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.

There are currently approximately 120 postgraduates on taught courses and some thirty full-time equivalent post-graduate research students.

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.

Our facilities are extremely good. They include rooms of fully networked computers (for use by undergraduates and graduates), student common room, library, postgraduate rooms with personal desks and computers, video and audio recording equipment, as well as our own lecture and seminar rooms. Our students obviously also have full access to the extensive University facilities and services.