Entry requirementsSelected entry requirements A level: Grades BBB. 2 AS-levels accepted in place of 1 A Level. Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications. Unit grades will not normally form part of offer conditions, except for Mathematics programmes. GCSE: Minimum grade C in English Language. Mathematics is desirable but not essential. Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification. However, as the opportunities to take these modules are not open to all applicants, currently this is not an essential requirement of the University. International baccalaureate: 32 points overall. Additional entry requirements Additional entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
Academic titleBSocSc Sociology
Course descriptionCourse description Sociology gives you the skills to analyse and interpret contemporary social developments and problems. You take core course units in social theory and research methods which ensure you have a firm foundation in sociology from the outset. Outside these core units you will have considerable choice to study a variety of topics, all taught by experts. These options are grouped into four areas: culture and media, globalisation and social change, social divisions (including class, gender and race), work, employment and social divisions. The first year focuses on the most important theories of British society, popular culture, work and employment, sociological theory and methods of social inquiry. The aim is to offer something new to those who have completed Sociology A-level as well as to provide a basic foundation in the subject for those who have not. The second year provides further training in research methods in preparation for a dissertation and for undertaking independent social research. There are also courses within the four areas listed above, including courses on gender, ethnicity, cinema, globalisation and identity. The third year is based mainly on the cutting edge or research in the different specialist areas of the discipline. It deals with both theoretical innovations and new empirical studies in such fields as ethnic relations, the city, intimate relations, the body, counterculture and the professions.
Special features
The strength of studying Sociology at Manchester lies in its diversity. It offers a stimulating research environment covering a broad spread of interests and specialisms. All its staff members of are committed researchers and teachers and they have a broad range of interests.
You have access to important learning resources, such as the Student Resource Centre and a Race Relations Archive.
Module details
Course content for year 1
You are introduced to a broad range of approaches to Sociology and acquire a basic grounding in the discipline. This is a foundation year, compromising of two core areas, Social Thought 1 and 2, and research methods. Students will acquire the basic conceptual resources for tackling substantive and theoretical issues in their second and third years of the degree. Some Level 1 course units are compulsory and include the following:
Social Thought 1
Provides a comprehensive introduction to some of the main theoretical currents within sociology. It shows how the emergence of sociology and the scocial sciences represents a response to the cultural and material problems of capitalist industrial societies in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Social Thought 2
Some of the most important modern social theorists are discussed, highlighting not only their connection to the theorists covered in Social Thought 1, but also new developments that they have brought about. You are encouraged to explore a number of key debates relating to power, social structure, culture and sexuality.
Researching Culture and Society
You are introduced to a wide range of issues of concern to social researchers. It introduces basic ideas about theory and method that underpin the understanding of sociology courses. It offeres training in study skills that will be of relevance to sociology and to academic study in general.
Course content for year 2
In the second year you build on your previous courses but can also begin to specialise in certain areas if you wish. There is a compulsory research methods course but all other courses are optional. Below is a brief outline.
Reseach Methods
This course unit develops skills in a range of research methods such as interviewing, analysis of documents, ethnography, etc. This aim is to enable you to conduct independent research and to prepare you for your third year dissertation.
Optional Course Units
Sociology normally offers about ten optional course units at level 2, from which you can choose up to four. The course units cover a range of prospectives and issues. The course units in offer are, for example: Interaction and Social Order; Gender and Society; Cinema and Society; Racism and Ethnicity; Globalisation and the Third World.
Course content for year 3
You have the opportunity to select from a wide range of courses. You also produce a dissertation. A brief outline is shown below.
Dissertation
The core unit in the final year is organised around facilitating students to undertake a sociological research project. You are encouraged to select your own topic and are provided with one-to-one supervision. The aim is to build on the research methods training of the previous two years and enable you to acquire some experience in designing and carrying out your own research.
Optional Course Units
A wide range of specialist course units are available. These reflect the current research work of staff and develop in greater depth topics discussed in previous years. The subjects covered include class and ethnicity in the US and Britain, gender, changing patterns of work, counter-cultures and recent theoretical debates in sociology and feminist research.