Sociology BA(Hons)

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Course structure

The Sociology degree course BA(Hons) is designed to integrate theory, research skills and specialist knowledge. You'll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops, and receive tutorial support in person and by email.

Often you will be working towards your assessment in class in a collaborative and supportive environment. We value inclusivity and aim to support all students whatever their learning styles or needs. 

Assessment methods vary for each module. However all are, coursework focussed, and include the opportunity to write essays and book reviews, deliver presentations, create posters, vlogs and blogs, and develop case studies.

On some modules we offer a choice of assessment type. You have the opportunity to do a voluntary work placement in Year 2 and also to enrol on our international exchange programme, which allows you to study in Spain or Sweden for a part of your degree. In the third year you will complete your dissertation. This can involve doing your own research, using methods such as questionnaires, interviews, or participant observation, or be literature-based.

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

Your first year will engage you in the debates that underpin sociology as a discipline, in a way that is stimulating whether you have studied the subject before or not. You will also be sensitised to issues of social inequality and be familiarised with the research methods necessary to investigate such issues.

You will also get a behind the scenes look at how sociology is done.

Modules

Core modules

• 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.

• Sociology Live: Interrogating Current Social Problems

  This module offers a dynamic introduction to sociology as a ‘live’ discipline. It draws on ‘live’ social issues to explore the construction of social problems and examines how sociology is ‘done’ by offering unique insight into the working practices of our resident sociologists as they confront real life problems. You will contribute to the current ‘live’ debates of sociology by producing your own sociological accounts of the world in non-traditional forms, for example podcasts, blogs, vlogs or zines.

• 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.

• Introduction to Researching Social and Cultural Life

  The module introduces you to the range of research methods used in the social sciences and will enable you to develop the skills necessary to collect and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data.

Options*

• 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.

• Theories of Crime

  On this module you will examine criminological theories from an historical perspective, and gain an understanding of the political, social and cultural context in which different theories were developed, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their current application.

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

Year 2

In the second year of your Sociology degree you will critically engage with contemporary sociological theories and gain practical research experience in preparation for your third year dissertation.

You will also begin to tailor your degree to your own interests through option modules. Option modules include the opportunity to undertake a voluntary work placement with a local organisation and put your skills and knowledge into practice.

Core modules

• Theorising the Social World
• Sociology and the Life Course
• Researching Social and Cultural Life

Options*

• Culture, Media and Identities
• Global Cultures
• Sociology Skills
• Community Engagement: Theory into Practice
• Mobilisations, Movements and Protest
• Gender and Power

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

Final year

The final year enables you to explore areas of sociological interest and research within the school.

You'll be able to specialise in subjects that really interest you, applying concepts and theories learned during your studies, analysing research material and reaching your own conclusions.

Modules

• Dissertation

Options*

• Society and Outer Space
• Class and Power
• Sociology of Globalisation
• Death and Society 
• Race and Equality
• Childhood and Society
• Utopian Theory and Practice
• Human Rights
• Education and Society
• Race and Immigration
• Sociology of Parenting
• Class and Conflict in Contemporary Britain
• Sex and Society

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

Lab facilities

Mithras House is home to all our School of Humanities and Social Science courses. It has a series of ‘labs’, which may be used for teaching on your course or in your independent research work.

Life lab
A comfortable space with lounge furniture intended for qualitative research with larger groups. Due to its relaxed layout and naturalistic environment, the space is suited to research using focus groups, research using observation-based methods and child research.

The space is also used for teaching on some social science courses, as well as for dissertation research for projects.
 
City lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning. It is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme, our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackling the pressing issues facing our world.

Design lab
A space housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses. It 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.

Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab is accessible as a study space to students on psychology courses. 

It is also available to students studying courses involving video and audio recording and editing, such as politics degrees and our creative writing programmes. The stats lab contains eight soundproof booths for recording or transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research.  

VR and eye tracking lab
This lab is used for psychological research, specifically eye-tracking research and virtual reality research. Equipment includes an electroencephalography (EEG) headset and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) equipment.

Placement

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 an organisation, often working with vulnerable people, in sometimes challenging situations. 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. 

You will benefit from 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. 

The module includes CV design, working on applications and interviews, developing reflective learning skills and time management. Making an active contribution to the local community during your course will not only help you to better society but will also improve your knowledge and look great on your CV.

During the placement you could be carrying out a piece of consultancy or gaining practical experience in a specific context relating to an area of possible future work.    

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

Meet the team

You will meet many lecturers during your studies but most sociology degree teaching is delivered by the core team below, and you will get to know them well.

• Dr Sarah Leaney, Sociology course leader
• Dr James Ormrod, Principal Lecturer in Sociology and Sociology Subject Lead
• Dr Yaa Asare, Senior Lecturer in Sociology
• Dr Stephen Brown, Senior Lecturer in Sociology
• Dr Neil Curry, Senior Lecturer in Sociology
• Dr Kyla Ellis-Sloan, Principal Lecturer in Sociology 
• Dr Laura Harvey, Senior Lecturer in Sociology
• Dr Chris Wyatt, Senior Lecturer in Sociology
• Dr Kanwal Mand, Senior Lecturer in Sociology

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2024–25.

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

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

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