About the Department

The Department of Sociological Studies has an established international reputation for excellence in teaching and research across the disciplines of Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work and Social Anthropology. We are proud of our disciplinary breadth and achievement which helps makes the Department an exciting and lively one in which to study and work.

Top quality teaching and research

The Department is unique in having been awarded the highest ranking ('excellent') in all of its main disciplines in the most recent HEFCE Teaching Quality Assessements.

Departmental research has also been consistently recognised as of national or international excellence, and in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 65% of our research outputs were rated as internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour (RAE grade 5 in 2001, RAE grade 4 1992 and 1996).

We are committed to the view that excellent research and excellent teaching support one another. This means that our teaching staff are all actively engaged in research and that our teaching is informed by the latest developments and debates in social research.

Teaching and facilities

Sociological Studies is one of the longest-established and largest social science departments in the country. We teach around 250 full-time equivalent undergraduates taking modules in various degree schools. In addition to the undergraduate single honours schools of Sociology, and Sociology and Social Policy, the Department participates in the Social and Political Studies degree and a number of joint honours combinations.

We are fortunate to be situated in a very pleasant building, which we share with the Politics Department (with which we have strong links), next door to the University swimming pool and Sports Centre. In these videos you can see some of our seminar and IT rooms.