Sociology

Core Modules

Year 1

• Introduction to Sociology

  This module introduces you to key classical and contemporary social theories, including the ‘founding fathers’ of continental European sociology (Durkheim, Marx, and Weber) and the originators of US sociology (including Parsons, Goffman, and Garfunkel).

• Social Problems and Social Policy

  This module explores contemporary social issues, including poverty, inequality, unemployment and discrimination. You will learn about the foundations of the welfare state as well as social policies in areas such as education, housing, health and family life. Key questions to be discussed include: What are the most important social problems in contemporary society? Is the welfare state in crisis? Why are young people more vulnerable to unemployment? How does the media influence our perceptions of social problems?

• Perspectives on People in Society

  This module will explore and examine how human behaviour and experience are influenced by social and interactional experiences and contexts across the lifespan. You will identify and critically analyse literature and research evidence on human experience and development to understand how life events and social contexts impact on people’s experiences. You will explore sociological, social psychological and ecological perspectives, focusing on understanding the person in their environment and will analyse and critique the intersections between developmental and life experiences, and the social contexts in which they occur. Own and others’ behaviours will furthermore be examined, reflecting on biases and assumptions in everyday life.

• Sociology Research Techniques

  This module introduces students to key data collection and analysis techniques in sociology. Students develop foundational skills in questionnaire design, observation, interviewing, and both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Teaching combines lectures with practical workshops, where students work individually and in small groups to build teamwork and independent research skills.

  Through class-based and field-based activities, students gain hands-on experience in applying core sociological research methods and critically reflect on their use in different social contexts. Assessments emphasise care and rigour in the design, collection, and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data, helping students to develop essential skills in constructing sociological arguments based on primary research material.

• Becoming a Sociologist

  The module is divided into three parts. The first focuses on study skills for sociologists and introduces the skills needed to study Geography at university. Topics include critical reading and writing, finding and evaluating source material, referencing and bibliographies, using feedback effectively, academic integrity and research ethics, and the use of generative AI.

  The second part focuses on sociology beyond university. It engages students with how sociological skills can be used outside the academic environment, with a focus on their own skills development and potential careers. It introduces the RHUL careers service, highlights the kinds of careers sociologists go into, and supports students in developing, reflecting on and communicating their skills.

  The final part focuses on statistics and data visualisation, providing an introduction to statistical analysis and methods of presenting quantitative data visually.

• Academic Writing Skills

  The Writing Skills Quiz is a self-guided diagnostic quiz that takes students through five areas of written communication: spelling; punctuation; academic register; structure and argument, and conventions of presentation and referencing.

Year 2

• Research Methods for Social Scientists
• Sociology of Contemporary Society

  This module provides you with a sociological analysis of contemporary society, helping you to understand major social and economic changes in the contemporary world through key sociological debates concerning, amongst others, the changing nature of the organisation of production and the changing nature of class. You will also examine the transformation of cultural forms in contemporary society and apply these theories to contemporary social issues.

Year 3

• Dissertation in Sociology

  The dissertation will enable students to demonstrate their skills as independent learners, give students the opportunity to research a topic in an area of Sociology in detail to a higher level and provide an opportunity to submit a substantial piece of written work.

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• Race, Gender and Queer Philosophy

  This module aims to introduce you to a number of key fields in value-philosophy: race theory, feminist theory, and queer theory. These discourses have had a lot to say about philosophy and have provided much needed scrutiny of both social structures and philosophy itself. This module will provide an introduction to some of the many ways in which race theory, feminist theory, and queer theory have attempted to combat forms of oppression in domains as diverse as politics, ethics, language, and how we acquire knowledge.

• Violent Crime - Sociological and Psychological Perspectives

  This course will provide an understanding of the relationship between violent and criminal behaviour. It will examine the role of social, institutional and psychological factors in the definition, experience and management of violence and aggression and provide an understanding of sociological, historical and psychological perspectives on violence and aggression.

• Sociology of the Family

  Students will critically discuss the role, function and nature of the family in contemporary society as well as examining changing patterns of family life. The course also explores how social identities and different social positions (for example those related to class, gender, or ethnicity) impact upon the experience of family life. Families will also be discussed in relation to other areas of social life including education, the workplace and the community. Students will engage with questions such as: To what extent does the nuclear family remain seen as the ‘ideal’ family type? What are the experiences of lone-parent families in contemporary society? How easy is it for families to balance paid work and family life? What is the relationship between the family and social policy? The course will familiarise students with contemporary research related to families and family life and equip them to critically evaluate this material.

• Youth in Society: The Sociology of Youth & Youth Culture

  The aims of this module are:

  • To present an overview of key areas in the sociology of youth.
  • To cover the changing conceptions and meaning of 'youth' within western society.
  • To detail and examine the changing social and economic position of the young
  • To show the various ways in which wider society has sought to define the young and constructed social institutions (education, juvenile justice etc) to deal with the young as a distinctive social group in society.
  • The importance of the young as a cultural force in modern society
• Sociology of Religion

  What is this thing we call religion? And it is fated to inevitable decline in modern society? Or is religion returning to the forefront of politics and social life? What is the relationship between one’s social environment and one’s religious belief and practices? And why are some people religious and others not? Religion has been a central object of sociological study since the founding of the discipline in the nineteenth century. This module aims to introduce students to the key authors, concepts, and debates which have animated, and continue to animate, the sociology of religion. Each week, we will address a specific question about religion from a sociological perspective, looking at case-studies along the way. We will investigate the relationship between theory and empirical research and interrogate the cross-cultural applicability of the concept of religion. A key focus of this module will be the empirical study of young adults’ religious trajectories during our seminars; through this component, students will find their own religious interrogations and commitments reflected in the material studied in class. Finally, students will also have the opportunity to engage directly with spaces of religious practice or religious communities through an ethnography-based assessment.

Year 3

• Sociology of Health and Illness

  In this module you will develop an understanding of different sociological approaches to the study of health and illness, with an awareness of the social patterning and causes of ill health. You will critically examine debates in the sociology of health and illness, considering factors such as social class, gender and ethnicity.

• Youth in Society: Deviance and Delinquency

  In this module you will develop an awareness of the changing position of the young in society, considering changing ideas about adolescence, youth and the transition to adulthood. You will gain an insight into the significance of delinquency and the representation of delinquent and deviant youth in the media, including gangs in British society and youth riots in Britain.

• Gender, Sexuality and Crime

  In this module you will develop an understanding of key sociological, psychological and criminal-legal approaches to gender and sexuality. You will think critically about how theories of gender and sexuality have informed the study of crime and shaped our understanding of sexual offences, and the relationship between gender, sexuality and criminal justice, from the 19^thcentury to the present day. You will look at case studies that have shaped the study of gender, sexuality, and crime historically and in the present day, such as the violations perpetrated against women through the diagnosis of 'hysteria', the development of the law of rape, sociological and psychological approaches to sex offenders, and debates about the criminalisation of pornography.

• Interpersonal violence and harm

  This module will provide students with a broad overview of violence and harm as committed by individuals or groups within society. Several forms of violence will be examined within the course including but not limited to intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual violence, and elder abuse. In addition to examining the nature and prevalence of violence and harm, the course will also examine the ways in which violence and harm are assessed, managed and communicated by professionals who work with perpetrators and victims of violence. Concepts related to violence or the prevalence and nature of violence such as psychopathy and gender will also be examined. Through a group presentation students will have the opportunity to learn about and present on an additional form of violence not covered in lectures.

• Death, Crime and Society

  This module would intend to analyse the social and cultural aspects of death, dying and bereavement. This will involve looking at rituals, religion and cultural practices associated with death and dying, as well as social taboos, mourning and remembrance. The module also has a specific focus on the sociology of the body, analysing the medicalisation of death and the social management of death, looking specifically at debates about euthenasia and legal issues associated with dying. The module aims to examine media representations of death in contemporary society and what impact this has on conceptualising death and dying, as well as focusing on the area of ‘dark tourism’; assessing cultural fascination in mortality and sites of death and remembrance. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the social organisation of death and how different groups and individuals manage death and bereavement. The course will offer an opportunity to examine trends, attitudes and dynamics of different end-of-life issues.

• Race, Ethnicity and Migration

  In this module you will develop a historical and sociological understanding of the study of race, racism and ethnicity, with an awareness of the way in which these interact with other social divisions and inequalities. You will anylse the extent to which race and ethnicity are central to how society is organised and structured, with knowledge of the models of race relations and the relevance of geography and politics.

• Children, Society and Risk

  In this module you will develop an understanding of key debates in relation to children, society and risk, childhood, children's rights, citizenship and social harm. You will look at empirical and theoretical studies in these areas and understand the ways in which social policy, and criminal justics agencies, are adapting their responses to deal with crimes commited against children.

• Sociology of Religion

  The aim of this module is to give an overview of the key arguments in the Sociology of Religion, and to develop an understanding of the social, cultural and political significance of religion for individuals, social groups and society at both national and global levels.

  The module begins by covering the classical sociological theorists on religion (Durkheim, Weber and Marx) and examines key debates around secularisation and post-secularisation. It then introduces the social and cultural significance of new religious and New Age movements, as well as the rise of spirituality in the West. The module also considers the growth of fundamentalism around the world, and concludes by examining how religion is becoming globalised.

• Contemporary Debates in Sex Work

  This module introduces students to contemporary debates on sex work, sexual and emotional labour, trafficking and sex tourism. It explores how different approaches to the sex industry relate to sociological questions of structure and agency, and to issues of gender, race, class and globalisation.

  Students will apply their learning to critically comment on aspects of the sex industry. The module also develops writing and communication skills, and provides experience in working with and evaluating different sources of information, including media reports, NGO publications and academic research. Students are expected to work independently and produce work with critical insight within short time frames.