Program Overview

BA (Honours) Sociology with Foundation Year

Course summary

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of sociology, exploring the complexities of human social behavior and society. The foundation year prepares students for the degree by developing their academic skills and knowledge.

How you learn

Students learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and field trips. The course includes real-world projects, live projects, and work placements to provide students with practical experience.

Modules

Year 1

• Contemporary Issues In Social Science 1: Examines contemporary themes and issues relevant to the study of psychology, sociology, social policy, politics, and international relations.
• Contemporary Issues In Social Science 2: Explores a range of topics, including research approaches, key perspectives, and themes in natural science and society.

Year 2

• Deviance, Order And Protest: Critically explores how deviance, order, and protest are produced and reproduced in different socio-historical, cultural, and institutional settings.
• Researching Society: Engages students with the main methodological approaches to undertaking and interpreting social research.
• Sociology – The Big Issues: Explores a wide range of topics that shape the nature of contemporary UK society, including poverty, inequality, and social justice.
• The Sociological Imagination: Interprets the relationship between biography and history, self and society, which are at the heart of the sociological imagination.

Year 3

• Applied Research Methods: Provides an applied sociological research project that closely reflects real-life practice.
• Inequality, Identity And Intersectionality: Challenges and develops a deep understanding of sociological perspectives on identity and representation, as well as equality and diversity.
• Theorising Modernities: Engages students with explanations of social problems and social change offered by selected sociological theorists.

Year 4

• Drugs, Crime And Society: Examines drugs, drug use, and drug abuse in wider social, cultural, economic, and political contexts.
• Education, Health And Disability: Explores contemporary issues in health and disability through the lens of education.
• Gender, Sexuality, And Culture: Explores theories and practices of identity, self, and power in relation to sexualities and embodiment.
• Sociology Dissertation: Demonstrates and reflects on a range of skills developed through the production of a sustained, coherent, and critical sociological thesis.

Future careers

This course prepares students for careers in health and related areas, education, police, prison, and probation, local and national government, drug and alcohol services, social and policy research, human resources, civil service, trade unionism, business management, victim support work, and international consultancy.

Equipment and facilities

The university is investing £250 million in new facilities over the next five years, providing students with access to innovative and flexible spaces to study and relax.

Where will I study?

Students study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars, and practical sessions, as well as access to digital and online resources to support their learning.

Entry requirements

• UCAS points: 64
• GCSE: English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent, Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent
• ACCESS: Access to HE Diploma, with at least 45 level 3 credits
• International students: IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent

Fees and funding

• Home students: £5,760 for the foundation year, £9,535 per year for the degree (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during the placement year)
• International students: £17,155 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during the placement year)