Students can join one of the top sociology departments in the UK and further their understanding of the tensions, interactions and networks that dictate how societies are organised. Students will contribute to the thinking that guides organisations such as the Home Office, Amnesty International and the United Nations. Students explore some of the most important and significant debates in contemporary social theory, learning to think analytically about theoretical questions. Students discover the importance of social theory in developing a politically engaged understanding of concepts such as post-structuralism, feminism and actor-network theory, focusing on topics such as:

• The history of digital piracy • Sociology of human rights • Media and criminology • Gender and sexuality • Citizenship

Students also develop the skills needed to make their own contribution to the field, gaining a critical and coherent perspective on empirical research and examining the key assumptions and ideological underpinnings of qualitative and quantitative research.

The Department of Sociology is 2nd in UK for research power in sociology (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021) and 9th in the UK in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2022).