Sociology - BA (Hons)

Liverpool Hope University

Contemporary society is becoming ever more complex and the need to understand how it works is increasingly important. Sociology is the study of how society is organised, how this influences the attitudes and behaviour of individuals and the impact this has on social relationships, both within and between societies. Accordingly, sociology is now commonly regarded as an essential discipline for understanding the development of all modern societies. The Sociology degree at Liverpool Hope will help you to think critically and constructively about the key questions relating to modern society.Our sociology degree is based around a core that provides inputs from social theory and from the comparison of different forms of society. The degree will help you to examine ‘common-sense’ assumptions about the world by exploring the issues that confront society, both nationally and globally, and by studying the theories and methods that help to explain and understand these issues. It also examines and evaluates the methods of research which make the study of society possible. The degree enables you to study a range of additional topics which cover the whole spectrum of sociological inquiry.Staff are enthusiastic and dedicated and will help you to get the most out of your degree. In line with Liverpool Hope’s commitment to social justice, both nationally and internationally, Sociology attempts to understand social issues and problems that confront the modern world and, in so doing, challenges received wisdom.CareersA degree in Sociology provides you with a wide skills base that is transferable to a variety of employment and career opportunities. As well as detailed subject-specific knowledge, you will also learn skills that are vital for employment in a wide range of careers, such as critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making, effective written and oral communication, time management, and the ability to work both in a team and independently. You will also gain the ability to reflect critically on a wide-range of social issues and to research and analyse data in a variety of forms. Many employers find these skills essential and they recognise the value in employees having had a sociological education.As the British Sociological Association (BSA) notes, a typical career pathway for graduates in Sociology has typically been social work or some other kind of public sector welfare employment such as the probation service. In practice, however, Sociology graduates now enter a wide variety of careers that include (but are by no means limited to) work within: the social services and wider caring professions the civil service and local and national government teaching and lecturing third sector advocacy think tanks and policy development the police and criminal justice system human resource management media and creative industries health promotion and public health business and finance ICT development environmental campaigning and international development. There is also the potential to go on to Postgraduate study and to become a professional Sociologist.

School of Social Sciences