Compulsory modules

Understanding Inequalities  
How can we mobilise our sociological imagination to make sense of the social divisions and inequalities that persist across time and are reproduced in different cultures and societies? This module introduces the theoretical foundations of sociological thinking, tracing its origins as a 'science of society' to its contemporary applications in understanding inequality. You will learn to recognise how classical theories illuminate social divisions around race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability, through a discussion of the causes and impacts of wide-ranging forms of discrimination. 

Society, People and Place: Global Issues and Local Realities 
This module explores the theories and methods used by sociologists for analysing culture and society. You will learn how global and local processes interact through a consideration of North Staffordshire, which becomes the backdrop for thinking about contemporary social concerns such as the housing crisis, generational conflict, and the effects of deindustrialisation. Beyond examining local expressions of wider global problems, we also speak to people working in frontline community organisations to learn how culture and community can deliver ethical change. 

Power, Identity and Resistance 
Exploring the ways in which individuals interact with others to shape meaning about identities, the purpose of this module is to understand power in social relations. You will learn how to identify the relationship between institutions, groups and individuals in forming knowledge and regulating behaviour. Crucially, we consider resistance to dominant forms of meaning through an examination of deviance and subculture, culminating with a reflection of the construction of self in digital societies.

Becoming a Social Scientist 
This module transitions you to university scholarship and introduces the employability and professional skills that a social science degree provides through a range of action-focused activities. You will learn vital academic and professional skills and competencies that will allow you to thrive in the first year of your undergraduate studies and throughout your degree.    

Optional modules

Imagining Social Order and Deviance 
Imagining Social Order and Deviance explores societal norms, values, and the construction of deviance through a series of real-life case studies. You are invited to engage with diverse perspectives on what constitutes social order and deviant behaviour and consider the complexities of social control mechanisms, the stigmatisation of marginalised groups, and the dynamics of power in shaping perceptions of deviance. By fostering a deep understanding of the intricacies of social order and deviance, this module empowers you to challenge prevailing narratives and envision more equitable and inclusive societies. 

Compulsory modules

Redefining Social Theory: Digital and Global Perspectives  
How can we mobilise our sociological imagination to understand the complexities and challenges of the modern world and our place within it? This module rethinks classic sociological theories for the global digital world, considering poststructural, intersectional and non-Western perspectives. You will gain a critical appreciation of how competing sociologies have emerged as our understanding of positionality and difference has developed, and look to the ways in which the sociological project has been stretched to incorporate debates about our non-human world. 

Social Science Research Methods and Data Analysis 
How can we know the world and the societies around us? This module introduces you to the core social science of designing, implementing, and analysing social phenomena. You will learn to identify and analyse data sources that might be used by social scientists in real world situations. From quantitative surveys to qualitative interviews and ethnographic studies, you will explore methodological approaches to understanding society and develop practical researcher skills that prepare you to carry out original research ethically. 

Social Science at Work 
This module introduces you to possible careers for social scientists and links to the work you are doing in your subject core and option modules asking the question ‘how can we mobilise academic study into the real world?’ You will also be encouraged to prepare for placement work that you may pursue, alongside reflecting on your social media footprint; developing your personal/professional brand and digital networking platforms.  

Optional modules

Family, Community and Personal Life 
How do we express love, friendship, and community in increasingly diverse social and cultural contexts? Have changes to work and gender roles altered the way we think about the division of labour? This module explores these questions and more against theories and debates about the transformations to personal life. Considering a broad range of examples from love in a digital age to the role of community in health and wellbeing, you will develop skills in analysing what ‘family’ means today and consider its role in shaping individuals and societies. 

Difference and Division: Race, Class and Belief 
In this module we explore how socio-cultural narratives and practices around the intersections of race, class and belief influence notions of selfhood, belonging, and social cohesion. You will investigate the role of ritual in shaping individual and collective identities and explore faith, spirituality and the occult in diverse historical and cultural contexts. You will develop critical skills to understand these debates through an analysis of the influence of multiculturalism, secularism and counter and sub-cultures in challenging mainstream beliefs and prejudices.  

Social Design 
Social Design is an interdisciplinary module exploring the interplay between societal structures, human behaviour, and crime, that equips you with the knowledge and skills to critically analyse, design, and implement interventions that foster safer and more inclusive communities. You will explore how social factors influence crime patterns and the efficacy of preventive measures. Depending on your subject interest you may explore the role of social policies in shaping community dynamics or design principles for crime prevention strategies, as a means to address complex social challenges. 

Work Placement for Social Sciences  
This module gives students studying subjects in the School of Social Sciences the opportunity to contribute to the world beyond the University, in any workplace where the specialist knowledge, research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of your Social Science degree can be used and can make a difference. The chosen workplace or volunteering opportunity may be, for example, with a local government agency or third sector organisation, a charity, a community group, a criminal justice agency, a campaign group, a public service, a school or education provider, or another suitable opportunity identified by the student and approved by the module leader.

Compulsory modules

Independent Study Project in Sociology 
The Independent Study Project, or dissertation, is the culmination of your sociological journey. You will work with a supervisor to design and produce an original sociological study on a topic of your choice. The dissertation allows you to apply your theoretical and methodological understandings of sociology to a research problem in either sociological literature or the social field. You can also choose to collaborate with an external organisation, conducting research that provides valuable insights to benefit their work. 

Social Futures 
What is society in a world governed by data and algorithms? How do we adapt to and influence social change? In this module, you will analyse how societies respond to and resist transformations wrought by the technological revolution. Considering a series of case studies relating to the big social challenges of our time, from the spread of misinformation and rise of conspiratorial thinking to the human response to climate change, you will apply your knowledge of sociology to provide a roadmap for navigating the changing world and suggest optimistic alternatives for the future. 

Engaged Social Science 
Moving on from the previous skills modules, you will further consider how your degree can link to a range of life skills and careers through engagement with community groups, activists and people working in public and private sectors. You will be supported in your next steps either through transition to the workplace or postgraduate study. 

Optional modules

Gender, Sexuality and Power 
This module explores the cultural construction of gender and sexuality norms. Through diverse case studies, we deconstruct how femininities, masculinities, and sexualities are shaped by societal expectations and power dynamics. You will analyse how gender and sexuality intersect with other systems of privilege and oppression, such as race, ethnicity, class, and age. Additionally, we will explore debates surrounding beauty standards, including the impacts of multimedia and emerging technologies on gendered embodiment.  

Home and Belonging in a Precarious World 
What does home mean to you? What does it mean to belong or not belong somewhere? This module explores our relationship to the notion of home. We consider how emotions shape our connections to place and space, influencing feelings of belonging and exclusion amidst the backdrop of border control, debt, the housing crisis, and displacement. You will critically investigate the dynamics of migration within the context of international conflict and climate crisis, analysing how movement across borders redefine notions of home and community. 

Beyond Human 
Beyond Human explores social behaviour, structures, and interactions among non-human entities, such as animals, artificial intelligence, and other forms of non-human life, seeking to understand the social dynamics present in non-human societies and their interactions with human societies. From examining the ethics of Artificial Intelligence to exploring the implications of environmental degradation on crime patterns, you will critically explore the complexities of human and non-human interconnectedness in shaping societies. 

Work Placement for Social Sciences Final Year Students 
This module is designed to give students studying subjects in the School of Social Sciences the opportunity to contribute to the world beyond the University, in any workplace where the specialist knowledge, research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of your Social Science degree can be used and can make a difference. The chosen workplace or volunteering opportunity may be, for example, with a local government agency or third sector organisation, a charity, a community group, a criminal justice agency, a campaign group, a public service, a school or education provider, or another suitable opportunity identified by the student and approved by the module leader.