Sociologists have for decades been providing answers to difficult government and policy questions, informing industry and challenging inequalities.

Sociology is concerned with understanding social life and our place within it. On this course, you will study human connections and relationships, and how these connections, as well as social structures, such as social class, race and gender, are linked to the way we behave. You will tackle difficult questions around issues such as poverty, sexism, austerity, immigration, privacy and social unrest, and gain insights into our cultural and everyday lives.

2020 has been consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a major financial crisis, social disruption including mass lockdowns, shortages and divisions in society, unprecedented cancellation or rescheduling of major religious, political and cultural events and disruption to the education system and to our daily lives from the way we work to the way we interact with others. To accompany this, global movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality protests have taken place across the world. Social media and the mass media have played a huge role in all these events but have both received criticism, specifically around the spread of misinformation which has raised questions around responsibility and accountability. All of these things have a huge impact on the way our societies work and develop. As a Sociology student, you will explore key historical and contemporary events such as these to understand what kind of impact they can have on society, how societies deal with them and how they can be the catalysts for major societal change.

Graduates of the course have gone on to work for the Racial Equality Council, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Disability Rights Commission, HM Prison Service, and the Probation Service. Other common career paths of our graduates include:

• The civil service
• Legal professions
• Community, health and social work
• Journalism and media
• Postgraduate courses, research and teaching
• Government advisory departments
• Investigating justice and victim support
• Policy and administration