Sociology

• BSc Sociology (L300)
• BSc Sociology with Study Abroad (L301)

Joint honours

• BSc Politics and Sociology (LL23)
• BSc Social Policy and Sociology (LL43)
• BSc Sociology and Philosophy (LV35)
• BA Theology and Sociology (VL63)

Bristol is home to some of the UK’s leading sociologists, with research strengths in citizenship, multiculturalism, gender, family, migration, theory and culture, and all staff contribute to teaching on the undergraduate degree. Sociology courses at Bristol are located within the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies, giving them an international flavour and making you part of a larger group of peers with interests in both the social and the political. Single Honours Sociology students have the option to take a year or a semester on the Study Abroad or Erasmus schemes.

Sociology students are as diverse as the subject itself. Broadly speaking, you are interested in the world around them, from small scale interactions to large scale economic and ecological phenomena. To you, the world is a puzzle: Why are things the way they are? How could they be different? You are inquisitive - always keen to find out more - and independently minded - refusing to automatically accept what you are told. That independence also feeds into working practices, with sociology students being able to find and critically engage with a range of sources that reflect the diversity of the subject. You are also able to support their opinions, verbally in small group discussions and in written form.

The majority of the units in the course are taught by a combination of lectures and small group seminars. We prioritise small group work, though there is greater use of lectures in the first year to ensure adequate grounding in the discipline. Each unit on the programme has three timetabled hours, as well as the lecturer having two open ’office hours’ for further discussion. You are also invited to attend other events such as reading groups and visiting speaker sessions.

Units are assessed in a range of different forms, including seen and unseen exams, essays, case studies, presentations and reports. Each unit will normally contain two pieces of assessment. In the first year, the balance of essays and exams is roughly 50/50. Core second-year units are assessed by examination, while specialist units have mixed forms of assessment. The second year contributes 25% of your final degree mark, with your final year contributing 75%.