

• Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy

  The focus of this module is the relationship between humans, wellbeing and the natural environment set against the backdrop of climate change and wider ecological crisis. You will consider work in psychology and the social sciences which address these issues and how they interrelate, as well as looking at related practical interventions.

• Critical Addiction Studies

  You will study biological and psychological theories and models of addiction during this module and analyse government responses to substance use, including via drug and alcohol policy. You’ll look at historical and contemporary attitudes towards those who use drugs as well as reflecting on your own beliefs about and attitudes towards addiction and addicted people and how these inform and are informed by your experiences of the world.

• Sexualities

  This module will involve studying theoretical and methodological approaches to sex and sexualities, including biological, sexological, postmodern, feminist and queer perspectives. You will examine the role of psychology in defining ‘normal’ or ‘transgressive’ sexualities in historical and political contexts and explore social meanings and cultural representations of sexuality and how these intersect with gender ideologies.

• Utopian Theory and Practice

  This module explores the relationship between Utopian thought and practice and introduces classical critiques of Utopianism that draw attention to its dangers, as well as work identifying its positive functions. You will critically evaluate these perspectives and the ways in which ‘the Utopian’ is being reimagined in contemporary theory and practice.

• Human Rights

  This module explores the historical emergence and significance of human rights and the development of key institutions such as the United Nations. You will look at significant historical events and consider some contemporary rights issues such as free speech, minority rights, women’s rights and social justice. We will also focus on the events of 9/11 and the sidelining of human rights in the name of national security, global civil society and online rights issues.

• Education and Society

  Focusing on the role of education in perpetuating social inequalities, this module will consider how education can be understood from a sociological viewpoint. You will investigate education from a global perspective, exploring the implications and consequences of the colonised curriculum in the Global South. You will examine social inequalities evidenced in and perpetuated through the educational system in the UK and consider how these can be analysed from a sociological angle.

• Class and Conflict in Contemporary Britain

  In this module you will explore the new sociologies of class and apply them to examples of class conflict in contemporary Britain. You will engage with current debates within class analysis such as the role of the media in the reproduction of class disgust, the impact of gentrification on the lived experience of class inequality and the power of oppressed classes to revolt.

• Power in the Psy Disciplines

  This module introduces a range of historical and contemporary uses of psychology and psychiatry which have been or still are ethically contentious. It addresses topics around the institutional and professional power of the ‘psy’ professions. This involves a sensitive and critical exploration of historical accounts, ethical standpoints, lived experiences and the influence of psychology and psychiatry in society.

• Sociology and the Climate Emergency

  It is increasingly clear that the climate emergency must be addressed at least in part by social change. Social science, and sociology in particular, can help us understand this and work towards achieving such change. During this module you will look at the social aspects of the climate emergency and use sociology to understand the roots and consequences of climate change.

• Community, Belonging and Exclusion

  This module brings together theories on community and belonging with practical examples of exclusion and marginalisation. You will examine these social issues through intersecting sociological lenses – including race, class, age, status, gender – and across multiple spaces and scales, including online communities, nation, cities and neighbourhoods. You'll be encouraged to engage critically with the places and communities that you are part of, as well as questions of power, inequality and exclusion.

• Consumer Culture, Body Image and Wellbeing

  This module will help you to understand how large-scale systems (for example, capitalist forces) shape body image and wellbeing. You will examine consumption and commodification (online and offline), materialism, debt, identities, inequalities, wellbeing, body image and environmental impacts. You will develop skills and understanding of real-world applications of psychological evaluations and research methods by analysing how studies have been conducted and by critically evaluating psychological findings.

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

Lab facilities

Mithras House has a series of lab spaces, which are used for teaching and student and staff research. 

VR and eye tracking lab
This lab is used for psychological research, specifically:

• eye-tracking research – eye-tracking (using an eye-tracking nano bar and eye-tracking glasses) is used to study visual attentional patterns across areas including CCTV observation and analysis, marketing and advertising research, and police and offender perceptions

• virtual reality research – VR allows participants to immerse themselves in virtual environments, so that researchers can study typically impractical situations. Research areas include the effects of virtual interactions, phobias, wellbeing, mediation, and city architecture

• measuring physiological responses within participants in response to external stimuli – equipment includes an electroencephalography (EEG) headset and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) equipment.

The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.

Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab contains eight acoustically treated booths for both recording and transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research and for recording and editing podcasts. The lab is accessible as a study space to students on psychology courses. 

Applied cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected. 

Life lab
The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.

City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for a range of meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.

Community lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning, the Community lab is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme – our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.

Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.

Meet the team

Members of the course team include:

• Dr Jason Preston – course leader
• Dr Mark Wright
• Dr Charlie Lea
• Dr Linda Tip

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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