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Studying Sociology at The University of Northampton

Click here to view our Sociology poster (PDF136KB) and subject leaflet (PDF154KB)

Special Features:

• Sociology, whether as a single or joint honours subject, provides students with an excellent foundation for a wide range of careers.
• Students are given a thorough grounding in contemporary sociological themes at national, European and global levels.
• Students can choose from a range of current and relevant specialisms within Sociology.
• All students will gain a thorough grounding in research methods with good opportunities for the practical application of research skills.
• Single Honours students undertake a research placement in their second year. Placement locations include local schools, voluntary organisations, local newspapers and theatres, the probation service and an AIDS advice clinic.
• Our curriculum is designed to promote employability skills and it includes specialist inputs from careers guidance experts and a careers fair.
• Recent graduates have described the course as 'very challenging', 'well structured and well taught', 'very supportive' and 'thoroughly enjoyable and mind expanding'.

Sociology Course Content

Students take a range of compulsory and elective modules throughout the three years.

The first year offers students an introduction to a range of sociological theories and debates in relation to a) the development of modern societies and, b) the small-scale aspects of society such as identity formation and the idea of the self. Students also choose from a range of modules, including Socialisation, Conformity and Deviance, Crime and Society and an Introduction to Media Studies.

The focus is broadened in year two with the compulsory module, 'The Sociology of Contemporary Europe' where students examine a range of social issues from a European perspective. Compulsory modules also include 'Issue and Methods in Social Science Research' (Joint) and 'Doing Social Research' (Single Honours). These introduce students to the kinds of research methods adopted by sociologists and the modules provide ample opportunity for practical application of your learning. As well as this students can choose from a range of specialisms, including Family Education and Social Change, Media, Identity and Community, Crime and Justice, Gender, Race and Representation, and Globalization and Development in the 21st Century.

The final year builds on the earlier levels in providing compulsory and optional modules. Modernity and Beyond offers a more advanced theoretical understanding of sociological issues with particular reference to the major global transformations of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The range of optional modules offered develops and expands on these issues with reference to topics and belief systems. Third year specialisms include, Gender Race and Crime, Childhood and Society, The Body, Sex and Society and the 'Sixties'.

Single Honours students, and all Joint Honours students choosing Sociology as their major subject, will also undertake a dissertation. This builds on the work in Level Two on research methods and provides a supportive context for setting up and guiding an independent research project through to the final stages of writing up.