Sociology

Studying Sociology helps you make sense of how society works - and why it doesn’t work in the same way for everyone. On this course, you will explore different ways of understanding some of the most pressing global issues of our time. How does migration and racism shape the lives of individuals, communities and countries? How does poverty and inequality affect global trends in health and wellbeing? How are societies unevenly affected by the climate crisis and respond to environmental challenges?

You’ll learn how sociologists work with theories to interpret contemporary social issues, how data can be mobilised critically to reveal social problems in new ways, and how sociological insights can be communicated to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives. By the end of the degree, you’ll have the confidence and skills to carry out your own sociological research and to apply critical, sociological thinking across careers in the public, private and third sectors.

Why Lancaster?

• Study a course committed to understanding and addressing social inequalities, grounded in critical sociological research and engagement with real-world social issues at local, national and international levels

• Learn from leading sociologists whose research informs public debate, policy discussion, and contemporary sociological scholarship, including through advisory work, public engagement and media appearances

• Develop advanced skills in analysis, communication, teamwork and research design, supported by expert teaching and a strong emphasis on research-led learning

• Engage in lively debates and undertake your own sociological research on topics that matter to you - building towards an independent final-year dissertation on your topic of choice

Thinking sociologically

Social issues rarely fit into neat categories. Questions about inequality, migration, health or environmental change are shaped by histories, institutions, power relations and everyday practices all at once. On this course, you’ll be encouraged to study social issues in this connected way - learning to see problems from multiple perspectives and to understand how local experiences are shaped by wider social processes.

A world-leading centre for Sociology at Lancaster

Lancaster University is home to a vibrant and research-active Sociology community. Our teaching is shaped by sociological research that examines how social inequalities are produced, experienced and challenged in everyday life and across different social contexts. We bring our ongoing research directly into the classroom engaging you with contemporary debates, methods and findings as they are being developed.

You will explore these big ideas, not as abstract issues, but as lived experiences that are governed, contested and researched in specific social contexts. You’ll learn how sociologists frame questions, work with theories to interpret evidence, and draw on data to reveal patterns, inequalities and social consequences that are not always immediately visible.

Tailor your studies to your own interests

You will build your critical thinking by working with issues that matter to you, drawing on your own interests and experiences while developing a rigorous sociological approach that develops your theoretical, methodological and analytical skills.

You will be supported throughout this process by an academic supervisor with relevant expertise, who will guide you in refining your research questions, methods, and analysis. You’ll then have developed the research skills to design and carry out your own sociological investigation culminating in an independent research project where you explore a topic that genuinely matters to you.

By the end of the course, you will be equipped to think ethically, critically and sociologically about problems, and to apply this way of thinking in a wide range of careers across public, private and third-sector organisations - as well as in further academic study.