Sociology and Philosophy

Core Modules

Year 1

You will take the following modules in Philosophy in Year 1. In Year 2 (below) you will choose two of the five Philosophy modules.

• Introduction to Modern Philosophy

  The ‘new philosophy’ of the seventeenth century set the modern philosophical agenda by asking fundamental questions concerning knowledge and understanding and the relation between science and other human endeavours, which subsequently became central to the European Enlightenment. This module aims to familiarise you with the origins of empiricist and rationalist/idealist thought, focussing on the work of Descartes and Locke. The module will enable you to develop your close reading skills, and will give you the opportunity to see how arguments are developed across the length of philosophical texts.

• Problems of Knowledge

  Knowledge is often thought to be the highest achievement of rational creatures, the thing that distinguishes us from other animals and is the basis of our ability to predict and control our environment. Beginning with the most Platonic of questions—‘what is knowledge?’—this course introduces you to basic topics in contemporary epistemology. Among the questions it goes on to address are: why is knowledge valuable?; how do we acquire knowledge and how do we pass it on to others?; how do we become better knowers?; is there such a thing as collective knowledge?; do animals have knowledge?; is there such a thing as knowledge at all?

   

• Philosophical Methods

  On this module you’ll learn to reason critically: to distinguish between bad arguments and good ones, supporting evidence from mere distraction. Everybody has the basic ability to do this, but it is not always as developed we need it to be: and in this complex world being able to present your point forcefully and rationally is vitally important. The aim of this module is to help you develop the skills required to get the most out of your degree.

• Issues in Ethics

  This module will introduce you to key theories and problems in ethics. Ethical theories examined may include deontology, utilitarianism, moral sense theory, and virtue ethics. Theoretical issues may include the nature of value, theories of rights and responsibilities, and the role of competing conceptions of human nature. Practical topics may include euthanasia, abortion, poverty, personal relationships, equality, animal ethics, and punishment. The precise topics covered may vary from year to year, according to staff availability and interests.

   

• 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?

Year 2

• Kant

  In this module you’ll look at key texts by Immanuel Kant, which are the foundation of Modern European Philosophy. These texts raise questions concerning the status of human knowledge and the nature and justification of human action that have concerned philosophers ever since. The module considers Kant's Critique of Pure Reason and the core theme is how philosophy responds to the situation in which it can no longer rely on theological support for its claims about truth and morality. The questions raised by the module recur in most of the main Philosophy courses studied from the second year onwards.

• Mind and World

  In this module you will develop an understanding of how the rationalist and empiricist traditions in philosophy influence contemporary thought in the philosophy of mind. You will look at the continuing relevance of the mind-body problem to the question of what it is to be a human being and consider the connections between the analytic and European traditions in philosophy with respect to language, subjectivity, and the phenomenology of experience. You will also examine the importance of consciousness to contemporary debates in philosophy, psychology and cognitive science.

• 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.

• Philosophy and the Arts
• Empiricism and Rationalism

  You’ll explore the central developments in modern philosophy occurring between the foundation of modern empiricism and rationalism by Locke and Descartes in the 17th century, and the emergence of Kant’s philosophical system in the late 18th century. You’ll study three of the key figures from the two traditions, exploring the key theories they expound, and the arguments used to support these theories. The figures covered will depend on the research specialisms of the course convenor, but a typical syllabus would involve reading works by Spinoza, Leibniz, and Hume. Looking at these philosophers over a number of weeks will allow you to develop close reading skills, and to see how the arguments put forward by these philosophers work together to produce a systematic metaphysical worldview.

• Sociology of Contemporary Society

  This module provides a sociological analysis of contemporary society, exploring how modernity and its subsequent transformations have reshaped the relationship between individual persons, communities, and institutions. Drawing on key debates in sociology and social theory, you will examine changing forms of identity, belonging, authority, and culture, and apply these perspectives to today’s pressing social issues.

Year 3

• All modules are optional

• All modules are optional

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

• Research Methods for Social Scientists

  This module provides you with an introduction to the philosophical issues in social research. You will look at ethics in social research and theory, quantitative versus qualitative methods, sampling, observation, interviewing, media analysis, and questionnaire design. You will be given the opportunity to work through the research process on a topic of independent study of your choosing.

• Philosophy of Psychiatry

  This module covers various issues in the philosophy of psychiatry. Addressing these issues requires the application of insights from a range of philosophical fields, including philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of medicine, practical ethics, and metaphysics. Studying philosophy of psychiatry can be a great way to think about some difficult, highly theoretical philosophical issues including free will, mental causation, and explanation, all of which find natural application in the field of psychiatry. Philosophy of Psychiatry is also one of the few areas of philosophy that routinely combines both ‘analytic’ and ‘continental’ philosophical perspectives.

• 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.

• Philosophy and the Arts
• Empiricism and Rationalism

  You’ll explore the central developments in modern philosophy occurring between the foundation of modern empiricism and rationalism by Locke and Descartes in the 17th century, and the emergence of Kant’s philosophical system in the late 18th century. You’ll study three of the key figures from the two traditions, exploring the key theories they expound, and the arguments used to support these theories. The figures covered will depend on the research specialisms of the course convenor, but a typical syllabus would involve reading works by Spinoza, Leibniz, and Hume. Looking at these philosophers over a number of weeks will allow you to develop close reading skills, and to see how the arguments put forward by these philosophers work together to produce a systematic metaphysical worldview.

• 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.

• 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.

• Contested Knowledges

  This module covers central themes in the philosophy of science, epistemology, and science and technology studies, including the nature of scientific justification and explanation, claims regarding the rationality, objectivity, and neutrality of science, and the impact of social values, embodied identities, and the situated epistemic agent on knowledge production more broadly. You’ll learn to critically evaluate knowledge and understand it in relation to social, historical, and political contexts, reflect on the power, and also the limitations, of scientific (and other) methods of thinking, to question what, if anything, gives science the authority it seems to have. 

• Society and Space: Politics, Identity and Justice

  This module provides students with an introduction to key social geographies themes, focusing particularly on the mutual constitution of space and society, and how identities are created, experienced and challenged in different spaces. The module considers issues of residential segregation, mobility and inclusion/exclusion through an examination of key social characteristics such as class, gender, ethnicity, disability, age and sexuality. The module encourages students to consider how members of marginalised groups have sought to challenge or resist forms of spatial exclusion, as well as how social geographical research can inform policies to address social and spatial injustices.

Year 3

• Hegel

  German idealism sets itself the task of satisfying three main aims: systematizing Kant’s philosophy by finding necessary premises for its conclusions; providing a rigorous demonstration of the laws of thought; and ensuring that satisfying these aims satisfies the third aim of proving that reason is not the product of a purposeless, mechanistic world, but is itself an absolutely free purposive activity. This module investigates Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit as an attempt to satisfy these aims. We will explore Hegel’s distinctive and influential criticisms of Kant, his development of dialectic as a method of deriving the laws of thought, and his argument that reason is absolutely free. We will pay special attention to his successive, unfolding theses for the essentially self-conscious character of consciousness, the essentially recognitive character of self-consciousness, and the essentially historical character of recognition.

• Varieties of Scepticism: Hope, Desire and Tragedy

  What does it mean to be certain? Can knowledge be grounded in propositions that are themselves beyond doubt? And what happens when we ask for a justification of the assumptions on which our practices of giving and asking for reasons depend? This course examines the philosophical problem of certainty from ancient scepticism to contemporary epistemology, with Ludwig Wittgenstein’s ‘On Certainty’ at its centre. 

• Existential Ethics

  The aim of the course is to explore the development of existential ethics across the course of the twentieth century. We will look at how  the combination of the new method of phenomenology and an attempt to work through the implications of the death of God led to a flourishing of new ethical thought. The course aims to develop your knowledge and appreciation of the importance and continuing relevance of the tradition. It also aims to develop your ability to interpret philosophical texts, and critically evaluate philosophical arguments. We will begin by looking at some of the precursors of existentialist thought, namely the work of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Søren Kierkegaard. Both were writing in the 19th century, and both are concerned with the relationship between freedom, contingency, and religion. We will then move on to two related approaches, those of Camus and Sartre, before turning to the feminist work of Simone de Beauvoir and Franz Fanon's writings which work out the implications of existentialism for colonialism.

• Social Justice: From Theory to Practice

  The module explores how debates about justice in political theory apply to the real practice of politics. More broadly, the course investigates the moral and ethical considerations of implementing social justice. The first half of course examines the ethical responsibilities of politicians, public servants and citizens, and the advantages and drawbacks of the various ways of morally evaluating their behaviour and the policies they enact. Combining theory and practice through the analysis of concrete cases, the module addresses such issues as the use of violence, the nature of corruption, and official secrecy. In the second half of the course, we look at the ways in which political theory can be applied to major contemporary policy debates. While the module is in political theory, the focus is on how the big ideas of normative political theory affect our thinking about policy and the behaviour of politicians. The aim is get students to understand that policy-making is never merely technical, and to see how moral concerns affect and shape both political action and policy making.

• Radical Political Theory I: Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche

  This module aims to introduce students to key questions and arguments concerning the relationship between identity, power, meaning and knowledge, through close examination of texts from GWF Hegel, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche. It should lead students to appreciate critiques of modern Western societies and their values, which not only underpin recent “postmodernist” or “post-structuralist” thought but also form crucial theoretical elements in debates about gender, multiculturalism, nationalism, post-colonialism, new social movements, etc., across the social sciences. It aims to develop in students the ability to critically reflect about the nature and scope of politics and ethics through engagement with texts that have sought to provide insights and new ways of thinking about these realms.

• Leadership, Power and the British Prime Ministership

  The course’s primary purpose is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the British prime ministership. It will help students to evaluate the problems of leadership in an advanced industrial democracy and to critically evaluate the performance of those holding executive office. The course will cover both the institutional characteristics and development of the office of prime minister, the organisation and structure of the political executive and the prime ministership’s relationship with other key actors, such as ministers, parliament and the media. The course will also engage with claims about the ‘personalisation’ and ‘presidentialisation’ of British politics. At the same time, the course is designed to introduce students to a more focused range of literature and to develop students’ own awareness of the political-science research process. To this end, it will encourage students to confront issues of conceptualisation and measurement through class activities, as well as highlighting the problems and pitfalls of taking models and frameworks of analysis from other systems and applying them to the British prime ministership.
• 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.

• 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.

• Health, Illness and Society

  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.

• Gender, Power & Deviance

  This module explores the socio-historical construction of gender and its relationship to deviance, power, and social control. Drawing on sociological, historical, psychological, and philosophical perspectives, it examines how dominant theories of gender have historically shaped, and often marginalised, experiences of women, while simultaneously constructing norms of acceptable behaviour. Students will investigate how the medicalisation and policing of ‘deviant identities’ have functioned as mechanisms of surveillance, tracing the exercise of power and discipline from the 19th century to the present day. By the end of this module, students will be equipped to critically engage with a different range of theoretical perspectives and demonstrate a nuanced understanding of gender as a site of power, resistance, and transformation.

• Interpersonal violence and harm
• 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.

• Theories of Reproduction

  This module examines reproduction from multiple disciplinary perspectives, particularly drawing from sociology, philosophy, gender studies, and science and technology studies. The module explores how reproduction (specifically, human pregnancy and birth) has been conceptualised, medicalised, and technologised, in the past, present, and speculative future, and how these understandings are reflected and reinforced through society. The module is research-led, following the expertise of the module tutor, thereby introducing students to cutting-edge contemporary works as well as foundational classics in the area.

We use a varied and engaging approach to teaching and assessment, designed to help you develop both your subject knowledge and the skills you will need throughout your degree and beyond. This includes:

Dedicated academic support: You will have a Personal Tutor in Sociology and a designated member of staff as your liaison in Philosophy, providing you with guidance and support throughout your studies.

A genuinely interdisciplinary degree: You will take an equal balance of modules, with 50% of your studies in Sociology and 50% in Philosophy, allowing you to explore the distinctive perspectives of both disciplines and the connections between them.

A variety of learning experiences: Teaching takes place through lectures, seminars, small-group tutorials, workshops, field trips and other interactive activities. This gives you opportunities to engage with ideas in different ways, develop your own arguments and learn collaboratively with other students.

Diverse forms of assessment: We use a wide range of assessment methods, from traditional essays and examinations to multiple-choice questions, research reports, reflective logs and oral presentations. This allows you to develop and demonstrate a broad range of academic and transferable skills.

Continuous feedback and development: Feedback is an important part of your learning throughout the programme. You will receive regular feedback, both orally and in writing, helping you understand your strengths, identify areas for development and progressively build your confidence and abilities.

A Levels: ABB-BBB

Required subjects:

• We require English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade 4 (C) 

English language requirements

6.5 overall with 6 in Writing and minimum of 5.5 in each subscore.

A degree in Sociology and Philosophy at Royal Holloway can open the door to a wide range of career paths, both within and beyond academia. Alongside developing your knowledge and understanding of society, culture, politics, ethics and ideas, the programme equips you with highly transferable skills that are valued across a diverse range of professions.

You will learn to approach complex questions with curiosity, rigour and intellectual independence, developing the ability to analyse evidence, evaluate competing arguments and identify assumptions that might otherwise go unnoticed. You will also become a confident communicator, learning to construct persuasive arguments and communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively, both in writing and in discussion.

These skills are valuable in careers where critical thinking, research, judgement and communication are essential. Graduates may go on to work in areas such as education, public policy, government, research, journalism, communications, the civil service, charities and NGOs, social research, law, business and the cultural sector. Others may pursue further study or professional training, using the analytical and research skills developed through the degree as a foundation for postgraduate education.

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £10,050

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £24,600

Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.

How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students who have already taken out a tuition fee loan for undergraduate study should check their eligibility for additional funding directly with the relevant awards body.

*This figure is the fee for Home (UK) undergraduates on this course for the academic year 2027/28 and is controlled by Government regulations.

**This figure is the fee for EU and international students on this course for the academic year 2027/28.

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase tuition fees annually for all students. For further information see fees and funding.

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2027/28 academic year and are included as a guide. Refers to specific individual items of £50 or more, and excludes accommodation, commuting, food, books/other learning materials and printing costs.