Why study Sociology BA at Birmingham?
Choose Sociology at Birmingham – ranked fourth in The Guardian 2010 teaching subject league tables. Sociology seeks to understand how social relations and structures influence all aspects of our lives. Join us and explore the dynamic, unprecedented social changes reshaping the world today.
We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching. Our staff are active researchers who want to share their enthusiasm for sociology with you. We believe teaching and learning should be both rigorous and enjoyable, and seek to involve students in continually developing our activities. The Sociology programme at Birmingham presents a balanced view of the subject. You will be given a broad grounding in the major approaches to the discipline, with emphasis on the cultivation of research skills. Your degree will culminate in a dissertation on a topic of your choice. This reflects our view that you should be doing sociology, not just reading about it, from the very start of your degree.
As a Birmingham Sociology graduate you will be well equipped for your chosen career or further study. In particular you will have gained:
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Critical ability – to read, absorb and assess complex ideas and arguments about the contemporary world
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Research skills – practical experience of designing and conducting research, including interviews, questionnaires and using data analysis software
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Presentational skills – to present your ideas and research in appropriate formats
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The capacity to work alone or in groups – you will have gained experience of independent study and research as well as working, solving problems and debating ideas with others.
The Department of Political Science and International Studies, which teaches this programme, is one of the largest and best departments of its type in the UK.
It came fifth in the 2009 National Student Survey in terms of overall satisfaction and 85% of the research conducted in POLSIS was evaluated as being internationally recognised in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.The Department has an excellent record in the Guardian League Table for Politics.
We have been consistently viewed as one of the best departments in the country since the Guardian started publishing their League Tables in 2000.
The Department has a balance of expertise that covers all areas of the discipline and has long-established strengths in the fields of political theory, European politics, international relations theory, security studies, diplomatic studies, political sociology, political economy, Pacific Asian politics, environmental politics and British politics.
Teaching and Learning
The University of Birmingham’s Vision for Learning states that ‘At Birmingham, we are committed to enabling all our students to profit from a culture of learning, aligned with our research ethos, which is based upon critical enquiry, debate and self-motivation.’ We uphold this vision in the Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS) and add to it the unique inflections and insights that can be gained only from pursuing further education in Politics and International Studies.
Teaching and learning in POLSIS is:
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Student-centred
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Research-led
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Committed to social justice
Student-centred
In POLSIS we prioritise the needs of the student learner in our efforts to provide a quality learning experience. We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity across our curriculum and to widening participation in our degree programmes. We see our student learners as participants in the production of knowledge, not as customers or consumers, and we pursue the implementation of a curriculum responsive to each student’s individual needs. We are strongly motivated to facilitate the development of transferable skills and every degree programme is designed to encourage student preparedness upon graduation for the pursuit of future career goals.
Research-led
We bring our research expertise as a Department to bear on every aspect of curriculum design, ensuring that students are taught by and learn with experts in their fields. However, this is only one aspect of the concept of research-led teaching. POLSIS prioritises learning-by-doing and aims to foster a spirit of critical thought and active enquiry in all our student learners. In this way, learning in POLSIS is not about the transfer of knowledge but about its production, a process in which student learners are active partners.
Committed to social justice
The principles of learning in POLSIS require a commitment to social justice as a corollary to the subject matter with which we are all engaged. Irrespective of our disciplinary differences, we are all concerned with issues of equality, inclusion, responsibility and reflexive awareness in our research, and these issues inform our pedagogical practices as well. We have a culture of learning in POLSIS that adheres to an ideal of democratic decision-making, with the consultation of all student learners about all aspects of their learning experience through formal and informal channels.
Each year you will be studying five or six modules, each typically involving two hours of contact time. This is usually in the form of a one hour lecture which introduces a topic area, and then a one hour seminar in which a smaller group discusses reading and key issues. This can involve whole group discussion, small group work and presentations. Some specialist modules later in the degree may run a two hour workshop or seminar in place of a standard lecture, to enable more in depth discussion and activities. Final year dissertations are supported by one-to-one supervisions over the year. Each module also has its own interactive IT facility enabling you to check module details, access key readings and web resources and share ideas with other students.
Student Involvement, Development and Support
We hope that going to university will be one of the most exciting and interesting things you do. But we also understand that it can be a big and at times daunting step. We have in place a range of provisions designed to involve students, help to develop skills on and beyond the degree, and provide guidance and support when needed:
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An active staff-student committee (SSC): This enables an ongoing conversation about how we can keep improving the student experience. Through the SSC, and use of regular student feedback, we seek to involve students in shaping our degree programmes and other activities
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Careers guidance: Our graduates enter a variety of occupations including management training, social and market research, policy and campaigns, the media, law and teaching. The Careers team offer drop in one-to-one advice sessions, web resources and workshops on developing a CV and getting the most out of a social science degree. They invite speakers from different organisations, and Birmingham Sociology graduates, to discuss their career experiences and offer advice on navigating the jobs market
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Personal Skills Awards and volunteering: The University offers courses and funding opportunities to develop key transferable skills as part of or alongside your degree. This can also involve work in the community
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Student support: A member of staff will act as your academic advisor throughout your degree to discuss academic progress, options and development. A trained welfare officer can offer direct support if you are having difficulties, or refer you to the University’s professional support services eg, housing or counselling.
More about teaching and learning at the University
Employability
What is ‘employability’?
Employability has been defined by the Confederation of British Industry as:
"A set of attributes, skills and knowledge that all labour market participants should posses to ensure they have the capacity of being effective in the workplace – to the benefit of themselves, their employer and the wider economy."
In the Department of Political Science and International Studies, we seek to enhance this definition and work with an holistic vision of ‘employability’ that recognises the talents and skills that students already have when they begin their programme of study. We seek to empower and enable students to identify and enhance their strengths. This complements and goes beyond the definition of employability provided above.
We see employability as a broad-based set of individual strengths that students can build on and enhance during their time at the University of Birmingham. The benefits of employability accruing to the individual student and to society more broadly include (but are not limited to) a capacity for reflexive and independent learning, the ability to motivate self and others, and a positive engagement with civic culture.
Our understanding of employability underpins our Principles of Learning.
The strengths that we focus on in the Department are derived from those identified by Universities UK, and there are seven of particular relevance to POLSIS students.
How can the POLSIS Graduate add more to their experience?
POLSIS runs a range of in-house activities that vary by year and are designed to complement the curriculum, including an Annual Student Conference, a Research Assistance Scheme (where students are paired with a member of staff to help them in specific research tasks), the opportunity to participate in simulation exercises using real case examples, and a study trip to Brussels for taught postgraduates. Other activities have included simulation events and research visits to local and national places of interest. The Department is committed to enhancing these extra dimensions to the student experience in the years to come, cooperating with elected student societies to find new ways of enriching students time at Birmingham.
POLSIS also designs modules and programmes in consultation with the Careers and Employability Centre, and the POLSIS Graduate has benefited from this close co-ordination.
The Careers and Employability Centre can help you find appropriate work experience, both paid and voluntary. Work Experience enables you to:
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Develop valuable transferable skills like team working, communications, networking and project management
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Get hands-on experience of organisational working practices
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Learn about an occupation and decide whether it is for you
The Honey Pot provides financial support to undergraduate students at the University of Birmingham to undertake work experience over the summer vacation period. Students can apply for up to £800 to support low or unpaid work experience placements.
Students can also register for the Personal Skills Award. The Personal Skills Award (PSA) is the University's award winning employability programme for undergraduate students. Celebrated by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) and endorsed by a range of employers, the PSA can enable students to develop, recognise and articulate skills effectively in preparation for the graduate job market. Students can complete the Personal Skills Award by completing accredited skills modules or through involvement in extra-curricular activities. Please explore the information provided on the website of the Careers and Employability Centre about the PSA 'pathways'.
Alumni profile
Elena Lynch, BA Sociology (2011) with International Study Year
What I found most beneficial about taking the course was the ability to study a wide range of issues that have, and arguably still do, affected our daily lives. For example, I found the study of multiculturalism particularly interesting especially whilst living in as culturally diverse a city as Birmingham.
Charlotte Barnard, BA Sociology (2011)
Sociology has developed my way of thinking. Before I used to look for answers that were matter of fact and obvious, but Sociology taught me to 'think outside the box' and explore my own logical interpretations and challenge others.
Rosie Jennings, BA Sociology (2010)
I found that the course gave you a lot of freedom to tailor your own learning. There were a lot of module options to choose from as well as the core subjects in sociological theory. As a result the knowledge I got from the course was balanced and of interest to me personally.
Abi Gill, BA Sociology (2010)
The teaching quality is outstanding and staff go out of their way to support students throughout their degrees and also beyond with applications for jobs and further study. Crucially, studying Sociology develops the transferable skills that graduate employers desire in their applicants and the fact that Birmingham is a Redbrick has really advanced my career and further education options.
Veronika, BA Sociology
Studying at The University of Birmingham has been such an exciting and rewarding experience. When I first arrived, I was instantly captivated by the campus atmosphere. All the things you need as a freshly baked student – department, the library, student union and all the friends you made along the way – were in one place. Of course everyone is unique but for my part I can say that at Birmingham I have been able to set the foundations for both career and personal development.