Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of society, examining how social structures, institutions and cultural forces shape the lives of individuals and groups. It is a discipline that challenges comfortable assumptions about the world, asking how inequalities are produced and reproduced, how social norms are constructed and contested, how power operates in everyday life and how societies change over time. Politics, media, inequality, race, gender, class, religion and the family are all within sociology's scope, and the discipline develops skills in critical analysis, research and the construction of evidence-based arguments that are valued across many professional contexts.

At Southampton Solent University this three-year, full-time programme includes a foundation year, providing a structured route into degree-level study for students who would benefit from additional academic preparation before engaging with the main honours content. You will study social theory, research methods, the sociology of inequality, media and culture, health and illness, crime and deviance, globalisation and the changing nature of work and community. The programme challenges the world as it is, encouraging you to interrogate the structures and assumptions that shape social life and to develop the capacity for independent critical thought that sociology at its best demands.

Practical experience, including opportunities to apply sociological thinking in public and private sector contexts, is built into the programme.

Sociology graduates enter careers in social work with appropriate further training, community development, public sector research and policy, local government, journalism, human resources, education, voluntary sector organisations, criminal justice and a wide range of roles in organisations that work with communities and social data. The research methods and critical thinking skills the degree develops are transferable across many fields. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in sociology, social policy, criminology, social work, education or related disciplines.