Sociology BA (Hons)

Sociology focuses on the relations that connect individuals, groups and institutions within societies. This module will introduce you to the sociological 'cast of mind' and allow you to explore the specific contribution of sociology to understanding the past, present and possible futures of modern societies. The module is divided into two parts: 'sociological thinking' and 'sociology in action'. In the first part you’ll look at the theories of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. You'll examine how these thinkers analyse work, power and politics, as well as how they each seek to explain and remedy the social and psychological burdens placed on individuals who live in modern societies. The second part of the module will introduce you to the ways in which sociologists combine theory and research to make sense of contemporary social life.

This module will introduce you to the value of a comparative perspective in sociological study. By drawing on historical, anthropological and cross-cultural studies, you'll explore the material basis and constructed nature of social institutions, practices and belief systems. In particular, you'll consider the potential ethnocentricity of a perspective based on 'western' thinking. Drawing from a range of subjects including kinship and marriage, children and childhoods, health beliefs, settled and travelling cultures, and ways of thinking about time, you'll investigate how and why different societies are organised in particular ways. Focusing on the similarities and differences found across societies, you'll explore the impact of globalisation on these. You'll be encouraged to reflect on your own autobiographies to consider your own life in local, national and global contexts.

This module will introduce you to the sociology of economic life and the sociology of inequality. It'll give you an overview of the development and significance of capitalism. Through this, you'll be introduced to the concept of Neoliberalism as part of an account of the shifting relationships between state, economy, and society. Working with statistics, you'll focus on the changing patterns of inequality under contemporary capitalism and examine divisions of class, gender, ethnicity, and age. A recurring theme of the module will be the complex spatial dimensions of inequality and the ways in which capitalism's global processes generate distinct local experiences. You'll be assessed by completion of a stimulus response based around discussion and analysis of data on inequality as well as a summative essay addressing the key features of Neoliberalism.

This module will encourage you to think about the significance of gender in shaping the social world through three interrelated themes: the examination of the various and contested meanings of gender; the exploration of specific aspects of social and organisational life within which gender is a central concern; and globalisation and gender politics. Using this framework, you'll examine examples from different societies and historical periods to understand the variety and complexity of gender relations. In seminars, you'll apply course material to a specific area of social life in order to uncover the working of gender relations within it. Your progress in taking such collective responsibility will be an explicit theme of class discussion throughout the module. You'll be assessed through a seminar presentation and a 2,500-word essay.

This module will introduce you to concepts of globalisation. You'll be asked to consider how your daily life is affected by processes of globalisation and think critically about theoretical approaches to these processes. You'll cover the various dimensions of globalisation on a lecture-by-lecture basis, also exploring connections between topics. These dimensions/topics will include hard vs. soft globalisation; the globalised economy; the impact of globalisation on the nation-state; migration and diaspora; popular culture and patterns of consumption; and globalisation and ecology. You'll be assessed through submission of a 3,000 word essay.

Media representations of crime are a matter of public interest as well as political debate. The way the media treats crime has important implications for public perceptions of crime, criminals and the processes of the criminal justice system. Should crime always be newsworthy? How objective is the presentation of crime in the media? With the use of specific examples, you will examine key issues in traditional and new media, to provide you with an understanding of changing social norms and expectations in relation to crime and the media formats through which it is discussed and portrayed. You will explore the ways in which media shapes our perception of crime and critically examine the theoretical perspectives on media and propaganda. In addition, you will explore the construction of crime news and the role of politics and ideology in this context. You will explore the fictional and factual representation of youths and sex in the media; the fear of crime; contemporary surveillance culture; the analysis of relevant statistics, and the use of propaganda techniques. You will examine these issues through the use of case studies, reports, and theory. You will be expected to select one or more case studies in order to develop analytical skills as well as presentation skills during the seminars. The selected case study will build a foundation for the essay. In the essay you will develop techniques to evaluate debates about the relations between media, society and crime, as well as public perceptions. This module is taught by lectures and seminars and will be assessed by a pass-fail seminar presentation equivalent to 1000 words, a media review of 2000 words, and an essay of 2000 words.

On this module, you'll discuss the contribution of key social theories to our understanding of the distinguishing features of modern societies, individuals, changing social structures and processes of modernity and 'post-modernity'. The key themes you'll consider will include: sociological perspectives and debates on the self and identity; sociological debates on social power and authority; changing sociological conceptions. You’ll look at how sociological knowledge can contribute to our understanding of contemporary social and political issues. The theorists that you'll study may include Habermas, Bourdieu, Giddens and Foucault. You'll be assessed through a research essay of 3,000 words.

This module will provide you with guidance, support and information to help you prepare for your major project (or part thereof) in your final year. You will look at research methodologies including interviewing, focus groups, ethnography, and quantitative analysis. Weekly sessions will also guide you on practical issues/skills such as: appropriate use of supervisor; selecting a suitable topic and researching research problems; literature surveys and reviews on chosen topics; how to develop research aims and objectives; research ethics and writing a research proposal. You will be taught in the form of lectures and seminars, and assessed through a 3,000-word research proposal.

On this module you'll consider the dynamics of inequality and difference in the contemporary world. Focusing on the interplay of divisions of class, gender, ethnicity and age, you'll explore four key themes: continuity and change in patterns of social inequality and identity; the developing economic, political and cultural context; the relationship between global processes and varied, localised patterns and experiences of inequality; and the sometimes complex relationship between material inequalities and social and political identities. After a broad conceptual introduction, you'll study a series of case studies of contemporary social divisions. For your assessment, you'll research and present material on a chosen case study and include this in an essay, relating it to wider patterns of social division.

This module will introduce you to key sociological perspectives on schooling and education. Schooling systems and strategies are instrumental in shaping individual and collective identities, and in reflecting and reinforcing dominant societal values. On this module, you'll engage with the central scholarly and political debates that surround these issues. More specifically, you'll explore how experiences of schooling are shaped by social dimensions such as class, gender, ethnicity and sexuality. You'll consider the basic functions of education, before exploring topics such as the micro-politics of everyday school life; higher education; employability and the knowledge economy; schooling and the negotiation of masculinities and femininities; schooling and sexuality; and schooling, ethnicity and whiteness. Your assessment for this module will be a 3,000 word essay.

The vulnerabilities and strengths of, and 'differences' between, human bodies are not only experienced by all of us in our daily lives but are increasingly at the forefront of political and social media debates and controversies. Beginning with the body in history, you'll examine the ways in which biological and sociological understandings of the body underpin various religious, medical and political forms of knowledge and power. You will ask how ideas of the healthy body feed into ideas of agency and personal responsibility that often serve to legitimise forms of social stigma, marginalisation and health inequalities. You'll also examine the ways in which the body is the focus of new forms of technology and the ways in which this technologised body is dissected, bought and sold for medical, cosmetic and sexual purposes. You’ll look at how bodies are deployed as political weapons and expressions. You'll be assessed through a presentation as well as a 2,500-word essay.

On this module, you'll explore explanations of deviant behaviour throughout the 20th century and theories of crime that are of both historical interest and contemporary relevance, identifying and policing the parameters of 'normality' in late modern, Western society. You'll also look at specific questions relating to the transgression of social norms and whether it is the result of specific environments. You'll not only gain a historical understanding of social explanations, but also learn to demonstrate the relevance of these theories to contemporary understandings of deviance and social control. You'll also explore Labelling Theory and Radical or Marxist Criminological theories, as well as more practical or policy oriented views of both Right and Left Realism, before going on to look at two recent and very influential approaches to understanding crime. You’ll then focus on the role of "power" and social control, and the role of "culture" and the recent work of cultural criminologists. Your assessment will comprise of a test and an essay.

Cybercrimes are becoming increasingly prevalent in western society, and their policing and control progressively problematic. You will have the opportunity to explore the risks that modern cybercrimes pose to individuals, organisations and the nation state, and examine how authorities both locally and transnationally have attempted to police new digital patterns of criminality. The module is taught in two, discreet halves, with the first exploring the development of new ‘cyber-dependent’ crimes that exist solely as a product of new internet technologies. The second half will examine the emergence of ‘cyber-enabled crimes’ involving the reconstitution of established and traditional crimes such as human trafficking, organised crime, terrorism and hate crime that been irrevocably changed by virtue of their online ‘digitisation’. Within each of the topics covered in the module, you will have the chance to explore cutting edge cyber-crime case studies against a backdrop of the challenges that authorities have faced when attempting to police these crimes both locally and transnationally. In addition, you will examine the impact of the Dark Web and Tor Network, and how these continue to evade traditional policing styles. You will learn about the facilitation of radicalisation and terrorism, othering and stigmatisation, transnational crime, migration and human trafficking and the policing and security strategies that have been developed to combat and prevent them. You will examine the topics within online digital settings, which will provide you with insights that will deepen and complement other taught modules that adopt an ‘offline’ approach when investigating crime and policing. You will achieve an understanding of a wide range of cybercrimes, their sociological and criminological conceptualisation and the key modes of policing, punishment and control designed to reduce and contain their risk. The module is taught by lecture/seminar format using computer-based work for seminars. You will be assessed via a formative and summative assessment using an essay-based format.

Laws don't have an impact unless they're enforced, or unless there is an anticipation of enforcement. The Police is the most visible of enforcement agencies and organisations, and debates and controversies about their role in society are never far from legal, political and public attention. On this module, you'll reflect on some of the key sociological and political issues surrounding the maintenance of social order. You'll consider the development of the police and their contemporary role, and examine continuities and changes in public attitudes and expectations of the police, as well as the impact of technological and organisational changes in styles of policing and maintaining social order. You'll consider the growth of paramilitary-style policing, as well as community policing initiatives. You may take part in a local field trip to see an element of police training that will form the basis of one of your assessment tasks. Your assessment will take the form of a patchwork submission comprising five elements: a review of a key text; a critical analysis of policing styles; a summary of a documentary; an observation/reflection on an element of police learning and development; and an in-class test.

Family as a site of problems and as a site of intervention provides the pivotal point of this module as personal relationships, childhood and families have becoming increasingly politicised subjects seen as requiring policy intervention or support. You will examine the development of this process and the way particular social constructions of childhood and family are drawn upon in the rhetoric of different agencies concerned with influencing or setting policy. This will involve examining the prescriptions for parenting, interventions in so-called ‘problem families’ in communities, the problematisation of particular groups of young people, generational care as an element of work/life balance and the drawing in of previously 'outsider' relationship categories into the ambit of state support/intervention. Domestic violence, child and elder abuse in families will also be examined, linked to the formally endorsed rights of individuals in families, including human rights legislation and children's rights. The right of autonomy and self-fulfilment in relationships is considered often advanced by critics of the 'traditional' family. Finally, we assess the drawing together of rights and responsibilities in relation to families, work and community in UK policy set against a selection of international and supranational policies highlighting both policy convergence and divergence. The module should enable you to trace the connections between the real life dynamics of the personal, normative prescriptions of family life, the political landscape and creation of specific policies. Lectures, seminars and workshops will help develop your mind-mapping and critical skills. Mind maps are a visual way of organising and presenting complex information and ideas using colour, symbols and connecting lines.

Historically sociologists have examined religious beliefs, practices and institutions in order to understand more about the implications of faith for individuals, societies and communities. Contemporary sociologists continue to explore the cultural and political significance of religion in the context of globalisation, and the development of new forms of religious practice and faith in the modern world. In this module you will explore traditional sociological perspectives on organised religion, as well as contemporary debates about spirituality, and political aspects of faith communities and multiculturalism. You will also examine issues related to religious fundamentalism. You will look at original sociological views on religion in the work of thinkers such as Marx, Weber and Durkheim, but will also examine contemporary spiritual practices such as roadside memorials, atheist church services and new age beliefs. You will debate the impact of globalisation on religious beliefs including topics such as secularism and the politics of fundamentalist movements. You will have the opportunity to undertake structured skill development in presentation and debate, and written analysis and exposition. These skills are necessary for future employability skills and relate to other outcomes on your degree. This module is taught by interactive sessions and may include visits to e.g. Cambridge places of worship such as mosques, churches and prayer communities. You will be assessed informally throughout the module through discussion and presentation. The module will also include opportunities for formative feedback. Formal graded assessment will be through one 3,000 word portfolio submission.

This module will prepare you for the transition from education to work by helping you apply skills gained through your studies in a practical way, and by investigating possible careers for which your degree would be relevant. Through 70 hours of work experience, you'll explore how work and learning interact, increasing your employability by improving your sector knowledge, self-reliance and confidence. Appropriate work placements will give you the relevant experience in sectors and roles in which social science students are likely to find future employment, such as the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Your work placement will be accompanied by an agreement between you, your employer and the module leader. You'll then apply your sociological knowledge, skills and concepts to the analysis of your work experience. You'll also produce a reflective workplace diary, logging activity and supporting an analysis of the learning achieved in the report. You'll also attend a series of workshops to support your work, and receive supervision from the Module Leader or Tutor.

Social and political movements have become a notable feature of national and international politics in the contemporary world. The Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, G20 protests, WikiLeaks – these are all manifestations of protests, rebellion and activism today. Uprisings against state and international forces have a long history and have contributed to revolutions and changes in political systems the world over. On this module you will examine how ‘bottom-up’ forces have shaped politics and what role protests and activism plays in today’s political context: who the actors are, what power they have, how they have shaped politics and what role the new media plays in protests and in activism. You will engage with theoretical and conceptual tools to understand civil society, empowerment, protest, activism, rebellion and revolution, taking a historical approach to examining social and political rebellions and revolutions in the 20th and 21st century. You will also explore the role of key global actors, including social movements, NGOs, nationalist movements, ideological movements, global media, industry, as well as national and global institutions. A consideration of theoretical conceptions will help you to understand the mechanisms of social and political protests, and you will discuss the dynamics of uprisings and revolutions beginning with the suffragette movement and ending with #Occupy. You will also be able to attend a series of film showings relevant to the topics in addition to the lectures and seminars, while your assessment will comprise a case study and analysis.

On this module you will examine forced and voluntary migration within the national, European and global context starting with an overview of different migration movements across the world. The different responses of nation-states to immigration will be discussed in the context of citizenship, sovereignty and human rights. UK’s policies towards asylum-seekers and EU citizens and their experiences in employment, housing, health and education will be compared to other countries, e.g. Norway, Turkey and Germany. Concepts such as exclusion, assimilation, multiculturalism, transnationalism and two-way integration will be discussed in the context of nation-states’ immigration policies. You will be introduced to a range of theories of immigration to understand factors which influence immigration policies and migrants’ experiences in the receiving country. The module will be taught by lectures, seminars and workshops.

The module helps you understand the different contexts and situations in which young people and vulnerable adults may need support and/or advocacy. You’ll also gain an understanding of the theories and models of advocacy, how and which type of advocacy to implement. Group work is a key notion for this module. You’ll study methods of planning, monitoring and evaluating group work sessions and ways to intervene which maintain a balance between group and individual needs.

The Anglia Language Programme module will allow you to study a foreign language as part of your course. You may choose to take two language modules in place of options on your course from the second semester of your first year, or in the second or third year. You can choose from the following: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish. In order to experience the learning of a new language, you must select one that you have not learned before.

The individual final Major Project module allows you to engage in a substantial piece of individual research, focused on a topic relevant to your specific discipline. Normally the topic will be agreed in consultation with academic staff and an appropriate supervisor will be appointed to supervise you in your chosen topic. The topic may also be drawn from a variety of sources including: Anglia Ruskin research groups, previous or current work experience, the company in which you are currently employed, or a professional subject of specific interest (if suitable supervision is available). The project topic will be assessed for suitability to ensure sufficient academic challenge and satisfactory supervision by an academic member of staff. The chosen topic will require you to identify and formulate problems and issues, conduct literature reviews, evaluate information, investigate and adopt suitable development methodologies, determine solutions, develop software and/or media artefacts as appropriate, process data, critically appraise and present your findings. Regular meetings with the project supervisor and or/group workshops should take place, so that the project is closely monitored and steered in the right direction. The assessment will normally include a substantial written report, including a bibliography.

On this module, you'll explore the range of discursive practices used to explain sex and sexuality in Western culture. You'll examine long-standing claims about the 'naturalness' of heterosexuality as a reproductive drive linked to the survival and reproduction of the human 'species', and the implications of this for the gendered sexual order, various non-conventional sexualities and particular social groups. Drawing on a 'social constructionist' approach, you'll examine religious, biological, psychological and sociological explanations of sexuality. You'll uncover how sex and sexuality are understood, practised and regulated, and in doing so, expose the ideological and discursive foundations of ideas about sex and sexuality in relation to gender, ethnicity, age and disability. You’ll look at how ideas about sex and sexuality are shaped historically, how they vary cross-culturally and how they impact on us as individuals and members of particular social groups. You'll be assessed through a 3,000 word essay.

On this module, you'll explore the sociology of 'race', racism and ethnic divisions. You'll consider three related themes: the social origins and significance of racial and ethnic divisions, the varied causes, contexts and consequences of racism and antiracism, and the cultural consequences of migration. Although your primary substantive focus will be on race relations in contemporary Britain, you will also draw insights from historical and international comparisons. You'll also attend a series of student-led workshops, in which you'll apply sociological knowledge and understanding to current questions of 'race' politics and policy. The topics of these workshop will relate to key module themes, such as: the collection and use of racialised data in the criminal justice system, debates about the usefulness of the concept of institutional racism, and globalised Islam.

This module will allow you to explore the development of feminist theory and practice from the early 20th century, with a particular focus on the period from the 1960s to the present. You'll predominantly cover British and North American feminism, but will also consider perspectives and activism from other global regions. You'll explore and locate different feminist perspectives including liberal, socialist, intersectional, post-structuralist and post-feminism, but with a particular focus on radical feminism. You'll explore these perspectives in relation to key topics that have been central to feminist struggles, such as the family; male violence against women; concepts of masculinity and femininity; sexuality and reproductive rights; media representation; employment and participation in public life. The key themes include: - Feminist strategies, activism and impact - Men's roles and relationship to feminism - Current issues and the future of feminism. You'll be taught through a combination of lectures and seminars, and will need to read in preparation for the seminars. Within seminar discussions, you'll assume collective responsibility for applying course material to a specific area of social life in order to elucidate the development of feminist theory and practice within it, and taking such collective responsibility will be an explicit theme of class discussion throughout the module. Your assessment for this module will take the form of a 500-word case study summary and an essay of a maximum 2,500 words.

On this module you will look at theoretical accounts of capitalism and the nature of power and the state in the modern world, and consider how these structures have been contested and critiqued. You are encouraged to critically reflect on how the capitalist economy works, examining both sympathetic and critical accounts of its core functions. You will also develop an understanding of why and how resistance to the system emerges. Capitalism is not just considered as an economic system however, but also as a political, cultural and social phenomenon. As such, while some readings and issues are drawn from political economy, you will engage with a range of theoretical writing on power, race, feminism, hegemony, and alternatives to the status quo, which each offer differing conceptions of how capitalism, power and mass discontent might be understood. You will also engage with a range of intellectual sources from cultural studies, politics and international relations, history, and sociology. Theoretical positions will be contextualised through the modern and contemporary context of neoliberal globalisation. How has the post-financial crisis political landscape been transformed? What debates are emerging over how and if the market economy might be changed? Why does resistance occur? What is the nature of power? What strategies can be effective in building a more humane society? You will be taught through lectures and seminars each week, with your assessment comprising one 3,000-word essay.

New media, and particularly online social media, have become a fixture in today’s socio-political context. The ubiquity of online social media like Twitter and Facebook, among other platforms, have given them not only a social dimension but also one that facilitates political activism, exchange and perhaps control. On this module, you will explore the role of social media in political practices, and the production of political knowledge as well as power. You will be introduced to the many facets of social media in political theory and practice, before considering real world impact areas of social media today in a range of issue areas. You will focus on how social media impacts on activism and protest, and political campaigning, but will also explore the darker side of social media freedom. The module is structured in two parts, beginning with an engagement of theoretical aspects relevant to politics and social media. In this part you will explore and contrast the virtual with the real, examining how they relate to one another in current socio-political contexts. The second part engages with concrete cases in which social media have played an active role for social and political impact. As part of the module, you will be encouraged to participate actively with social media on a political topic of your choice, assessing the value and role of the online social media platform. You will be taught by lectures and seminars, and assessed by an essay and an on-line blog and twitter feed exercise.

Working with communities and groups across the voluntary, statutory and community sectors is a key tool in promoting inclusion and empowerment. 'Personalisation' of services requires a sharper focus on connecting service users, communities and service providers in order for individuals to access services better and influence how those services are developed (Home Office, CRU 2004). You’ll develop an understanding of the skills and knowledge needed to facilitate effective community and group work. By the end of the module, you’ll be able to evaluate examples of community and group work in a variety of contexts and appreciate the contribution of community and group work to effective practice.

What role, if any, does the concept of evil play in our moral vocabulary? Is it a narrowly theological notion or does it usefully describe certain kinds of act and/or character? On this module, you'll examine contemporary accounts of evil, as well as looking at the concept of evil in the history of philosophy from Leibniz to the present. In addition to considering theoretical discussions of evil, you'll also consider phenomena such as war and terrorism and ask whether the concept of evil helps us to understand them.

This module will develop your understanding of the relationship between sport, processes of globalisation, and the sphere of international politics. Broadly speaking, the key themes that you'll consider are ideology, power and control. More specifically, you'll be introduced to a set of key theoretical and conceptual insights relating to globalisation, nationalism and commercialisation early in the module. In later lectures and seminars, you'll apply these insights to particular instances from the sporting world. Specific topics you'll consider include 'race' and racism in sport; the Workers' Sport movement, the role of sport in the colonisation of Africa, the history and politics of FIFA, and a number of national case studies including Catalonia and South Africa. You'll be assessed through a 3,000 word essay.

On this module, you'll explore the relationship between social and natural worlds and, in the process, consider sociological debates about how best to engage with biological knowledge. You'll look at how sociological approaches can take account of the ways in which people are at once social and biological beings, how the natural environment can constrain and enable personal and social development and how ideas about 'nature' feature in contemporary social, cultural and political life. You’ll consider the importance of recent developments in the life sciences and how they may challenge existing views and experiences of self, life and kinship. These are some of the issues you'll consider in relation to three case studies: biocitizenship, biology and group difference, and global warming.

This module will act as a bridge between your higher education and future employment. Your learning achievements will be evaluated, identifying their strengths, weakness and skills and preparing you for the next step in your career in an orderly and planned fashion. You'll be assessed through submission of a progress file that demonstrates your achievements in Higher Education, either in printed form or as an e-portfolio.