Sociology & Social Policy

School of Social Sciences Undergraduate Studies

Sociology & Social Policy

Dean’s Welcome

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Introduction

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Why study Sociology & Social Policy at the University of East London?

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Our Undergraduate Courses

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Careers

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How to Apply

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Enquiries

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Dean’s Welcome

Welcome to the University of East London’s School of Social Sciences.

A degree in social sciences has never been more relevant than today and we believe there is no better place to study than at UEL. Located in the heart of multicultural east London – a site of huge cultural and economic transformation – we are well placed to lead the discussion on many of today’s most exciting and urgent topics.

The courses we offer are rigorous and rewarding, and are highly regarded by employers. Our graduates leave with the analytical, research, writing, data interpretation, persuasive speaking and organisational skills that make them standout in today’s competitive job market.

Our academic staff know and care about students as individuals, and are committed to providing a rich and experimental learning experience. They are active researchers in their professional areas and bring this knowledge and cutting-edge research in to the classroom. Student success and satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do, and this is reflected in the consistently high rankings we receive for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS).

‘Doing’ is central to the learning process at UEL. Our students gain real world experience through projects, international opportunities, field-trips, professional work experience and learning activities beyond the classroom.

Our students bring a vast and diverse set of experiences to the classroom, and a desire to achieve great things. We feel privileged to be helping to develop strong, creative, energetic members of society who can make a real difference to the world.

Professor Allaine Cerwonka Dean, School of Social Sciences

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School of Social Sciences

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School of Social Sciences

Sociology & Social Policy

Have you ever wondered why inequality exists? Where racism comes from? Why social mobility is declining?

How culture influences our behaviour? Why poverty is growing in a wealthy country like the UK? Why black men are more likely to be imprisoned than white men for similar crimes? Why girls do better than boys at school, but are more likely to work in low paid jobs?

How personal problems are related to social issues? If you’re interested in these kinds of questions, and if you are passionate about making a real difference in the world, sociology and social policy is for you.

This is a truly exciting time to study sociology and social policy at UEL. Our goal is to be one of the top institutions in London. We aim to do this by combining close attention to theory and empirical research with a concern for making a real difference, while also ensuring that you get the support you need to fulfil your potential.

uel.ac.uk/ug-sociology

We capitalise on our location in east London, one of the most diverse and fastest growing regions in Europe, which is also facing an unprecedented increase in inequality. By using east London as a living laboratory for learning how to conduct and analyse social research, you’ll ‘learn by doing’.

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Why study Sociology & Social Policy at the University of East London?

Student satisfaction Our students love the way we teach.

We consistently receive high ratings for student satisfaction. They rated us top of London’s modern universities for Learning Resources including access to journals, our 24hr library service and much more in the National Student survey (NSS).

matched with an employer that best suits your passion and skills.

Highly rated research Our research is outstanding. We were the top-ranked modern university in London and the second modern university in the UK for sociology in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) – a nation-wide review of research in higher education. Our strong showing in the 2014 REF also proved that our research makes a difference. We were ranked the top university in London for the ‘impact’ of our research and in the top ten in the country.

We bring every aspect of our world-leading research into our teaching. This means that our lecturers are experts in the topics they teach.

One of our current students was offered a place on the London Living Wage Campaign, where she now plays a leading role. Another student is working with Thames Water to help communities in east London save money on heating and water bills. And another has started her own NGO called the Sunshine Academy, which aims to provide a village in Gambia with solar panels and training to build solar-powered mobile phone chargers and amps.

Careers and employability Our students are encouraged to develop hands-on experience and job-ready specialist skills to work as professionals in a wide variety of fields. In addition to essays you will learn how to give oral presentations, write reports and policy evaluations. In your final year, you can take a placement module, where you’ll be

Placements and projects Many of our students make a real difference in their placements, and have often been offered a job upon graduation. Some of them even start their own companies and organisations.

Resources In addition to traditional approaches to teaching, such as lectures and seminars, we go beyond the classroom to ensure that you make links between the books and the real world. You’ll learn about research methods by using east London as a social laboratory, and learn about diverse topics from housing to immigration, and from art to slavery by visiting museums, galleries, and other field-trips. We also strive to bring internationally-renowned experts into the classroom.

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School of Social Sciences

Sociology BA (Hons)

This course will help you to understand the causes and meanings of the problems and passions that motivate and enflame our communities. Sociology is about understanding our social world - how we interact and relate to each other. It is also about understanding where we came from and where we are going, so that we help to improve social conditions for all.

Admissions and entry requirements

On this course you’ll learn about how we as individuals, families, and citizens influence, and are influenced by, big changes occurring in the wider world as a result of globalisation.

One of the key aspects of these changes is the emergence of new digital technologies, providing new platforms for emancipation and resistance, but also enabling new forms of surveillance and control. Another important thread in this course is the relationship of colonialism to our modern world, and how it produces enduring asymmetries in power, and fuels inequality, racism and conflict. To uncover and analyse these issues, we focus on cultural developments and struggles of resistance.

From BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) or Diploma (QCF)

uel.ac.uk/ug-sociology

UCAS code L300 112 UCAS points From A Level Must include passes at A2 in at least two subjects.

From International Baccalaureate Diploma with 24 points including a minimum of 15 points at Higher Level.

We would normally expect you to have Grade C in GCSE English and maths.

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School of Social Sciences

Modules

Year three Research and Dissertation Workshop (core)

Year one Globalisation & Modern Britain (core)

Constructions of ‘Race’ in Culture and Politics (optional)

Introduction to Social Policy (core)

Critical Approaches to Class (optional)

Researching East London part one (core)

The New Cultural Sociology (optional)

Thinking Sociologically (core)

Gender Studies (optional) Generations, Age and Meaning (optional)

Year two Social Theory (core) Researching East London part two (core) Adventures in Intersectionality (optional) Delivering Social Welfare in the 21st Century (optional) Self, Nation & Politics (optional) Social Movements in the Radical Twentieth Century (optional) Understanding Social Change (optional)

Housing and Urban Regeneration (optional) Islam and Society (optional) Life Histories (optional) Nationalism in a Global Era (optional) Surveillance, Technology and Society (optional) The Sociology of Identity and Difference (optional) Work Based Leaning Placement Module (optional)

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School of Social Sciences

Sociology (Professional Development) BSc (Hons)

Theory comes alive when it’s applied to real-life issues and social problems. On this course you’ll apply sociological theory to the analysis of realworld social issues such as the challenges to welfare services posed by an ageing population or the causes of social unrest, as seen in the London riots of 2011.

Social policy is at the core of this degree and our emphasis is on the contribution that sociology can make to changing the world.

You’ll enjoy learning from groups of diverse people, conducting important research and, most satisfyingly, doing something about social problems. We’ll help you develop skills in sociological analysis and critical thinking in areas of welfare such as family, education, health and housing or issues of inequality and social justice. You’ll learn about the issues both in the UK and abroad involved in planning, managing and funding organisations that provide welfare services, and you‘ll gain expertise in policy process and analysis as well as presenting your findings.

Admissions and entry requirements UCAS code L302 112 UCAS points From A Level Must include passes at A2 in at least two subjects.

From BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) or Diploma (QCF) From International Baccalaureate Diploma with 24 points including a minimum of 15 points at Higher Level.

We would normally expect you to have Grade C in GCSE English and maths.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be guaranteed an interview for a place to continue your studies on a postgraduate teacher training or social work course at UEL. Interviews are subject to you meeting the essential entry criteria at the time of application.

uel.ac.uk/ug-sociology

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School of Social Sciences

Modules

Comparative Education, Ideology and Policy (optional)

Year one Introduction to Social Policy: Sociological Perspectives (core)

Families, Children and Education (optional)

Thinking Sociologically (core) Researching East London 1 (core) Introduction to NGO Management (core) Constitutional and Administrative Law (optional)

Education, Identity and Social Justice (optional) Social Patterns of Health and Illness (optional) Health Policy (optional) Global Health Policy (optional) Crime, Deviance and Social History (optional)

Contemporary Issues of Youth Justice and Criminology (optional)

Year three Research Project/Dissertation (core)

Sociology of Education (optional)

Placement Module (core)

Understanding Health and Healthcare in the UK (optional)

Immigration Law (optional)

Introduction to Health Systems and their Management (optional)

Critical Approaches to Class Studies (optional)

Psycho-social Perspectives of Psychology (optional) Year two Delivering Social Welfare in the 21st Century (core)

Housing and Urban Regeneration (optional) Gender Studies (optional) Constructions of Race in Culture and Politics (optional) Life Histories (optional)

Researching East London 2 (core)

Mentally Disordered Suspects, Defendants and Offenders (optional)

Introduction to Planning and Fundraising in the Third Sector (core)

Business Models and Organisation Design (optional)

International Organisations and Global Governance (optional)

Comparative Health Systems (optional)

Inequalities, Social Development and Livelihoods (optional)

European Union Politics (optional)

Human Rights (optional)

Generations, Age and Meaning (optional)

Service Quality in Healthcare (optional) HIV in the World (optional)

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School of Social Sciences

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Sociology with Criminology BA (Hons)

On this course, you’ll learn about the causes and meanings of deviance and crime. It also focuses on the development of social justice, human rights and the workings of the criminal justice system. An important aspect of this course is the impact of the rapidly changing society in which we live, and the freedom with which information, money, goods and services now move across national boundaries. All these issues are studied in the vibrant, multicultural setting of east London.

You can choose to study youth crime and sub-culture, football hooliganism and global illicit drug trafficking. Or perhaps you will be drawn to the appeal of terrorism studies and surveillance, technology and society. You’ll learn about the different types of crimes that exist and explore various theories about why people commit certain crimes. As well as providing you with a strong theoretical grounding through a variety of criminology options, we’ll also give you a comprehensive knowledge of criminal law, developments and struggles.

Admissions and entry requirements UCAS code M9L3 112 UCAS points From A Level Must include passes at A2 in at least two subjects.

From BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) or Diploma (QCF) From International Baccalaureate Diploma with 24 points including a minimum of 15 points at Higher Level.

We would normally expect you to have Grade C in GCSE English and maths.

You’ll graduate with a degree that has vocational relevance, while putting no limit on your career options. This course is an exciting way of preparing for a career while studying the wider questions that sociology addresses and the impact it has on our daily lives.

uel.ac.uk/ug-sociology

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School of Social Sciences

Modules Year one Globalisation & Modern Britain (core) Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice (core) Researching East London part one (core) Thinking Sociologically (core) Year two Social Theory (core) Theoretical Criminology (core) Adventures in Intersectionality (optional)

Terrorism Studies (optional) Youth Crime and Sub-culture (optional) The New Cultural Sociology (optional)

Foundation Year If you don’t meet the entry requirements for any of our courses, you have the option of taking an ‘extended’ version. You’ll begin with a foundation year which will prepare you for the BA or BSc, giving you the academic and personal skills you need for successful degree-level study.

Crime, Deviance and Social History (optional) Researching East London part two (optional) Self, Nation & Politics (optional)

Further study

Year three Sociology Dissertation (core)

If you want to continue with your academic career, we offer a wide range of postgraduate courses at UEL, including:

Constructions of ‘Race’ in Culture and Politics (optional) Critical Approaches to Class (optional)

Sociology MA Social Work MA

Football Hooliganism (optional) Gender Studies (optional) Global Illicit Drug Trafficking (optional) Nationalism in a Global Era (optional) Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice (optional) Surveillance, Technology and Society (optional)

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I realised my passion was helping others, I’ve always seen myself working as a social worker trying to change the lives of those at an older age. I was made an offer to study the BSc Sociology (Professional Development) course at UEL which matched perfectly with what I wanted to do.

My greatest achievement is the wealth of knowledge I have gained from studying at UEL. A result of this I’m now I’m now studying a master’s in Social Work, and also trying to set up my own care company. UEL has changed my life.“

UEL is highly recognised as a great place to learn and the east London location was fantastic for me. I fell in love with the location and the learning opportunities it has to offer.

I enjoyed every area of the course and I felt well supported throughout. I really enjoyed the housing and gender studies modules.

Stephanie Hart Sociology (Professional Development) BSc (Hons) Graduate

uel.ac.uk/ug-sociology

School of Social Sciences

“ Originally from Jamaica, I had my daughter at age 17, and was deprived of an education. As a single parent I started working in under paid jobs to take care of my daughter. I came to the UK in 2001, and was always working within the health care sector and studying whilst trying to get my life back on track.

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Careers

How to apply

Social science subjects are wonderfully varied and offer a wide range of career progression routes following graduation.

All applications for full-time undergraduate courses starting in September are made via the Universities and Colleges Admissions System (UCAS). UCAS offers a secure, webbased application system which allows you to track your application. To register for UCAS, please go to www.ucas.com and follow the step-by-step guide. You will need the University of East London institution code which is E28.

The social sciences cover a lot of ground and the many subjects we offer provide fascinating insights into everyday life in our communities, families and workplaces. All our courses will help you to develop a wide range of transferable skills and open up many career options.

Employers across all sectors are keen to recruit social science graduates because they have the analytic and communication skills that a successful economy and society needs.

Our sociology courses will equip you with the skills you need to help to shape the future.

With many exciting employment opportunities which naturally lead to progression into the kinds of careers that make a very real difference to society.

For a full breakdown of course entry requirements by qualification visit ucas.com For further information, contact our Applicant Enquiries team: Tel +44 (0)20 8223 3333 Email: study@uel.ac.uk

Graduates from our sociology courses have gone on to work in a variety of roles: Charity Fundraiser Community Development Worker Counsellor Housing Officer NHS Manager Police Officer Project Manager/ Policy & Business Consultancy Probation Officer Social Researcher Social Worker Teacher Welfare Rights Adviser Youth and Community Worker

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of our students are in work and/ or study within six months of graduating (DLHE results for BA (Hons) Sociology (Professional Development))

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