Sociology

Why study BA Sociology at Goldsmiths

Our innovative BA Sociology programme will equip you with the practical tools to understand the world around you, and to think about how to change it for the better.

• You’ll be joining one of the world’s leading sociology departments. We've been rated top 20 in the UK for Sociology in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

• You’ll study contemporary local and global events to explore diverse issues, such as:

How social inequalities operate and how they might be overcome
How concepts of citizenship and human rights are contested
How social and technological practices impact health
How historical processes such as colonialism continue to shape today’s societies
How the climate crisis requires us to develop new ways of thinking and acting.

• Our staff are specialists and pioneers in their fields. They write the books that are on reading lists across the country, and you’ll be working with them directly.

• We help you to discover the type of sociologist you want to be. You’ll ‘get messy’ with hands-on research methods modules in your first two years of study. In your final year, you’ll design and carry out your own research project based on your own interests. Recent projects ranged from Social Influencers as Digital Capitalists, to Conventional Beauty Standards and Black Women’s Hair Practices.

• You'll also have the opportunity to do a work placement and to take a module in another school or subject.

• Diversified assessments will support you to consolidate your learning, and develop transferable skills. You’ll explore research design, data analysis, critical thinking, project management, working with others, and tackling inequalities knowledgeably and ethically, giving you an understanding of what it means to be a sociologist.

• The skills and the knowledge you gain during your degree will enable you to pursue a diverse range of careers. You’ll have transferrable skills that could allow you to work in the public and voluntary sector, the culture and media industries, marketing and corporate communications, arts administration, social research, and teaching. You’ll also be well-equipped to undertake postgraduate study in sociology, media, cultural studies, human rights, and related fields.

Course Modules

Year 1
In your first year, you'll take the following compulsory modules:

• Methods of Worldmaking 1B

• Modern Knowledge, Modern Power

• Critical Readings: the Emergence of the Sociological Imagination 1A

• Critical Readings: the Emergence of the Sociological Imagination 1B

• Culture and Society

Year 2
You will take these compulsory modules:

• Methods of Worldmaking 2

• Philosophy and Methodology of Social Science

• Central Issues in Sociological Analysis

• The Goldsmiths Elective

You also choose 3 modules of Sociology options. Those recently available have included:

• Law and Contemporary Society

• Crimes Against Humanity

• Social Change and Political Action

• London

• Food and Taste

• Knowledge and Subjectivity

Year 3
You will take the following compulsory modules:

• Dissertation

• Confronting Climate Crisis

• Identity and Contemporary Social Theory

You'll then take up to 4 optional modules worth 60 credits, which can include a Sociology Work Placement (if not taken in Year 2).

Optional modules change on an annual basis, and recent options have included:

• Race, Racism and Social Theory

• Law, Identity and Ethics

• Globalisation, Crime and Justice

• Privacy, Surveillance and Security

• Visual Explorations of the Social World

• Childhood Matters: Society, Theory and Culture

• Thinking Animals

• Migration, Gender and Social Reproduction

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.