Course description
This course offers a contemporary overview of sociology, taught by leading specialists in their field. The Department of Sociology is particularly strong in the range and density of options it can offer students doing this course. The internationally-renowned staff cover a wide range of research areas and scholarly interests including globalisation, migration, gender relations, communication, race, culture, identity, human rights and criminology.
The course is well suited to individuals who wish to extend, deepen, update and sharpen their knowledge and understand current developments in sociology, and to undertake an extended piece of original research. The most significant recent developments in sociology will be covered, enabling students to specialise in particular areas of interest, developing their critical skills and advancing their knowledge of modern sociology.
Students will receive knowledge of the ways in which societies work, skills in critical social understanding and techniques of social enquiry and communication through varied teaching methods. The skills that students develop in research techniques will enable them to assemble, interpret and use a wide range of social data.
Modules: MA Sociology
Students complete six taught modules from a combination of three compulsory core and three elective modules. Students also take part in a dissertation workshop and produce a dissertation over the summer period.
Core Modules
*
Current Issues in Sociology (SGM228)
*
Contemporary Issues in Social Theory (SGM201)
*
Approaches to Social Research (SGM222)
*
Sociology Dissertation (SGM111)
Elective Modules (choose three modules from this list)
*
Globalisation: challenges and transformations (SGM101)
*
Culture and identity (SGM104)
*
An introduction to refugee studies (SGM116)
*
Global migration (SGM233)
*
Democratisation, information and communication (SGM009)
*
Contemporary criminology (SGM231)
*
Human rights: concepts and issues (SGM106)
*
Rights, multiculturalism and citizenship (SGM109)
*
Communities and social action (SGM102)
*
Globalising cities (SGM107)
*
Refugee rights and refugee settlement (SGM117)
*
Social policy research and evaluation (SGM216)
*
Communication, culture and development (SGM223)
*
Crime and justice (SGM232)
*
Surveillance studies: theories and concepts (SGM237)
*
Surveillance studies: processes and practices (SGM238)
*
Feminisms and the media: representation, technology and change (SGM239)
*
Intimacy and personal life (SGM241)
NB. Electives module choices are subject to availability and timetabling constraints.
Mode of Study
Students may take the MA programme on a full or part time basis.
Duration
Teaching is delivered in the format of lectures, classes and seminars, taking place in the first and second academic periods (September-April).
Full-time students will normally attend for two or three days a week, and complete their dissertation in the third academic period.
Part-time students will normally attend for one or two days each week for two years. In the first year they will take two core modules in the first academic period and two optional modules in the second academic period. In the second year they will take one core module in the second academic period, one optional module in the second academic period and complete their dissertation.
Dissertation
The dissertation of 15,000 words carries 40% of the total marks towards the MA degree. Full time students should present their dissertations by September of the year following entrance.
The weighting of the marks is as follows:
Continuous assessment (coursework) 60%
Dissertation 40%
