Sociology with a Foundation Year

The world is faced with a number of worrying issues. Climate change is leading to increasing ecological instability, resulting in natural disasters and mass migration; deep-rooted economic issues are leading to protectionism and trade wars, deindustrialisation and rapid changes to the world of work; meanwhile precarity and rapid social change has driven the rise of radical populist movements across the globe.

These crises are global in nature but impact on local communities, including here in Wales, where we are faced with difficult social problems including poverty and social inequalities; homelessness, addiction, crime & incarceration; racism and intolerance; and extreme weather conditions such as flooding and forest fires.

Sociology can help us make sense of our rapidly changing world and the social problems we see around us everyday.

Studying for a Sociology degree at Swansea will equip you with the essential theoretical and practical foundations for understanding our rapidly changing world, as well as the tools to try to change it. You will learn about people's behaviour as social beings as well as the wider social, cultural, political and economic factors that structure our society.
On top of developing subject specific expertise in sociological theory, you will learn how to study social problems and people as a social scientist through practical training in research methods. You will learn how to generate new knowledge and information using a variety of qualitative and quantitative social research tools, from large social surveys interpreted through statistics through ,to in-depth interviews with individuals and small groups, to and ethnographic observations.
Throughout the course, you will develop excellent research, communication and presentation skills, together with the ability to analyse and critically evaluate evidence and construct arguments around the complex societal issues that affect us all.

Why Sociology at Swansea?

Based in the School of Social Sciences, you will be immersed in dynamic and interdisciplinary research and learning environment with many opportunities to build links with students from related disciplines.

Our flexible degree structure offers a wide range of foundational and specialist modules, giving you the scope to tailor your course to your particular interests, career ambitions, or plans for further study. We have particular teaching and research strengths and learning pathways in global and environmental sociology; the sociology of gender; and crime and deviance.

Sociology at Swansea is ranked:

• Top 20 in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2026)
• 8th in the UK for Student Voice*

*based on the average positivity score per theme in the NSS 2025 when ranked against universities as featured in The Times Good University Guide.

In your Foundation Year, you will typically study areas including: Academic Writing; Critical Thinking; Interactive Learning Skills and Communication; Statistics; Principles of ICT; Applied Critical Thinking; Understanding Society; Globalisation; Foundations of Psychology; Welfare across the globe; Business and Management; and Biology.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Individuals and Society; Sociology: The Classics; Discovering Sociology; Economics, Politics and Society; Sociology: Contemporary Controversies; and Foundations in Social Science Research.

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Interrogating Quantitative Social Science Methods; Social Problems I; Interrogating Qualitative Social Science Methods; Investigating Gender; Devolution, Policy Making and Social Change; Poverty and Social Justice; Education, Policy and Society; Contemporary Moral Controversies; Social Problems II: Media, Myths and Moral Panics; and Culture as Deviance.

In Year 3, you will typically study areas including: Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice; The Voluntary Sector and Social Justice; Philosophy, Mental Health and Illness; Capitalism and Justice; Dissertation; Society, Science and Technology; Risk in Modern Society; Understanding the sex industry: Theory, policy and practice; Social and Environmental Harms; Global Sociology; Social Movements, Social Policy and Social Change; Illegal Economies; Bodies in Society; and Race and Nation.

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students. Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching. Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study. This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.