View the full course entry on our website : qmu . ac . uk / publicsociology
BSc / BSc ( Hons ) Public Sociology
Embrace new ideas and schools of thought on this intellectually stimulating and personally empowering course . It encourages rigorous critical thinking on complex and challenging social issues , opening the door to a wide range of careers .
On this course you will :
• Engage with diverse communities and develop a sense of the ways in which a public sociological imagination can meaningfully intervene in real-world political and social events .
• Ask , and be able to answer , critical questions such as ‘ What is the nature of society and how can we change it for the better ? What are the root causes of social injustice and inequality ? How could we change society ’ s perception of them , and make the actual changes themselves ?
• Reflect upon the ways in which sociological knowledge can affect real change in people ’ s everyday lives .
• Learn how to critique preconceptions about social equality and justice .
• Learn how to make sense of complex and challenging social issues , and how to provoke change .
• Understand how the public sociologist and sociological knowledge can create radical approaches to solving social problems .
If you have an enquiring , questioning mind and you want to understand more about human societies , social problems , interactions and experiences , you will thrive on this course .
This was Scotland ’ s first public sociology course and we continue to be pioneering in the way we think . Our students have chosen fascinating and original topics to research for their dissertations , from women ’ s body image on social media to a community campaign on gentrification .
You can opt to study for an honours degree over four years or an ordinary degree over three years .
Modules
Year One : Introduction to Academia / Introduction to Psychology / Introduction to Psychology 2 / The Sociological Imagination – Classical & Contemporary Sociological Theories & Concepts / The Sociological Imagination Part 2 : Diversity and Inequality / Foundations of Psychology ; Core Concepts and Practices
Year Two : Individual Differences , Wellbeing and Ethical Practice / Exploring Research / Current Debates in Sociology / Education , Race and Ethnicity / Material Culture : The Social Life of Things / Engaged Sociology
Year Three : Sociology of Knowledge & Science / Understanding the Sociological Present / Social Process and Social Movements / Class , Poverty and Inequality : Social Policy Responses / Research Skills / Community Education and the Organic Intellectual
Year Four : Dissertation / plus four options *
* Options may include : Inequality , Poverty and Social Policy in Comparative Perspective / Gender Justice and Violence : Feminist Approaches / Embedded Sustainability / Political Ecology : the Social Study of Environmental Justice / The Sociology of Scotland / Community-based Education
The modules listed here are correct at time of print ( March 2022 ) but may differ slightly to those offered in 2023 . Please check the website for any updates .
* Subject to availability Careers
You ’ ll change , grow and graduate with a wide range of knowledge , skills and aptitudes . You ’ ll have a richly developed sense of social responsibility and , hopefully , a burning desire to make a powerful , positive change to the world . Previous graduates are now shaking things up in social and community work , consumer and social research , public policy development , teaching , academia , marketing and human resource management .
UCAS code : L390 Duration : 3 / 4 years full-time Exchange opportunities : Yes *
Entry requirements Scottish Higher :
A Level : CCD
Standard : BBCC Minimum : BCCC
Irish Leaving Certificate : H3 H3 H3 H3 International Baccalaureate : 26 points
International : IELTS of 6.0 with no element lower than 5.5
Required : English required and Maths preferred at Nat 5 / GCSE
Mature / Access : Related Access course , see : www . qmu . ac . uk / college-qualifications
We welcome applications from mature students with relevant qualifications and / or experience .
Direct Entry :
Year Two
• HNC in a related subject with B in the graded unit
• Scottish Higher : BC at Advanced Higher in relevant subjects plus BB at Higher
• A Level : BBB in relevant subjects
Year Three
• HND in a related subject with CB in the graded units
For details of related HNC and HND courses , see : www . qmu . ac . uk / college-qualifications
Associate student places : You can study this course as an associate student completing your first year at Newbattle Abbey College or West Lothian College . For more information and entry requirements , see pages 36 — 37 .
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