BA (Hons) Sociology Bachelor's degree at Birmingham City University

This core module will introduce you to a range of classical sociological theories and perspectives whilst situating them in their social and historical contexts. Not only does it outline the origins of social theory, and explore some of the key classical thinkers and theories, but it also critically examines the legacies of colonialism and gender exclusion at the heart of European modernity.

City, Community, Culture introduces students to the sociology of the city and teaches the ethnographic method for explore urban settings. We will focus on the key theories of the city, including theories from Black sociologists, who were some of the first to explore urban life. This module will engage students in applying the theories we learn into exploring the city of Birmingham. The module will equip students with the skills to understand the city and to study the city using ethnographic meth

This module will be focused on helping you to develop your criminological imagination. It will give you the tools to be able to recognise how major developments in criminology relate to the social and political context of historical moments. Topics include major historical eras such as the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and major shifts in the economy from the Post-War State to the rise of Neoliberalism, as well as changes in social attitudes and demographics through social movements

This is a core module which introduces students to the scholarship of key contemporary social thinkers. The module aligns with the aims of the Sociology programme by providing students with the tools to develop a critical awareness of a variety of sociological perspectives and their relevance to the contemporary social world. This module encourages students to link key theoretical perspectives to the wider programme-level expectations and learning outcomes. Deep learning is encouraged with inter

Politics and Society is an introductory module that aims to familiarise students with key themes in political sociology. It introduces politics from a sociological perspective that encompasses institutional and extra-institutional means of doing politics, different spheres of claim-making, forms of political participation, and social change. The module encourages students to reflect on how political processes and discourses affect their own experiences, expectations, and visions of the future. P

Becoming a Social Researcher will introduce students to social research methods, offering initial training which will be developed at Level 5 (Applied Social Research) and eventually feed into their Integrated Research Project (Level 6). Here, students will learn core skills, including: identifying a topic (scale), writing an effective research question, developing a conceptual framework, identifying appropriate methods, and the practicalities of empirical research (including access, sampling, r

Sociology is an exciting and illuminating field of study that attempts to analyse and explain the most important social, cultural and political questions of our time. This module provides you with the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of a range of sociological issues that currently dominate both the social and political climate. Throughout this module you will be encouraged to develop your skills as an independent learner and be given the opportunity to demonstrate your kn

Popular culture refers to the cultural form of ordinary people and is shaped by the interactions between people in their everyday activities: styles of dress, the use of slang, greeting rituals and the foods that people eat. Popular culture is also informed by the mass media and in this module, we will consider how the media and popular culture can act to confirm or resist dominant ideologies produced in society. We will explore and analyse a wide range of mass mediated and everyday culture. You

This module equips you with an understanding of theories of race and racism, and their impact on inequality. These focal points will help facilitate historical and contemporary knowledge of rights, racism and anti-racism in Britain. You will have the opportunity to apply key theoretical frameworks for analysing historical and contemporary examples. The module will engage with contemporary and real-world implications of how race is 'managed' and how diversity is institutionalised to enable an und

This module begins with questioning what applied sociological research is, what is its meaning and rationale and value in a social context. In this regard, this module explores the principles of sociological research strategies and designs, and how these principles may be applied in practice. Within the module there is a focus on qualitative methodologies, which will encourage students to clarify how research questions, strategies, methods and forms of analysis influence each other. Students are

This is a core module and it introduces students to a range of contemporary social and sociological theories and links these theories to their historical and social contexts. It develops students' in-depth knowledge and understanding of the origins of and rationale for these theories, and enables students to appreciate the relevance of these theories to an analysis of contemporary social life. By the end of the module, students should not only have a good understanding of these theories but also

This module provides students with an opportunity to experience real world work. It is expected that the placement (and placement related activities) will occupy students for a minimum of 128 hours in total: typically, 16 hours per week over 8 weeks. All placements are to be agreed by the University. Employers will be asked to help define the task(s) to be completed by the student on placement. Students will be encouraged to secure their own placement opportunities with the assistance of the mod

Sociology has tended to ignore role of social space in shaping the lives and experiences of individuals in society, often seeing it as the background against which sets of social relations play out. In recent decades, however, space has become a dominant interpretive paradigm within sociology. This 'spatial turn' is a product of transdisciplinary working; drawing on ideas from human geography, community studies, and philosophy, a sociology of space has emerged to understand the dynamism of space

This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able

The module provides students with an opportunity to explore concepts, research and debates in relation to globalisation, people and society. The module encourages students to develop a critical approach to thinking about globalisation as a set of social and historical processes which shape (and may be shaped by) the economic, political, cultural and ecological dimensions of social life. From the conceptual to the grounded, the module then explores the social consequences of globalisation with re

The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of how the concepts of 'self' and 'identity' are continually shaped, regulated and maintained through varying aspects of identity formation, social divisions and inequalities. The module focuses on sociological approaches to exploring the 'self' and 'identity' in a social context. Students are encouraged to develop an appreciation of the ways that identities are fluid, complex and, multifaceted. Within the teaching and l

The aim of this module is to provide a framework for you to undertake a substantial disciplinary-relevant project. It is founded upon Birmingham City University's teaching and learning philosophy which integrates theory and practice.

This is an optional module concentrating on cultural sociology with specific reference to music. The module will provide students with an in-depth introduction to some of the key sociological ideas and perspectives on music, and it will focus on three main themes: the social and historical settings in which musical forms are produced and consumed; music in relation to identity and politics; and the political econo