Sociology

Sociology is the discipline that asks how societies are organised, how inequalities are produced and maintained, and how the institutions, cultures and relationships that surround us shape who we are and what we can do. It is a field that takes nothing for granted, treating even the most apparently natural features of social life as historically specific and open to analysis and critique. At the University of Portsmouth this three-year programme develops the conceptual vocabulary and research skills needed to understand social issues and global inequalities with genuine depth and precision.

You will engage with the major traditions of sociological thought, from classical theorists through to contemporary debates about race, gender, class, globalisation, media and digital life, developing the analytical frameworks to make sense of social patterns and processes. Research methods, both quantitative and qualitative, are central to the programme, giving you the skills to work with data, conduct your own research and evaluate the evidence produced by others. A sandwich year provides a substantial period of professional experience, and work placements and a year abroad are built in, developing your professional capability and international perspective.

The programme's engagement with real social issues, from education and work to media and social inequality, is what draws many students to the subject and what makes the skills it develops so directly relevant to careers concerned with understanding and improving social life.

Graduates work in a wide range of roles. Social work, community development, the charity sector and public services draw those who want to work directly with people facing social disadvantage. Policy analysis, research in think tanks, NGOs and government bodies, and journalism focused on social affairs draw those more interested in influencing systems.

Equality and diversity roles, HR, communications and education are further destinations. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in sociology, social policy, social work, criminology or related fields.