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2023 start September

Social Research

Sheffield Methods Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences

On this course you'll become well-versed in the theoretical concepts in social research. Choose from a wide range of modules that reflect your interests, and apply your qualitative and quantitative skills to your field of research. Our graduates go on to PhD research or careers that demand world-class research skills.

Postgraduate social research students at workshop

Course description

This course will help you to become proficient in theoretical concepts in social research and will provide you with the practical skills to undertake higher level research across the full range of social sciences.

You’ll develop highly sought-after qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research skills through our hands-on teaching methods. You can tailor the course to your interests by selecting from a wide range of modules – from all the departments in social sciences – that will expose you to the latest debates within your field of research.

The programme has been specifically developed to meet the ESRC postgraduate training and development guidelines. Students completing the MA Social Research can advance to PhD-level study within their chosen field in the social sciences, or find employment within roles that require high-level research skills.

Modules

A selection of modules are available each year - some examples are below. There may be changes before you start your course. From May of the year of entry, formal programme regulations will be available in our Programme Regulations Finder.

There is the option to take the course as a part-time route over two years, with students choosing 90 credits in each year, completing 180 credits over the two year period.

Principles of Research Design I: This unit addresses the foundations of research: what needs to be established before a research project can be conducted. It has three main focuses, which are the philosophical foundations upon which social scientific research are based, the process of establishing the current state of the art in a given field of social science, and establishing which study design is most appropriate for a given research question. In this way, it combines both conceptual and practical issues in the social sciences. It precedes Principles of Research Design II, which addresses the principles to be applied while a research project is underway.
15 credits
Introduction to Qualitative Research: This unit introduces students to a variety of qualitative research techniques. This unit aims to familiarise students with a full range of research methods and analyses in common use in social science. The module covers interviewing, observation, document work, the use of visual data and mixed methods. As well as learning how to use these tools, techniques and processes, students on this module will learn how to apply them to their own research projects. Students will also learn to evaluate these research methods and techniques. They will learn to develop an understanding of how qualitative methods are used to create knowledge. This module forms the basis for further subject-specific research training in the contributing departments across the social sciences.
15 credits
Introduction to Quantitative Research: This module has been designed to help you develop your ability to conduct quantitative data analysis in the social sciences. The emphasis is not only on technical competence but also on understanding the principles behind the methods, as well as being able to competently interpret your results. We will be using real data with countless examples from across the social sciences (e.g., politics, economics, psychology, sociology, criminology, etc.) to learn about descriptive, exploratory, and inferential statistics. In doing so, we will cover a broad range of topics such as descriptive statistics and data distributions; scaling and measurement; data visualisation; linear and logistic regression and causal inference; uncertainty in estimation; cluster analysis; and spatial analysis using the R statistical software.
15 credits
Principles of Research Design II: This unit follows SMI607 in introducing students to research design, with a focus on what happens during and after the process of conducting research, and the relevant professional skills required by researchers. It addresses issues of research ethics, sampling and recruitment, reflexivity, project management, collaboration with other researchers, different approaches and techniques for analysing data, and the process of presenting, publishing, and disseminating research to a range of different audiences. In this way, in combination with SMI607, it provides students with a toolkit to conduct an entire research project independently from a range of different philosophical and methodological perspectives.
15 credits
Working Beyond Disciplines: The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to interdisciplinary study for research students in the social sciences, highlighting the importance of research which reaches beyond disciplinary boundaries, and exploring the differing approaches through which such research can be achieved. By engaging students with the specific thematic pathways that are central to the intellectual project of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, it introduces students to `grand challenges for the social sciences that relate to their own proposed research areas. Through this, it links interdisciplinary epistemological approaches to their application in the context of students own proposed research projects.
15 credits
Research Ethics and Integrity: Training on research ethics and integrity for all postgraduate research students as part of the Doctoral Development Programme. The training will: Enhance students' ability to critically analyse/reflect upon their own actions and behaviours when conducting research from start to finish, as well as interactions with research participants, supervisors, co-workers etc; Heighten ethical sensitivity and reasoning, enabling students to plan and prepare for ethical challenges they may face and to be able to manage challenges.The training will complement and reinforce existing research methods training.

You will also take one or both of the following courses in your second semester, amounting to 15 or 30 credits.

Advanced modules:

Advanced Qualitative Methods: This unit introduces students to a variety of advanced qualitative research techniques common to the social sciences, but which can be used in wider cross-faculty research contexts. The unit provides students with a philosophical introduction to advanced qualitative methodology, and will introduce a selection of advanced and pioneering research techniques, which will include techniques such as: creative approaches to qualitative interviewing, the use of sensory and mobile methods, participatory research techniques (including the use of diaries and drawings), qualitative longitudinal research, memory work, and life history approaches.
It will also introduce all students to the potential of re-using qualitative data and to advanced analytical techniques (including Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis). Students will also learn about innovative approaches to writing and communicating qualitative research. Finally, the module will also introduce students to a range of ethical issues arising from creative and innovative approaches to qualitative research.
15 credits
Advanced Quantitative Methods for Social Research: The course will introduce more advanced uses of multivariable statistics in the social sciences. This unit then covers several methods that are often employed across the social sciences. These will include: Multiple Regression (including Ordinary Least Squares and Logistic Regression) and more advanced extensions such as multilevel models and longitudinal techniques. Students will undertake a small secondary data analysis project of their own devising for assessment.

15 credits

Theory and Research in Design: This module aims to develop the student's overall understanding of contemporary matters and theories pertinent to architectural design and built environment issues, such as climate change and social justice. Students will develop an interdisciplinary and contemporary understanding of architecture, design, society and environment, with an emphasis on theory as a tool to open debate and provoke designerly thought and activity on alternative views and approaches to architecture and design.

The module consists of lectures that introduce and describe contemporary concepts and theories applicable to built environment, architecture, and design research, in tandem with seminars through the Theory Forum, a conference hosted annually by the Sheffield School of Architecture, focusing each year on a theme of contemporary relevance for architectural theory and practice.

The aim of the module is to develop the student's ability to write in a way that deals with complex issues, and that addresses the outcomes of the module.
15 credits
Urban Design Tools and Methods: This unit is one in a sequence of studio based modules. It introduces students to the specific skills, tools and design knowledge required for urban design in combination with design research methodologies and allows them to be developed through studio-based urban design projects.
15 credits
Reflections on Architectural Design: The unit introduces the history, theory and application of design methodologies in architecture and related practices. Based on a critical analysis of precedents and approaches, students will be expected to develop their own methods for use in architectural design
15 credits
Chinese Cities in Transition: Chinese cities are home to ten per cent of the world's population. They have experienced tremendous transformation with the country's transition from a planned to a market economy. This module provides an overview of Chinese cities, and includes topics on evolution of China's urban system, economic restructuring, urban expansion and land disputes, property-led urban regeneration, housing market development and policy. The central aim of the module is to help students understand not only the complex character of changing cities but also their place within Chinese economy and society.
15 credits
Global Governance and Japan: This module provides a detailed understanding of Japan's international relations on the one hand, and its role in global governance on the other hand. The first part of the module adopts a theoretically informed approach based on the structure of the international system, the actors involved in international relations, and the norms that inform their behaviour. It then focuses on the key sites of Japan's international activity, particularly the United States and East Asia. The module then explores the institutional mechanisms of governance at the global level and the role Japan plays in these institutions (the UN, G8, World Bank, IMF and WTO) in addition to a number of specific case studies (First Gulf War, East Asian Economic Crisis and 'War on Terror').
30 credits
East Asian Research Methods: Research Methods in East Asian Studies will equip students with the tools required to carry out research in China, Japan, Korea or the wider East Asian region at taught postgraduate level. The module includes training in basic research skills related to East Asia; quantitative methods; qualitative methods; ethical and legal issues; and discursive contexts and reflexivity in East Asian research.
15 credits
Microeconomic Analysis: Microeconomics is concerned with the behaviour of individuals, households and firms, and their interactions. This module aims to develop the skills you will require to analyse microeconomic problems and theories and to provide an introduction to advanced microeconomics. You will use mathematical and quantitative analysis to analyse topics such as consumer theory, risk and uncertainty, and intertemporal choice. In addition, this module will further develop your skills of critical evaluation and appraisal in the context of advanced microeconomic theory.
15 credits
Macroeconomic Analysis: Macroeconomics concerns the behaviour of the economy as a whole. In this module you will develop a coherent framework for understanding macroeconomics building on microeconomic foundations. The module will analyse the source of business cycle fluctuations, the aims of monetary policy in advanced economies, including the design of optimal monetary policy. It will also provide an advanced understanding of fiscal policy and debt dynamics. You will be introduced to the concept of financial frictions in the context of the last financial crisis, and gain an understanding of the aims and challenges faced by monetary policy makers.
15 credits
Econometric Methods: This module will develop your core econometrics skills. The first half of the module provides a grounding in key econometric techniques covering elements such as the classical linear regression model, hypothesis testing and problems of non-spherical disturbances. More advanced topics are then introduced in the second half of the module. Specifically you will focus upon topics in microeconometrics: including modelling discrete binary variables; censoring and sample selection, and then topics in macroeconometrics including: economic forecasting; stationarity; and cointegration. You will also develop a knowledge of using econometric software Stata.
15 credits
Modern Theory of Banking and Finance: This module will give you a broad introduction into the economic literature on finance and banking. You will develop an understanding of the principles behind investment-financing decisions, the concept of governance and its implications for the efficiency of firms' investment decisions, and the role of financial intermediation. The module emphasises both theoretical and practical considerations. On completing this module, you will have a working knowledge of lexicon, theory, and tools associated with monetary theory and understand how the economy and financial markets fit together.
15 credits
Early Childhood 1: Development, Learning and Curriculum: This module enables students to develop critical understanding of learning, development and curriculum in early childhood education. Students will analyse theory, policy and research to evaluate a range of historical, contemporary, national and global perspectives on young children's learning. The module provides students with opportunities to think critically about the location of early childhood education within the broader contexts of social, cultural and political values and priorities. Students will learn about approaches to early childhood education that draw upon examples from Global South and the Global North contexts.
30 credits
Language Acquisition, Learning and Pedagogy: This module will explore key theories and approaches in language acquisition, learning and associated pedagogies. Various theoretical and empirical issues will be addressed together with learner-internal and learner-external factors that influence the processes of second language development in education. For example, the course provides students with an opportunity to consider critically second language acquisition (SLA), Universal Grammar (UG) and the roles of learner factors such as age, first language and interference. The theory and application of new technologies in language acquisition, learning and research are addressed. The application of SLA theory and research to aspects of second language teaching and learning is also explored.
30 credits
Data, Visualisation and GIS: This module shows students how to deal with spatial data which they will need to use to both identify and understand patterns of social and spatial inequalities. The module covers the major sources of data used to study inequalities and the variety of ways in which they can be displayed to aid both understanding and analysis. This includes the human cartography and human-scaled visualisations that were used to create the famous Worldmapper maps and how to overlay conventional thematic mapping of data onto online maps such as Bing and Google Maps. In addition, the module introduces students to a range of techniques used for the analysis of socio-economic data. Some of the practical and policy-related issues which arise in this type of analysis are also considered. The course includes practical sessions using state-of-the-art software.
15 credits
Theory and Debates in Food Security and Food Justice: Food Security and Food Justice are areas of increasing importance at local, national, transnational and global scales. Political and non-political agents at multiple scales have recognised that Global Hunger and Food Security (of which Food Justice is a primary component) is a key challenge requiring urgent interdisciplinary investigation and problem solving. There remains limited agreement as to how best to approach these issues. This module provides students with a background to the problems encompassed within the food security/food justice nexus by drawing on academic and policy debates that focus on both the macro as well as the micro impacts. By looking across food systems, the module also critically evaluates different strategies for mitigating the impacts of food insecurity and injustice. In addition to academic, knowledge and critical thinking skills, the module will help students to develop the following attributes: Communication, Networking, Collaboration, Influencing, Inclusivity, Defining Purpose, and Growth Mindset.
15 credits
Ideas and Practice in International Development: This module introduces students to key theoretical debates in international development. It explores how thinking about development has changed over time and why it has changed. The module also encourages students to think about the relationship between development theory and development practice. This is achieved by introducing key topics and issues areas in the field and having students think critically about the ways in which practitioners have approached development issues and defined development problems at various points in time, as well as the theoretical viewpoints that have informed their actions.
15 credits
Research Design and Methods for Development: Research methods are a key part of international development research within academic and practitioner institutions. This module takes you through the research process, from designing a viable project, through to development issues in a range of research methods, forms of analysis, and approaches to writing and dissemination. The module covers both quantitative research methods, such as questionnaire surveys, and qualitative research methods, including the use of interviews and focus groups, and the analysis and formulation of research findings for academic and professional purposes.
15 credits
Children's Learning: This module promotes student skills in distance/e-learning, participating in on-line activity and use of e-resources. It presents theories of cognitive development, how these inform our understanding of children's learning and the development of educational practice, and the interaction of learning and language. The individual differences in learning abilities within children in school is considered, including those children who may have significant difficulties across all learning and those who may have specific difficulty with certain aspects of learning. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.
15 credits
Communication Diversity & Difficulties: A: This module allows students to select up to three topics in the field of children's language and communication for more detailed study. Topics may include the following: autism spectrum disorders, language and communication in the early years, literacy difficulties, developmental language disorders (DLD), language and behaviour, language and communication in adolescence, and multilingualism. Theoretical perspectives and research findings within each topic are evaluated. Implications for practice are explored. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.
15 credits
Information and Knowledge Management: This module addresses both the oretical and practical aspects ofmanaging information and knowledge in organisations, enqabling you to engagecritically with a number of current issues and debates in this field. It isdesigned around case studies of well known organisations and involves thedevelopment of skills in analysis and formulation of strategies fororganisational development. Assessed work focuses also on skills in reviewingthe domain and on the development of conceptual models for information andknowledge management.
15 credits
Introduction to Data Science: Data science is an emerging field that seeks to discover and explore new ways of exploiting data to support decision-making for a range of domains and problems. With individuals and organisations producing vast amounts of real-time heterogeneous data (i.e. Big Data), there is greater demand than ever to manage and analyse data effectively. This module aims to introduce students to the concepts and theories that underpin data science, provide an understanding of how they are used and impact on organisations, and gain hands-on experience with analysing and presenting data effectively using R and R Studio.
15 credits
Data and Society: The module draws upon key concepts and emerging debates from across the social sciences to address how social and political factors interact with (big) data and evolving data science techniques such as data mining, visualisation and analytics. Key issues and debates will be examined in relation to developments in fields such as marketing, political campaigning, and state security. The module complements more technical and management orientated modules, and aims to aid students in becoming more critical and reflective data scientists, decision makers and/or citizens able to successfully navigate the challenging social, political, legal and ethical issues related to data processing and use, and to reflect critically on the ways in which emerging data practices are shaped by and contribute to the development of complex social worlds.
15 credits
Information Retrieval: Search Engines and Digital Libraries: Information Retrieval (IR) systems are ubiquitous as searching has become a part of everyday life. For example, we use IR systems when we search the web, look for resources using a library catalogue or search for relevant information within organisational repositories (e.g. intranets). This module provides an introduction to the area of information retrieval and computerised techniques for organising, storing and searching (mainly) textual information items.

Techniques used in IR systems are related to, but distinct from, those used in databases. The emphasis for IR systems is to find documents that contain relevant information and separate these from a potentially vast set of non-relevant documents. The content of the module falls into two main areas: (1) fundamental concepts of IR (indexing, retrieval, ranking, user interaction and evaluation) and (2) applying IR in specific contexts, bias in information retrieval, and dealing with non-textual and non-English content (multimedia and multilingual IR).
15 credits
Information Systems Modelling: To consider the role of information modelling within the organisation and provide an appreciation of the rigorous methods that are needed to analyse, design, develop and maintain computer-based information systems. The course is intended to provide an introduction to information modelling techniques. Students gain experience in applying the wide range of systems analysis methods. Students cover topics including: soft systems analysis; structured systems analysis methodologies; business process modelling; data flow modelling and object-oriented approaches (e.g. RUP/UML).
15 credits
Libraries, Information and Society: This module provides an overview of the role of library and information services (LIS) in contemporary society and introduces students to public policy issues and their implications for the provision of LIS. Students are introduced to current practices and contemporary concerns in academic, national, public and special/workplace libraries and encouraged to develop an awareness of the social, economic, political and cultural environment in which LIS operate. It examines the importance of users in the design and management of LIS, explores ethical issues and aims to develop a critical awareness of the role of LIS in contemporary society.
15 credits
Information Systems in Organisations: This module integrates topics of organisation, management, and information systems, with an aim to offer the students an integrated set of concepts and tools for understanding information systems in organisations. During this module students will explore basic management and organisational theories and examine the impact of information systems on organisations. This course introduces key concepts which will be explored further in other modules on the information Management and Information Systems programmes.
15 credits
Information Literacy: The module aims to enable students to understand the concepts of information literacy and information behaviour from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Students will develop their own information literacy and understanding of its application to their future lives. They will learn through lectures, practical exercises and activities carried out for the assessed coursework and in formative exercises which are an integral part of the class.
15 credits
Principles of International Law: This module provides students with a foundational knowledge of public international law. The topics covered include the theory and history of international law; the sources and subjects of international law; recognition; the international law adjudication and dispute settlement mechanisms; and the law of state responsibility.

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15 credits
International Humanitarian Law: This module considers the norms that apply to armed conflicts. In particular, it will consider the aims and purposes of international humanitarian law, the classification of conflicts into international and non-international (NIAC), the applicable humanitarian law principles, the relation between humanitarian law and human rights law and the enforcement of IHL. It will then consider the classification of combatants and civilians, the notion of direct participation in hostilities, the law relating to occupation and the treatment of civilians and prisoners of war. All the above issues will be discussed through cases such as Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan.
15 credits
Theoretical Foundations of International Organisations: This module examines the history, theories and principles that define and govern inter-governmental organisations (IOs). It seeks to discern unity, while recognising that each organisation has its individual legal characteristics. Issues to be considered include the constitutional basis of IOs, legal personality, legal powers, membership, representation, decision-making, law-making, democracy and legitimacy. The course will make references to particular IOs such as the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union, and others
15 credits
Managing the Landscape: This module aims to introduce students to landscape management, with particular focus on urban landscape management. It deals with the interactions between place, people and plants and how the function of open and green space is dependent on effective management and can be affected by who is involved and how decisions are made. The module highlights the social, political, cultural, economic, ecological, environmental and temporal dynamics that need to be considered when developing management strategies and plans for a given area. Students will explore how strategic approaches to greenspace management are made by considering who pays, who cares, who uses these spaces, and crucially, who makes the decisions and how. Students will develop their own management plans to improve one specific green space.
20 credits
Maintaining Green Infrastructure: This module aims to develop student understanding of the maintenance and management of greenspace. The relationship between management and maintenance are discussed and the consequences of failure to integrate these. Current management approaches to care of landscapes are discussed, and how best value can be delivered on the ground through innovative practice. All of the major types of greenspace vegetation are discussed and their maintenance management reviewed from a contemporary needs perspective. The unit adopts a multidisciplinary approach and in addition to technical issues, also aims to address the underlying ideas and philosophies, which currently impinge, both positively and negatively upon the care and development of greenspace.
20 credits
Design Research Study: This module provides an opportunity to engage in autonomous study and research of a chosen area, informed by appropriate theoretical framework. The research can touch upon science, policy and theory as well as precedent studies.
The study will consist of a well-illustrated essay based on a structured and critical review of research and practice in a selected area. This might take the form of a literature review identifying key areas in the topic chosen and summarising key findings to inform the decision and design making process. Alternatively the review maybe more orientated towards practice and comprise a well structured critical study of precedents; for example linking a series of projects or the work of a particular designer or design practice.
This module forms part of the programme of study accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Landscape Institute.
15 credits
Accounting and Financial Management: This module is designed to provide knowledge and understanding of the roles of accounting and financial management in modern business organisations. The module will introduce students to the objectives, techniques and limitations of accounting for the purposes of external accountability and internal decision-making and control. The module will also introduce students to the objectives, techniques and limitations of financial investment appraisal and provision of financial resources.
15 credits
Marketing: This module introduces the subject of Marketing and seeks to place marketing and consumption practices in their political, economic, technological, social and cultural context.
15 credits
Operations and Supply Chain Management: Operations Management (OM) is concerned with the production of good and services and it relates closely to all the other business functions.
15 credits
Corporate Governance: This module introduces students to the study of corporate governance. The module covers the subject both from a theoretical and practical perspective. The early part of the module discusses the theories underlying the study of governance, recent governance failures, and policy initiatives designed to improve governance quality and accountability. The module proceeds to explore the main mechanisms of the governance environment for shareholder-owned companies, specifically investigating whether governance characteristics influence corporate performance. The module also includes a detailed discussion of governance in an international context as well as a discussion of governance in non-profit organisations.
15 credits
Global Marketing: This module provides students with an understanding of international marketing issues. It will prepare students for the challenge of global marketing and enable them to have sufficient knowledge to undertake international related work duties if needed in their careers.
15 credits
Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Green logistics and supply chain management enables students to learn the latest development in this field, anchoring on the issues of sustainability and low carbon futures. Practices and challenges in decarbonisation of logistics and supply chain will be debated. The degree of success and failure of greening interventions will also be critically discussed. Future trends and direction in this area will be presented providing students with up to date knowledge and understanding of the subject area.
15 credits
Supply Chain Technology: Supply chain technology relates to various technology (e.g. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)) used for logistics and supply chain to make it more efficient, productive and cost effective. This module will introduce students with a range of technology (e.g. RFID, Bar code etc.) and related practices within the logistics and supply chain operations. It will demonstrate the theories and principles underpinning supply chain technologies and give demonstration of the modern implementations in real life scenarios. This module will enrich the practical skills and knowledge relating to supply chain technology of students, in turn enabling them to immediately and effectively contribute towards a supply chain and logistics-related role.
15 credits
Logistics System: In broad terms, Logistics systems enable the right material to the right place in the right time. This module will introduce students with three major activities of logistics system including order processing, inventory management and freight transportation. It will demonstrate the theories and principles underpinning logistics systems and logistics managerial issues with real life scenarios. It will highlight the decision support methods and emerging trends in the global logistics. This module will enrich the practical skills and knowledge of students relating to logistics system, enabling them to immediately and effectively contribute towards a logistics and supply chain related role.
15 credits
Quantitative Methods for Finance and Accounting: This module provides an understanding of the main mathematical, statistical and econometric techniques that underpin Finance and Accounting research and their application in practice. Students will develop numerical and problem solving skills, including the ability to use standard econometrics computing packages, e.g. STATA or EVIEWS.
15 credits
Corporate Finance: The purpose of the course is to give a solid foundation in principles of corporate finance and asset pricing to understand and analyse the major issues affecting the financial policies of corporations. More specifically, the following topics will be dealt with: the time value of money, valuation of bond and equity, risk/return tradeoffs, portfolio theory, initial public offerings, capital structure, payout policy, and market efficiency.
15 credits
Management and Organisational Theory: This module explores the fundamentals of various theories of organisation, and how organisational management influences functioning. It brings together theory and practice in encouraging students to view organisations from different perspectives to develop a more comprehensive understanding of organisational theory and approaches to managing organisations. By analysing the usefulness and drawbacks of different approaches, both classical and strategic, it enables students to reach their own conclusions as to which approach might be suitable in a particular circumstance. The approaches are set in the context of understanding organisational structures and management, together with the behaviours of those who populate organisations.Note: The Module Leader should ensure that there is no overlap with MGT650 Managing People in Organisations, which is taken by MSc Management students in Semester 1.
15 credits
Marketing Management: This unit aims to introduce the discipline of marketing to Marketing MSc students. This unit covers the theory and practice of marketing in organisations - which functions embrace developing, planning and coordinating marketing decisions to achieve marketing goals and objectives and build competitive advantage.
15 credits
Management Accounting: This unit aims to introduce students to the importance of management accounting's contribution to control and management of organizations. The module will ensure students are familiar with essential internal budgetary and investment appraisal techniques as well as with important contemporary developments - including activity-based management and costing, the balanced scorecard, just-in-time and throughput accounting and target costing - and the applicability of such ideas, techniques and systems to a range of different contexts. The unit will use both academic empirical studies and corporate materials to ensure students develop a critical appreciation of how management accounting knowledge is employed in practice.
15 credits
Financial Accounting and Financial Statement Analysis: This module is designed to equip students to analyse and interpret the published financial statements of listed companies. Students will gain an understanding of the important components of financial statements and of the impact of different economic, institutional and regulatory bodies on the forms of accounts. Students will develop analytical and numerical skills, including the ability to calculate, critique and use accounting ratios and to prepare company and share valuations utilising published financial information. Students will also learn how to supplement financial data from the contextual and forward-looking narrative in published financial reports.
15 credits
Applying Psychology to Work and Organisations: This module will provide models for reflecting on evidenced based practice (e.g., the scientist-practitioner model) and specific tools (e.g., critical incident), techniques (e.g., interviewing and group facilitation) and abilities (e.g., assertive communication and conflict resolution) to enable the gathering, analysing and feeding back of data in organisational contexts. This is an interactive module consisting of theoretical and practical inputs and the opportunity to apply knowledge and abilities through discussion, individual presentation and feedback, group activities, skill development and evaluation, with the outputs being captured in critical reflection and portfolio entries. Effort has been made to match the assessment methods of this module with those used in Stage 2 of the QOccPsych so that this forms a logical progression from this module and the MSc programme.
15 credits
Leadership, Engagement and Motivation: The module aims to develop in students a critical understanding of the ways in which people lead, engage and motivate employees in context of work. Students will learn about the theory and practice of work motivation, effective team-working, performance appraisal and performance management, leadership (and destructive leadership), employee engagement, organisational power, politics and influence, and employee voice. In addition, students will learn about workplace issues concerning gender, inequality and diversity. Sessions will combine theoretical inputs with opportunities to apply knowledge through discussion, class exercises, and debates.
15 credits
Selection and Psychological Testing in Organisations: This module covers theoretical and practical issues concerning the psychological assessment and selection of employees. An overview of the recruitment and selection process with a focus on the strategic role of employee planning and recruitment will be provided, followed by critical evaluation of different methods of selection such as interviews, focus group, psychometric testing and assessment centres. The module offers an in-depth insight into psychometric ability testing, including practices and considerations around test selection, administration, reporting and feeding back test results, assessing validity and reliability of tests, and issues surrounding equality and fairness in aptitude testing.
15 credits
Statistical Methods for Occupational Psychologists: This module covers intermediate level and more advanced statistical techniques needed in organisational research. Lectures will be used to teach the rationale behind hypothesis testing and describe the principles behind techniques such as linear regression, and exploratory factor analysis. Students will also attend practical classes in order to apply and develop their knowledge.
15 credits
Sustainability Accounting and Accountability: Drawing inspirations from the Sheffield School of Accounting and finance and the research work of CRAFIC, this research led unit will introduce students to key concepts that can enhance and develop an alternative their understanding of the roles of accounting and finance in organisations and society. Challenging the mainstream view of accounting as a mere technical and neutral tool to help organisations achieve their economic objectives students are encouraged to think about the wider role of accounting in addressing grand societal challenges such as sustainable development goals in general and climate change in particular. In addition, the unit will enhance students' critical reasoning capabilities, and improve their employability by developing this new skill set related to alternative accounting and finance. In this way, students will develop a critical appreciation of key philosophical issues related to both research and practice in alternative accounting and finance.
15 credits
Contemporary Marketing Practices: Various marketing concepts and practices could be applied in different business contexts. This module will evaluate a range of issues relating to contemporary marketing practices and their relevance to business. In addition, the module will explore how marketing theories vary in different contexts and evaluate their impacts on the practices of marketing.
15 credits
Marketing Communications: Marketing communications covers a dynamic and wide-ranging group of topics that are intended to build and maintain brand equity. These include advertising, sales promotions, public relations, sponsorship, direct marketing, personal selling, and packaging, and involve broader considerations such as ethics and global issues. Current thinking suggests that all communications should be integrated across the organisation; this module critically evaluates the concept of integrated marketing communications and analyses various aspects of marketing communications. Theories of communication are explored using real examples from current marketing campaigns, and a select group from different areas of marketing offer an expert's view of the communications process.
15 credits
International Consumer Behaviour: This unit is designed to provide students with the knowledge and awareness of the theory and practice of consumer behaviour. It explores various dimensions of consumer behaviour and investigates the implications of consumer behaviour for developing marketing strategy in changing environments.
15 credits
Entrepreneurial Economies: The module examines the nature of entrepreneurship and economic development and explores why some regions and localities are more entrepreneurial and innovative than others. Examining examples of good practice in entrepreneurship/innovation, the module also considers localities which lag behind in terms of entrepreneurship and explores the causes and consequences of this. Drawing on relevant academic literature, the module will explore the different policy approaches which have been taken to try to foster higher levels of entrepreneurship. The module will enable students to understand the wider role of entrepreneurship and innovation in the economy and the economic and social implications of high or low rates of entrepreneurial activity.
15 credits
Managing People in Organisations: This module aims to introduce students to the core aspects of Human Resource Management (HRM), using research-informed teaching to critically assess HR tools and techniques, engage with current debates in the field, and provide a reflective analysis of HRM today. Supporting aims of the module are to enable participants deepen their knowledge and understanding of HRM issues, to develop insights into the changing role of HRM practitioners in the context of ongoing organisational change, and to think about the issues involved in 'live' HRM problems in organisational contexts. The module covers some core building blocks in HRM to introduce concepts to students, moving on to examine some thematic themes, with the overall aim of introducing students to key issues and debates in HRM today. This module relates to the CIPD 'People Management and Development' standard.
15 credits
Professional Development: This module is concerned with helping students develop generic management skills which can be applied within the context of specific HRM domains. It encourages students to reflect upon and account for how specific contexts influence how HR knowledge is applied and managed.
15 credits
Industrial Relations: This module focuses the specific nature of the relationship centring on the employment contract, the different ways in which employees may voice their concerns, industrial disputes and mechanisms for dispute resolution, as well as topical issues.
15 credits
Research Methods: The unit provides an introduction to a wide range of research methods used in management research. It prepares students for their dissertation by helping them to make an informed choice of objectives and methods (design, data collection and analysis) for thier own research. It also prepared students to review the literature and critically evaluate the methods used by others, to consider ethical issues around research and to prepare a plan for their dissertation research.
15 credits
Contemporary Global Security: This module examines responses at state, regional and international level to key security challenges. It focuses primarily on the post-Cold War setting, the types of security challenges that have developed and the responses to them at state, regional and international level. It analyses the role played by international organisations and develops case analyses of key international security crises that represent or reflect important dimensions of contemporary global security. These could include, for example, the crisis in ex-Yugoslavia, the Rwandan crisis, the first and second Gulf wars and the conflict in Afghanistan. Attention will also be directed to the role and development of key international security organisations, particularly the United Nations.
30 credits
The Governance and Politics of the European Union: This module examines the history and development of the European Union, together with the institutions and decision-making processes of the community. It examines various theoretical perspectives on the process of European integration, evaluates selected policy sectors, particularly those sectors which are relevant for understanding the political economy of European integration such as the internal market and monetary union.
30 credits
Political Economy of Global Environmental change: The aim of this course is to introduce students to the major debates in the political economy of the environment. It will examine central debates around climate change, the Anthropocene, the commons, the green economy, biodiversity loss, population, sustainability and environment induced conflict. These debates will be examined by analysing the different approaches to tackling global environmental change. Therefore, the course will explore the debates about the political economy of global environmental change at various scales including international, regional, national and local scales, and as well as managing the commons and how individuals might engage in forms of environmental self regulation/self- limiting behaviours. The course will also make use of specific case studies to illuminate the wider conceptual debates.
30 credits
Democratic Governance in the 21st Century: Problems, Innovations and Solutions: Political systems around the world strive to be democratic, but what is meant by democracy and how this can be achieved? This module considers the nature of the democratic crisis faced by countries around the world and maps the latest innovations designed to address this challenge. Students will study tensions between new and old democratic arenas and consider the indicators of a thriving democracy. The module is grounded in the tradition of engaged scholarship and uses real world examples and solution focused analysis. Students will develop keen professional and research skills by studying the theory and practice of democratic innovation.
30 credits
Terrorism and Political Violence: This module produces a critical take on security and violence, combining Sociological and International Relations approaches, and applying them to cases ranging from the 'macro-level' (war, including guerrilla warfare/insurgency; genocide and most especially terrorism) through to 'micro-level' sites usually considered 'private' or 'intimate' ('domestic' violence, white supremacist bombing of historical Black churches, etc).
30 credits
Professional Skills for Psychologists: This module will provide training in a range of professional research skills including (a) understanding and critically discussing ethical issues related to psychological research, interpreting professional codes of practice, and understanding the work of ethical committees and professional discipline committees; (b) writing grant proposals and understanding the submission criteria and review processes for papers and grant proposals; (c) understanding issues of reproducibility of research and open science practices addressing them; and (d) understanding processes of dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences.
30 credits
Digital Methods: This unit introduces students to new and emerging methods for carrying out digital research that is, digital methods. Digital methods are natively digital techniques for researching the natively digital (for example, social media content, likes and shares; blog posts and comments; hyperlinks; tag clouds; folksonomies; search engines; recommender culture) (Rogers 2013). Digital methods include social media insights and analytics, social network analysis, issue network analysis, data visualisation, and data sprints, amongst others. As well as learning how to use these tools, techniques and processes, students on this module will evaluate them, the context of their emergence (and sometimes rapid decline). They will develop an understanding of how digital methods are used to create knowledge. In this way, the module addresses questions of web epistemology, information politics, ethics, device critique, and the social life of methods.
15 credits
Real Estate Economics: This course is concerned with the economic analysis of real estate markets. It examines the economic characteristics of property and the way in which these impact on the structure and operation of the property market. It also examines the functional divisions within the property market: use, investment and development and their interactions; and the role of property in the local, regional and national economy.
15 credits
Principles of Urban Design: An introduction to the essential design components, principles and theories that inform urban design practice today. This module examines the core components that make up urban spaces and how they can be analysed. The key objectives that inform many urban design practices are also explored, including legibility, diversity, safety and sustainable design. The ethics of professional practice in urban design are explored, including through consideration of equity and inclusivity in design practice. Teaching will draw on practical examples, using seminars, lectures and student site visits and virtual reality to develop skills in analysis and evaluation of urban spaces and their design.
15 credits
Media, State and Society in China: This module explores the workings of the media in China and their treatment of social issues. You will develop critical reading strategies for media, academic, government and corporate sources, research skills and gain experience in writing shorter and longer explanations of these issues.
In the first half of the module, we will critically examine changes in media coverage on Chinese society (in Chinese and overseas print media, social media and documentary film). In the second half of the semester, we will explore a range of social topics, through a combination of academic studies and media sources.
15 credits

Trajectories in Urban Design Practice: This unit focuses on exploring the emergent and potential roles of Urban Design practitioners, and on relating them to students' own Urban Design experience, both within practice and within the School of Architecture. The unit will be broad ranging, looking at the unprecedented scale and complexity of conditions that are shaping the urban environment globally, creating the need for a critical evaluation of the methods, tools, and design culture that surrounds the practice of Urban Design. The module will discuss the consequences of these conditions on the practice of Urban Design, and will invite students to speculate about the potential trajectories that they could take in the future as Urban Design practitioners. Assessments will be based on a reflection on student's individual experiences and future aspirations. This unit is also suitable for students taking a part-time route whilst continuing to work in practice. It is also suitable as an optional module for the MArch course. It will also be offered as a CPD module.
15 credits
Reflections on Architectural Design: The unit introduces the history, theory and application of design methodologies in architecture and related practices. Based on a critical analysis of precedents and approaches, students will be expected to develop their own methods for use in architectural design
15 credits
International Politics in East Asia: This module examines the major structures, actors, and ideas shaping international politics in East Asia today. A major aim is to introduce students to new theories about international order and identity linked to emerging trends in the region. Central themes address changing power dynamics and international order; regional identity and Asian centrism; leadership and the emerging multilateral architecture; and the future of ASEAN-led regionalism. The module explores both traditional and emerging challenges facing the region on the basis of a special forum on media and foreign policy analysis, interactive seminars, group tasks, and team projects. Special topics include the crisis on the Korean Peninsular, the Taiwan Strait, maritime disputes, and environmental threats.
15 credits
Work and Organisation in East Asia: The dynamics of change in East Asia are increasingly important for understanding the development of global society. This module will describe and analyse 'work and organization' in East Asia and consider whether its cultures and practices are shaped by national models. Adopting multi-disciplinary perspectives, we will examine the historical and cultural embeddedness of Japanese models and their contemporary socio-economic construction. We will consider structures such as the family and education system that prepare people for workforce entry and look a contrasting working contexts from the participants' perspectives. We will then compare Japanese work contexts with China, Taiwan and South Korea.
15 credits
Applied Microeconometrics: The module provides examples and experience of applying standard microeconometric techniques to large sample surveys, with practical guidance on how to estimate and interpret results from different models. The syllabus covers topics such as limited dependent variables, instrumental variables, panel data methods and decomposition methods. Throughout use will be made of the Stata econometric software.
15 credits
Applied Macroeconometrics: This module will enable you to understand recent applied literature in core journals of macroeconomics and finance, which uses time series methods, and prepare you for possible later research involving time series. You will learn to identify the empirical features of macroeconomic and financial data, and how to analyse the dynamic interaction of macroeconomic variables over time using key econometric techniques. Throughout use will be made of the Stata econometric software.
15 credits
Asset Pricing: This module will introduce you to the advanced principles of asset pricing in finance and the use of derivatives in risk management. You will gain knowledge of how important derivative assets are traded, the pricing models for important derivative assets, and the principles of hedging. This is an analytical module, which reflects the quantitative nature of the subject and in which each topic is developed from first principles. The module will cover both the theoretical foundations of asset pricing, the issues that arise in the practical use of these models and their limitations.
15 credits
International Trade: This module will provide you with an overview of the theory of international trade to explain the patterns of exchange of goods and services between countries, international migration and foreign direct investment flows. The module provides a survey of all the main models of international trade and foreign direct investment, supplemented by applications to key contemporary policy issues. You will use a number of analytical tools and empirical methods to analyse trade and policy issues.
15 credits
Public Economics: This module will provide you with a comprehensive grounding in public economics. Government policies, through fiscal policy instruments, can have a massive impact on the allocation of resources and the distribution of income in the economy. This module evaluates the government's ability to identify and achieve more efficient and equitable outcomes than the situation without intervention. You will apply the theory in the analysis of real world public policy programmes.
15 credits
International Money and Finance: In this module, you will acquire an understanding of the relationship between domestic and international economic activity in an open economy. You will learn to relate the various motives underlying international financial flows to their effects on real economic variables. The module will introduce mainstream theories of the determination of equilibrium exchange rates, both in the short run and the long run. You will also explore the causes of international financial crises and consider policy responses.
15 credits
Industrial Organisation: This module will introduce you to contemporary topics in industrial organisation with a particular emphasis on the role of economic analysis of strategic decision making. You will learn to use and appraise a range of economic techniques to make better strategic decisions. In this module you will build on and expand on your knowledge of microeconomics related to market structure; such as competition in oligopolistic industries. You will also become familiar with further oligopoly models (product differentiation, collusion, mergers) as well as behaviour in platform markets. We will also consider market implications when consumers are imperfectly informed (or naive) about prices or product characteristics.
15 credits
Monetary Economics: This module will provide you with a formal analysis of monetary economics and an understanding of how monetary policy works. It will cover the role of monetary policy in the macro economy, and expose you to the latest theoretical developments in monetary theory and policy. You will also gain an appreciation of some of the limitations of monetary policy.
15 credits
Early Childhood 2: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education: This module introduces learners to recent ideas related to contemporary issues in Early Childhood Education. Sessions to be taught include the following: children's rights; quality in Early Childhood Education and care; creativity in arts and contemporary communication practices; popular culture; digital literacies; gender; traditional and digital play; including children in research. This will be followed by student-led presentations on topics related to the above. It is intended that this will prepare students for their assignment.
30 credits
Language, Society and Education: The Language, Society and Education module provides students with an advanced understanding of the relationship between linguistic structures and social categories. It covers key research methods in the interdisciplinary field of sociolinguistics and their application to a range of areas including language and identity, discourse, performance and social interaction, ideologies and social structure, culture and education. By the end of the module, students will have developed solid theoretical knowledge in a range of research traditions as well as an advanced competence in qualitative research methods for the study of language, society and education. Students have the opportunity to explore topics relating, to the evolution and transmission of culture, intercultural communication, bi/multilingualism, attitudes to language varieties, voice, narrative and inequality in ordinary and institutional settings, media representations of social worlds, global spreads of language and cultural forms with specific reference to English and new media.
30 credits
Managing Climate Change: This module aims to provide students with a strong understanding of the social and physical science of climate change with relevance to international development. This understanding is then applied to consider the challenge of living with climate change in the Global South. The module is taught through seminars and lectures. Lectures introduce and impart factual knowledge while seminars allow discussion and an emphasis on applying key concepts to practical situations. Together these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the wide ranging literature on climate change.
15 credits
Communication Diversity & Difficulties: A: This module allows students to select up to three topics in the field of children's language and communication for more detailed study. Topics may include the following: autism spectrum disorders, language and communication in the early years, literacy difficulties, developmental language disorders (DLD), language and behaviour, language and communication in adolescence, and multilingualism. Theoretical perspectives and research findings within each topic are evaluated. Implications for practice are explored. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.
15 credits
Before Facebook: Social Networks in History: In a world of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, social networks seem a distinctly modern phenomenon, but are they only a product of our digital age? This module explores historians' efforts to reconstruct social networks in diverse contexts, from the ancient to the modern world. Drawing upon techniques first developed by social scientists, and increasingly digital methods too, they have found networks of trade and business; religious groups and political exiles; family, friends and much more. This innovative work is revealing how far lives and communities cut across boundaries of time and space - with important consequences for historical debates and issues.
15 credits
Information Systems Project Management: This module aims to provide a broad understanding of the fundamentals of project management as they apply to the development of Information Systems (IS). The module uses a flexible approach combining face-to-face seminars with web-based learning material. The module will begin with an overview of the principles involved in IS project management; followed by a discussion of IS development methodologies and their different characteristics and specialisms. The rest of the module will discuss the requirements for various project control activities, including estimating development resources, risk management, guidelines for system quality assurance, and various project control techniques that have been developed in recent years. The module will culminate with a review of human resource management issues.
15 credits
Researching Social Media: The module will examine the key theoretical frameworks and methods used in social media studies. Students will explore the following questions: 1) What can be learnt about society by studying social media? 2) How should researchers construct ethical stances for researching sites such as Facebook and Twitter? 3) What are the traditional and digital research methods and tools that can be applied to conduct research on social media? 4) What are the strengths and weaknesses of these methods?
15 credits
Information Governance and Ethics: This module explores a) the emergence of information and data as an economic resource; b) the governance challenges and ethical issues arising from organizations' systematic capture, processing, and use of information and data for organizational goals, e.g. value, risk, accountability, ownership, privacy etc; c) governance, ethical, legal and other frameworks relevant to the capture, processing and use of information and data within organizational and networked contexts; and d) technologies and techniques used in the governing and governance of information and data. Case examples from a number of domains, e.g. business, government, health, law, and social media illustrate the topics investigated.
15 credits
Public and School Library Services: This module will enable students to understand and critically evaluate key elements of the principles, functions, practice, value and impact of school and public library services. The course will present the roles of these services, and the extent to which they support the educational, recreational, information and social needs of all members of society. There will be an exploration of key issues affecting school, public and prison library services today, and the extent to which they work independently and together to support the educational, recreational and social needs of the users. Recent and ongoing research will underpin the entire unit.
15 credits
Big Data Analytics: Data Science techniques often need to be applied to large amounts of data to generate insights. To deal with volume, velocity, and variety of data we need to rely on novel computational architectures that focus on scaling-out data processing as compared to the classic scale-up approach. Such systems allow to add computational resources to a distributed system depending on requirements and load which changes over time. This module will give students knowledge about modern scale-out system architectures to perform data analytics queries over very large structured/unstructured datasets as well as to run data mining algorithms at scale.
15 credits
Digital Advocacy: This module will examine how digital media are used to facilitate and promote the campaigns of contemporary advocacy groups and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Theoretical perspectives such as connective action and the clicktivist critique of online activism are introduced in order to explore the effectiveness of online campaigns. Students will also consider the criteria by which such campaigns can be considered successful, drawing on a range of case studies including the Occupy Wall Street movement and the so-called 'Arab Spring' in North Africa and the Middle East in 2011.
15 credits
Business Intelligence: We will cover the principles and practices of gathering and synthesising business intelligence from the external environment, including organisations, competitive intelligence operations, environmental scanning activities, market intelligence, and strategic intelligence using open source information. A secondary focus for the module is the role of BI software in organisations to collect and analyse internal information. This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the ways in which business people use information and of how information is used to support strategic decision-making. Students will learn how to carry out effective searches using both free and fee-based resources, and will study key issues concerning the value, cost and availability of information. The module will concentrate primarily on external information resources but also covers the ways in which information internal to an organisation can be used strategically to enhance competitive advantage. Students will learn through a combination of lectures and practical exercises, and will have opportunities to develop expertise in using business-focused electronic information services.
15 credits
ICTs, Innovation and Change: This module aims at examining and exploring how organisations and human activity systems cope with change due to the new implementation or updating of Information Systems and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This change occurs in complex social environments and has cultural, political, structural and ethical impacts that need to be carefully managed. The module will examine and explore how both managers and Information Systems practitioners can be better prepared for the unpredictability, unintended outcomes and possible harmful consequences of change caused by the introduction or update of Information Systems and ICTs. Therefore, the module aims at providing an understanding of both approaches and techniques for the management of this change.
15 credits
Database Design: Effective data management is key to any organisation, particularly with the increasing availability of large and heterogeneous datasets (e.g. transactional, multimedia and geo-spatial data). A database is an organised collection of data, typically describing the activities of one or more organisations and a core component of modern information systems. A Database Management System (DBMS) is software designed to assist in maintaining and utilising large collections of data and becoming a necessity for all organisations. This module provides an introduction to the area of databases and database management, relational database design and a flavour of some advanced topics in current database research that deal with different kinds of data often found within an organisational context. Lectures are structured into three main areas:¿An introduction to databases¿The process of designing relational databases¿Advanced topics (e.g. data warehouses and non-relational databases)The course includes a series of online tasks with supporting 'drop in¿ laboratories aimed at providing you with the skills required to implement a database in Oracle and extract information using the Structured Query Language (SQL).
15 credits
Academic and Workplace Library, Information and Knowledge Services: This module introduces students to the purposes, functions and practices of a range of academic research and other specialist library, information and knowledge services in educational, public, charitable, and private sectors. It considers the challenges of delivering and developing services in a demanding, fast-moving and complex environment. Lectures are combined with sector-based case studies presented by visiting speakers drawn from various backgrounds, giving extensive opportunities for interaction with specialist practitioners.
15 credits
Global Journalism: Journalism in Britain: This module encourages a critical approach to its subject matter and this means questions! Who owned the first million-selling daily newspaper in Britain? What was the impact of broadcast journalism on newspapers? Why has the tabloid genre become so pervasive? Where can we see comparisons and contrasts to the 'British' model? When did journalism emerge as a distinct form of communication? How have women been involved in the development of journalism? What role have news cartoons played within the quality and tabloid press?

In order to understand issues and debates within the contemporary British news media, it is best to start with an understanding of how journalism has evolved within this particular national context. How did we get the news media that we have today and what does this mean for contemporary society? This is as important a question whether you are an overseas student, or a student from the UK who has never taken too much notice of the specifics of the news media. Students on this module will learn about the historical development of journalism and current debates concerning the news media in the UK including the evolution of the related field of Journalism Studies.
15 credits
International Law and the Use of Force: Recent conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq have attracted much debate on the legality of going to war. This module looks at that international legal debate, drawing upon practice and doctrine in the area known traditionally as the jus ad bellum. The topics considered are: limitations upon war in international war; the prohibition on the use of armed force in the UN Charter; the right of self-defence; humanitarian intervention; collective security and UN military action; and regionalism and collective security.
15 credits
Policing and Society: The aim of the module is to explore relationships between the police, citizens and their wider socio-political context. After all, the police are the 'litmus paper' for the unfolding dynamics of society. The module starts by familiarising students with key concepts, such as discretion, coercion and accountability. The module then goes to explore in-depth the history of policing, theories of policing, police powers and citizens' rights, community policing and patterns of policing in late-modern global societies, including civilianisation, privatisation and transnationalisation. This module draws partly on empirical evidence from England and Wales and other common law jurisdictions, but is also grounded in sociological theories about policing and society.
15 credits
Gender and Violence: Gender and Violence focuses on inter-personal violence - sexual violence; 'domestic' violence; 'domestic' murder; male-on-male violence; and child abuse. The module examines whether and how extreme violence could be theorized as gendered. It explores how sexual and 'domestic' violence have been and are represented in popular discourse; in the law; in criminal justice processes; and in service provision and it traces developments in these areas, using case-studies and international comparisons.
15 credits
Landscape Professional Practice: The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to elements of the landscape profession that they will require to understand in order to become practising Landscape Architects and, in time, Chartered Members of the Landscape Institute. Three subject areas are covered; Professional Practice, Landscape and Environmental Law and Landscape Contracts. These will touch upon issues relating to being a professional landscape architect, relevant landscape and environmental law and contract law as it applies to the practice of landscape architecture and the nature, forms and use of contracts used in the landscape profession.
15 credits
Landscape Professional Practice: The module covers three core areas relating to landscape architecture practice: Professional Practice, Environmental Law and Planning, and Landscape Contracts. These will touch on issues such as ethics, professional appointment and relationships, the Landscape Institute and Pathway to Chartership, relevant landscape and environmental law and contract law, contract documentation, forms of contract and procedures.
10 credits
Strategic Management: This unit introduces key theories of Stategic Management of business organisations; those concerned with strategy design and development, techniques and frameworks for crafting strategic options, competitive challenges of a global market environment, implementation of strategy and change. This theoretical understanding will then be illustrated and examined by reference to the way particular companies in contrasting industries have designed and executed their strategies.Particular attention will be devoted to expose students to many facets of strategy formulation/analysis and strategy implementation issues.
15 credits
Supply Chain Accounting and Finance: The unit focuses on developments in supply chain accounting and finance. New organisational forms demand new approaches to accounting and finance in order to maximise opportunities arising out of collaborative forms of engagement. Firms compete with each other on the relative merits of their respective supply chains and therefore accounting and finance practices must support this reality rather than being rooted in traditional organisational settings. The unit will critically evaluate accounting and finance in this context and identify developing tools and techniques in the area.
15 credits
Global Supply Chain Leadership: Global Supply Chain Leadership is a module designed to enable students to learn the latest strategic thinking and issues in developing a strong leadership to manage a global supply chain. Some theories from strategic management, organisations, international business, HR and leadership will be used. This is a multi-disciplinary module that prepares students with the relevant knowledge and skill sets required in order to successfully manage a global supply chain.
15 credits
Issues in Finance: This module develops student understanding of significant and contemporary issues in the fields of finance and accounting and their capability to independently research theory, alternative perspectives and/or practice to form a critical evaluation of a topic
15 credits
International Financial Reporting: The module should develop within students a critical understanding of the theory, principles and empirical practice upon which modern international corporate reporting is based. In particular, it will explore the application of multi-national regulatory frameworks and examine in detail the conceptual, political, and technical aspects of controversial accounting/reporting standards and their impact upon reported results.
15 credits
Performance Management: This module develops student understanding of the management of corporate performance beyond budgetary control. It considers contemporary pressures on strategic managers, such as the competitive environment, stakeholding, sustainability and risk that cause us to question the traditional singular focus on internal financial metrics. The module uses conceptual models and innovations in practice to provide alternative frameworks which address these multiple dimensions. Its content is technical and behavioural, as recognition of both is essential to designing a performance management system which suits a particular organisational context, and is aligned with its objectives.
15 credits
European Business: This module introduces the main features of European economic integration most relevant to business, including the Single Currency. It sets out the main characteristics of the different national economic systems of the main countries of Europe, Germany, Britain, France and Italy. It explains the challenges the 'transition' (ex-communist) economies of Central and Eastern Europe have faced, and the way these economies are changing. It seeks to draw lessons from the European experience for economic integration in other regions of the world.
15 credits
International Finance: This module is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of specific issues in international finance. Exposure to advanced finance concepts, knowledge and skills are provided, which are academically challenging and can also be applied practically in the workplace. Students will develop an understanding of international context within which large modern corporations operate and the opportunities and risks that multinational corporation's face. The practical use of various financial instruments and strategies to manage risk will be highlighted.
15 credits
Company Project: This module provides an opportunity for students to work on a company project. The aim of the project is to enable students to develop their understanding of, and response to, client needs. During their work on this module, students will develop their teamwork and project management skills.
15 credits
Fundraising management: sponsorship, philanthropy and the state: This module provides students with an understanding of the various income-generating sources available to the creative and cultural industries. It focuses on how the private sector, business and individuals, has financed the sector, and how these forms of finance have changed historically. The module will also explore the changing role of public, government funding as well as assessing the strengths of cultural policy in supporting the financial viability of the sector. The module will be delivered through lectures and group discussion of case studies during seminar sessions.
15 credits
Managerial Economics: This unit aims to develop an understanding of economics, designed to equip managers with the skills needed to understand business contexts and formulate appropriate strategy. The module explores the implications of supply, demand and industry structures for strategic decision making and focuses on some of the important models in the field and their application in practice. All lectures are supported by short break out sessions to illustrate different concepts and workshop-based seminars to work through particular examples and models.
15 credits
Management Inquiry: This module introduces students to the nature of management inquiry: data gathering and research practices in which managers typically engage. It covers the research methods which are used to gather and analyse quantitative and qualitative data for management purposes. It also covers the managerial practice of specifying, commissioning, interpreting and evaluating research data.
15 credits
Retail and Services Marketing: Various marketing concepts and practices could be applied in different business contexts. This module will evaluate how these retail marketing theories are used in a retail and a services setting. In addition, the module will also examine how the current retail environment affects its business operations. You will be introduced to various services marketing conceptual frameworks and learn about the importance of service quality as well as its measurement.
15 credits
Marketing in Society: This unit deals with the social context of marketing. It draws on a variety of issues engaging contemporary marketing practice and examines the implication of the the adoption of the marketing concept as one of the dominant business aproaches, as well as its widening use as a tool for framing and solving societal issues.
15 credits
Risk and Uncertainty: Organisations continually face uncertainty regarding various aspects of the environment in which they operate and a myriad of risks associated with various aspects of their businesses. This module discusses the behavioural aspects of economic agents that shape their attitude towards risk and the weaknesses of risk management processes within corporations. It also discusses the process of managing uncertainty through the creation and management of a portfolio of (real) options. The module will be delivered through lectures that will be supplemented with tutorials, and students will be assessed through an essay/coursework and a final examination which covers both theoretical and practical developments.
15 credits
Supply Networks Management: This unit will enable students to understand the complexities of managing supply networks across different industries. It will introduce students to the relevant principles and management frameworks to effectively identify and analyze the problems associated with network management. The unit will highlight the importance of supply networks in successfully managing the businesses, and will enable students to evaluate emerging trends in current and future industry landscape. Practical examples and case studies will be discussed to provide practitioners' perspectives over various issues in supply networks management.
15 credits
Managing Museums and Cultural Heritage Sites: The module defines and critically appraises the concepts and dimensions of museums and heritage spaces and examines the politics and uses of such sites. It considers local museums, World Heritage Sites and 'Starchitecture' new builds such as the Guggenheim, Bilbao and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. It examines policy, funding and the day to day management of individual museums and heritage spaces against the background of national government agendas and inter-governmental agreements that underpin large scale developments. It looks at provision of such cultural spaces from both the operator and visitor management perspectives and includes site visits within the locality.
15 credits
Well-being and Work: This module covers one of the core knowledge areas required for Occupational/Work Psychology and explores how work relates to individual and organisational well-being by considering the role of work and employment. It will cover areas related to the employment lifecycle, patterns of work, occupational health, stress and emotions, the causes, symptoms, assessment, prevention and management of stress, bullying and harassment, positive psychological perspectives and the promotion of wellbeing. Individual differences and diversity in responses will be considered. Critical evaluation of the psychological evidence base for relevant interventions and how these might be implemented and evaluated in practice will also be discussed.
15 credits
Financial Management: This module aims to provide knowledge about the ways in which organizations raise finance and how they make decisions under a variety of conditions of how best to use that finance once it has been raised. As such the module will introduce the students to different types of markets, the regulation of those markets and the different types of finance that are available in those markets. Students will also be introduced to the different uses that organisations may make of finance and a range of decision-making tools that are used to select between different uses of available finance.
15 credits
Marketing Research: This module enables students to gain an understanding on how to conduct research in the marketing environment. The module will evaluate the process and practices of marketing research through the use of different research designs and methods. In addition, the module will examine various types of analytical methods. This module will require students to develop skills in working as groups as the assessments will be based on group presentation and report.
15 credits
Employee and Organizational Development: This module investigates the theory and practical operation of training and development initiatives from the individual, group and organisational perspective. The focus of the module is on learning and the whole process from needs analysis to evaluation will be covered. Methods and tools for learning and development will be critically analysed and their impact on employee and organisational outcomes assessed.
15 credits
International Human Resource Studies: This module investigates labour market trends and human resource practices within diverse political, economic, social and regulatory contexts. In addition to analysing the impacts of globalisation, international institutions and national governments on employment policy and regulation, it also examines the human resource practices of particular foreign direct investors, multinational corporations, and public sector organisations in the majority and minority world (Global South/ODA recipients and Global North). Particular attention is accorded to trends in the deployment of people across the world of work, and to how HR can be utilised within different cultural contexts.
15 credits
Employee Performance Management: This module investigates the practical operation of different forms of performance management, their implementation, their change and their impact upon the individual with specific reference to motivation theory and reward management. It considers how recent social, economic and technological changes might be impacting upon the members of organizations and giving rise to new modalities of performance management as managers attempt to cope with increasing levels of uncertainty.
15 credits
Branding: This unit engages students with different theoretical perspectives on the nature of brands, their management, and the relationship between brands and their socio-cultural context. The learning process exposes the students to a wide range of brand examples. Students draw on the theoretical perspectives to write an analytical critique of a specific leisure brand.
15 credits
Policy-Making in the Real World: Policy making is an increasingly complex process, involving a range of 'wicked problems' and a growing set of options for addressing them. Given the multiple risks and crises they must deal with, how can policy makers come up with effective policy, learn from mistakes and deal with unexpected events? What tools can they employ to do so and how can we evaluate their success or failure? This unit will provide a theoretically informed, but practice-focused approach to these questions. Students will gain a range of practical skills through innovative group projects and visiting speakers from the policy world.
30 credits
Feminist and Decolonizing Approaches to International Relations: Bodies, Coloniality, Knowledge: This module problematizes core IR concepts and themes through an alternative 'geopolitics of knowledge' that comprises postcolonial, decolonial, feminist and queer, Marxist and post-Marxist approaches to IR theory. The first part provides an understanding of key moments, processes, actors and practices in the emergence of the modern system of sovereign states. The second part interrogates key concepts and themes in IR, including violence, the body, capitalism, globalization, sovereignty and anarchy, hierarchy and hegemony/empire, and indigeneity. In place of the 'West versus the Rest', the module will examine the imperial dimension of these themes while revealing the mutually constitutive relations between metropoles/colonies in the formation of modernity both materially and ideationally.
30 credits
Wellbeing in Politics and Policy: There has been a dramatic rise in political interest in wellbeing over the past decade. Politicians and policy-makers in a range of contexts - national and international - have moved towards embracing wellbeing as a more comprehensive, inclusive and appropriate goal of public policy than the traditionally narrow focus on indicators of economic prosperity. This has led to the development of wellbeing frameworks that embrace indicators of subjective wellbeing (e.g., happiness), environmental and social concerns alongside economic indicators. For some these developments have the potential to transform aspects of politics and policy in the long term. This module explores conceptual, empirical and policy-related aspects of wellbeing. It examines competing definitions, understandings and measurements of wellbeing and related concepts such as quality of life and happiness. It aims to give students a clear understanding of how and why wellbeing has risen up political agendas, the significance of developments in policy to date and the potential for wellbeing as a political idea and guide to policy.
30 credits
Capitalism and Crisis: This module explores the relationship between capitalism and crisis through the prism of the causes of and fallout from the 2008 crash. Part 1 introduces and unpacks the core concepts of the module - capitalism, crisis - and presents a brief historical overview of pre-2008 economic crises in order to provide some necessary context and comparison points. Part 2 surveys competing explanations of the 2008 crisis, by starting narrow (i.e. regulation of banking) and then broadening out (i.e. evolution of capitalism). Part 3 examines the fallout from the 2008 crisis, including the extent to which the crisis was truly global and the variety of political responses to the crash.
30 credits
Development and the State: This module will explore and critically assess the political economy of development. It does so by focusing on the interplay between processes of economic transformation and the political strategies pursued by states in the name of national development. The module is interdisciplinary, drawing on development studies, the political economy of growth and transformation, and comparative capitalisms. Part one reviews the most salient theoretical themes in approaches to capitalist development. This will put students in a position to understand more specific theorisations of capitalist development as a state strategy in a world characterised by uneven and combined capitalist development. Part two focuses more specifically on the state. This section will bring the more generic issues reviewed in Part One into a focused 'developmental' framing. Part three will open up to more ambitious evaluative work in which normative questions are asked and the prospects for capitalist development are contested.
30 credits
Freedom: Freedom is one of the most important political values, if not the most important one of all. This module investigates the political value of freedom via an engagement with the literature in contemporary political theory. To do so it focuses on: competing theories of freedom (negative, positive, republican); the relationship between freedom and other values (autonomy, equality, security); and a number of applied issues (the harm principle, freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of movement). The approach is theoretical and philosophical with the overall aim being to equip students to analyse and evaluate political arguments which invoke the value of freedom.
30 credits
Professional Skills for Psychologists: This module will provide training in a range of professional research skills including (a) understanding and critically discussing ethical issues related to psychological research, interpreting professional codes of practice, and understanding the work of ethical committees and professional discipline committees; (b) writing grant proposals and understanding the submission criteria and review processes for papers and grant proposals; (c) understanding issues of reproducibility of research and open science practices addressing them; and (d) understanding processes of dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences.
30 credits
Digital Media in a Datafied Society: This unit examines the social consequences of widespread use of social media, a key characteristic of digital society. It explores what happens as a result of the digitised and networked sharing of personal information and life experiences of all kinds, in times of datafication (that is, the transformation into data, numbers and statistics aspects of social life which formerly did not exist in such forms). The unit reviews theoretical literature on social media, data and society and addresses specific debates and issues, including: social media data mining; social media surveillance; the economic value of social media data; data tracking, privacy, rights and data subjects; governing social media data mining; data activism and open data; data visualisation; new forms of data work; data and everyday life.
15 credits
Visual Methods for Social Scientists: The module explores different approaches to understanding social reality by collating, creating and analysing images. The course will cover several methods such as compositional analysis, content analysis, and discourse analysis. It will also cover the use of different media such as magazine images, video and photography in social research. Ethical and intellectual property issues will also be dealt with such as copyright, anonymity and consent during the research process. Including the visual as part of a mixed methodology in research will underpin much of the material. The students will be expected to take photographic images during the course.
15 credits
Advanced Quantitative Methods for Social Research: The course will introduce more advanced uses of multivariable statistics in the social sciences. This unit then covers several methods that are often employed across the social sciences. These will include: Multiple Regression (including Ordinary Least Squares and Logistic Regression) and more advanced extensions such as multilevel models and longitudinal techniques. Students will undertake a small secondary data analysis project of their own devising for assessment.

15 credits
Advanced Qualitative Methods: This unit introduces students to a variety of advanced qualitative research techniques common to the social sciences, but which can be used in wider cross-faculty research contexts. The unit provides students with a philosophical introduction to advanced qualitative methodology, and will introduce a selection of advanced and pioneering research techniques, which will include techniques such as: creative approaches to qualitative interviewing, the use of sensory and mobile methods, participatory research techniques (including the use of diaries and drawings), qualitative longitudinal research, memory work, and life history approaches.
It will also introduce all students to the potential of re-using qualitative data and to advanced analytical techniques (including Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis). Students will also learn about innovative approaches to writing and communicating qualitative research. Finally, the module will also introduce students to a range of ethical issues arising from creative and innovative approaches to qualitative research.
15 credits
Working Beyond Disciplines: The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to interdisciplinary study for research students in the social sciences, highlighting the importance of research which reaches beyond disciplinary boundaries, and exploring the differing approaches through which such research can be achieved. By engaging students with the specific thematic pathways that are central to the intellectual project of the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, it introduces students to `grand challenges for the social sciences that relate to their own proposed research areas. Through this, it links interdisciplinary epistemological approaches to their application in the context of students own proposed research projects.
15 credits
Cities of Diversity: Acknowledging diversity within cities is increasingly regarded as central to successful planning, urban development and city making and is a very hotly debated issue currently, particularly with #MeToo, Brexit and Trump! But what do we mean by diversity and what theories exist to help us understand it? This module will focus on various aspects of diversity in the form of differing social identities (such as age, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and gender – including focusing on masculinity within cities) but also critically explore the ways in which diversity is understood by policy makers and city managers. The module will focus on cities in both the global South and North and consider the significance of migration in relation to diversity in both contexts. The module will rely on a critical engagement with literature from the discipline of geography, planning, urban studies and development studies.

15 credits
Transport Planning: This module will provide students with an introduction to transport planning and policy. The module develops students' ability to think critically about the framing of transport policy using UK transport planning as an example. It will focus on how planners in localities give shape to effective transport strategies, which balance a range of environmental, social and economic objectives.
15 credits
Issues in Housing: The aims of the module are twofold: to build both on substantive knowledge, theory and skills about housing gained in earlier parts of both the UG and PG courses, with an emphasis on policy analysis; and to look more closely at the links between housing and planning (in its widest sense) at the local and regional level.
15 credits
International Real Estate Market Analysis: This module will provide a comprehensive introduction to key concepts and approaches to the analysis of international real estate markets. This module makes a simple operational distinction between mature, emergent and transitional markets as a first step towards a systematic framework for analysis. It gives an introduction to specific real estate markets and the ways in which they function, and offers generalizable conclusions about the wider operation of global real estate markets. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of global political economy as a context for interpreting real estate markets.
15 credits
Planning Law: The course is intended to develop students' expertise in the legal framework for the planning system and to set that legal framework within the wider context of law in the United Kingdom. It considers the origins of planning law and seeks to provide explanations for the powers that the law confers on decision makers. The course focuses particularly on the development control aspects of planning law and looks at the rights and duties of applicants, local authorities and the Secretary of State in making and determining planning applications. It considers the criteria for decision making and the possibilities for the redress of grievance. It considers planning law in the light of wider discussions about human rights and planning gain.
15 credits
Investment Valuation: This module builds on the principles of valuation introduced in the Autumn Semester and enables students to develop in-depth specialist knowledge of the investment method of valuation. It therefore focuses on the valuation of commercial real estate investments (office, retail and industrial property), both on a freehold and leasehold basis, for a variety of investment purposes. You will learn to deal with a variety of valuation scenarios by developing and using spreadsheets and provides a further opportunity to prepare a professional valuation report for a client.
15 credits
Law of Business Leases: The aim of the module is to introduce and explore pertinent aspects of the legal system relating to commercial and business leases. The module covers areas essential to the work of the surveyor involved in managing assets and the built environment. It thus enables students to develop abilities in offering professionally defensible legal surveying advice.
15 credits
Managing Cities: The Seoul Case Study: This unit provides students with the opportunity to explore and research the management and development of major cities, and is based on an in-depth case study and field visit to Seoul in the Republic of South Korea to enhance their understanding. The module will provide students with direct experience of the contemporary management and governance of sustainable and global urban development, with exposure to real practices and to the socio-economic and physical contexts experienced by the population of a major South-East Asian metropolitan area. The module contributes to students' transferable skills through teamwork, research design and implementation, overseas collaboration and presentation skills.
15 credits
Health, Wellbeing and the City: This module explores the urban environment as a determinant of health and well-being and examines how planning and urban design can contribute to improvements in health. Beginning with an exploration of the historic relationship between planning and public health, the module focuses on how the urban environments support or undermine health in relation to mental health, ageing, obesity, air quality and noise pollution. The module also introduces the notion of health impact assessment and further reflects on the contribution of planning to environmental justice and the reduction of inequalities in health.
15 credits

Reflections on Architectural Design: The unit introduces the history, theory and application of design methodologies in architecture and related practices. Based on a critical analysis of precedents and approaches, students will be expected to develop their own methods for use in architectural design
15 credits
Communication Diversity & Difficulties: A: This module allows students to select up to three topics in the field of children's language and communication for more detailed study. Topics may include the following: autism spectrum disorders, language and communication in the early years, literacy difficulties, developmental language disorders (DLD), language and behaviour, language and communication in adolescence, and multilingualism. Theoretical perspectives and research findings within each topic are evaluated. Implications for practice are explored. Course content is delivered across a continuum to allow students to develop from their own level of existing knowledge and understanding.
15 credits
Applying Psychology to Work and Organisations: This module will provide models for reflecting on evidenced based practice (e.g., the scientist-practitioner model) and specific tools (e.g., critical incident), techniques (e.g., interviewing and group facilitation) and abilities (e.g., assertive communication and conflict resolution) to enable the gathering, analysing and feeding back of data in organisational contexts. This is an interactive module consisting of theoretical and practical inputs and the opportunity to apply knowledge and abilities through discussion, individual presentation and feedback, group activities, skill development and evaluation, with the outputs being captured in critical reflection and portfolio entries. Effort has been made to match the assessment methods of this module with those used in Stage 2 of the QOccPsych so that this forms a logical progression from this module and the MSc programme.
15 credits
Professional Skills for Psychologists: This module will provide training in a range of professional research skills including (a) understanding and critically discussing ethical issues related to psychological research, interpreting professional codes of practice, and understanding the work of ethical committees and professional discipline committees; (b) writing grant proposals and understanding the submission criteria and review processes for papers and grant proposals; (c) understanding issues of reproducibility of research and open science practices addressing them; and (d) understanding processes of dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences.
30 credits
The Science of Environmental Change: This module gives students a critical understanding of the science behind historical and recent environmental change. The module covers the core debates in environmental change, the science behind these changes, methods for detecting environmental change, and the impacts of these changes.
15 credits
Oral History: Oral testimony has established itself as a vital source for historians of the modern world, but its value is still widely contested. This module introduces students to the practice of oral history and the debates surrounding it. We will examine the different ways in which historians have used oral testimony and how this evidence has shaped our understanding of the past; explore the relationships between memory, narrative and meaning; and introduce students to the ethics and practicalities of interviewing. The module will equip you with the tools to conduct your interviews, and to use oral history testimony critically and sensitively.
15 credits
Principles of International Law: This module provides students with a foundational knowledge of public international law. The topics covered include the theory and history of international law; the sources and subjects of international law; recognition; the international law adjudication and dispute settlement mechanisms; and the law of state responsibility.

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15 credits
Human Rights: The module offers a critical engagement with the key debates in the theory and practice of human rights. The first section of the module examines the very idea of human rights, asking how human rights ought to be defined, and whether they can or ought to be morally justified. It also looks at some important challenges to the idea of human rights: namely that they are ethnocentric, superficial, and have become instruments of power. The second section explores some specific controversies in human rights practice: including such issues as how they are best protected, whether they can tackle such global problems as poverty and environmental degradation, and whether their violation can provide a justification for military intervention.
30 credits
Contemporary Challenges: Refugees and Asylum: Contemporary Challenges explores a key contemporary challenge in depth and applies key concepts in Sociology (e.g. class, race, nationalism, democracy) in analysing it. The focus of the challenge will change on a 3-4 yearly basis.
In its first iteration, the module focuses on Brexit: ideas of class and 'the left behind', English nationalism, nostalgia for empire, the media, and some of the impacts of Brexit in relation to everyday life. In doing so the module will develop a deeper understanding of the reasons behind the vote for the UK to leave the EU, as well as some of its consequences.
15 credits
Sociologies of the everyday: This module will explore theoretical and empirical insights into the mundane, personal and everyday. Beginning with an exploration of theoretical approaches to making sense of everyday, personal and mundane facets of the social world, the module goes on to explore key areas of everyday life including personal relationships; belonging in time, space and place; interactions between politics and personal life and everyday racisms. The module will also consider the challenges involved in attempting to 'capture' the everyday in empirical sociological research.
15 credits
Values in Planning: This module explores the inter-relationships between theoretical debates within planning and everyday practice. An awareness of theoretical debates is crucial to understanding the assumptions implicit in spatial planning practice and the challenges confronting practitioners - what frameworks are available to help planners to decide how to act and to determine whether their actions have been appropriate or otherwise? This raises fundamental questions about the very nature of spatial planning and the way it is currently practised. The module, therefore, addresses such questions as: what are the justifications for spatial planning and what goals should it have? What methods should guide the work of practitioners? Is the spatial planning system fair and just? What constitutes ethical action in spatial planning? Particular emphasis is placed on the dilemmas faced by individual practitioners in conducting their day-to-day work. The English planning system forms the focus for the module but it also draws on personal experiences derived from other work environments and planning contexts during the seminars.
15 credits
Managing Climate Change: This module aims to provide students with a strong understanding of the social and physical science of climate change with relevance to international development. This understanding is then applied to consider the challenge of living with climate change in the Global South. The module is taught through seminars and lectures. Lectures introduce and impart factual knowledge while seminars allow discussion and an emphasis on applying key concepts to practical situations. Together these structure students' learning, and provide an environment in which they can develop their skills in researching, presenting and debating arguments drawn from the wide ranging literature on climate change.
15 credits
Global Journalism: Media freedom: European, UK and US perspectives: The overall aim of this module is to develop an understanding of the international treaties and national laws safeguarding the exercise of freedom of expression by the media, the different interpretations of this freedom in Europe and the US, and the limitations to which it is subject. In particular, it aims to facilitate students in developing knowledge of topics including the protection of freedom of expression in the European Convention of Human Rights, the Human Rights Act and the First Amendment; the tensions between media freedom, hate speech and privacy; media freedom and political expression; the contrasting models of press freedom and broadcasting regulation; the debate on internet freedom or regulation. The module seeks to expose students to European, UK and US laws, as well as to other jurisdictions where comparative analysis is appropriate.
15 credits
Global Politics of Climate Change: This module explores the politics of global anthropogenic climate change, one of the central challenges - if not the single greatest challenge - of our age. By combining theoretical, case study and normative analysis, you will consider the nature and causes of climate change; global, national and local attempts to limit and mitigate it; its current and projected future impacts; and the possibilities of climate change adaptation. Topics discussed will range from the UN climate regime to Extinction Rebellion, from the origins of our global fossil fuel economy to the politics of renewables, and from 'climate refugees' to the political economy of carbon offsetting.
30 credits
Digital Health: This module looks at the social implications of digital technologies in health, considering what these mean for our experiences of health and illness as patients and as citizens, for the work of health care professionals, and for the provision of health care. The module will consider a range of contemporary areas such as self-tracking and gamifying health, telemedicine and care at a distance, health information on the net, electronic patient records, illness death and dying on the web, and health activism and online patient groups. Drawing across these, the module will consider questions about changing representations and cultures of health and illness, whether we can all be medical experts now, who has responsibility for health, how we relate to health care professionals, the commodification of health data and the relative benefits for state and industry.
15 credits
Sociology of Genders, Sexualities and the Bodies: Why are gender, sexuality and the body important areas for sociological study? How can these domains be seen to be political as well as personal? How have understanding around gender, sexuality and the body changed across time and cultures? How might experiences and practices of gender, sexuality and the body be impacted by intersectional factors such as race and ethnicity, ability and disability, faith, social class, age, and space and place? These are some of the key questions explored on this module, which will consider the diverse ways in which gender, sexuality and the body are understood and practiced at individual, collective and structural levels.
15 credits
Advanced social media research: This module focuses on innovative techniques that move beyond the traditional distinction between quantitative and qualitative approaches in the analysis of social media data. Students will critically discuss and apply some of the most contemporary digital methods developments. These include:
- interface methods, that is, methods combining analytical traditions from digital media, social studies of science and technology (STS) and sociology;
- app walkthroughs, that is, methods to explore the intersections of apps original purposes, normalised meanings and implied users and usages;
- techniques to detect bots and botnets in social media platforms;
- techniques to investigate the circulation of fake news on social media platforms;
- digital methods for visual research.
15 credits
GIS for Built Environment Professionals: This module aims to introduce key Geographical Information Systems (GIS) principles and techniques to students in fields where GIS is becoming an increasingly relevant tool. The focus is on enabling students to develop an understanding of the potential of GIS and some fundamental GIS skills, through a series of workshops using a range of common software. Assessment is through a written report incorporating visualisations and analysis.
15 credits

You will apply the skills and training from the core modules to an independent research project module taught within the department of your choice. This will either be in the form of a dissertation or high level-academic project proposal at the discretion of your department tutor.

Students will take one of these modules:

Independent Research Project by Proposal: This unit enables students to undertake an in-depth study on a topic of their own choice, and is guided by one-to-one academic supervision based in their disciplinary area. It aims to enable students to develop and demonstrate skills in the definition and planning of a substantial piece of enquiry that will further and deepen knowledge in their chosen specialist field. The independent research project by proposal will demonstrate the ability to identify research questions through literature-based analysis, and to show how these questions could be investigated through detailed research design.

Students without previous experience of conducting a high-level academic research project (normally demonstrated through prior completion of an MA-level dissertation or equivalent work in a relevant field of study) will undertake the Independent Research Project by Dissertation, instead of this module.
60 credits
Independent Research Project by Dissertation: This unit enables students to undertake an in-depth study on a topic of their own choice, and is guided by one-to-one academic supervision based in their disciplinary area. It aims to enable students to develop and demonstrate skills in the planning, definition and management of a substantial piece of enquiry that will further and deepen knowledge in their chosen specialist field. The independent research project by dissertation will demonstrate skills in the design and conduct of research: this may involve theoretical or policy literature-based analysis, and may additionally involve empirical exploration, either through primary or secondary research, of a relevant topic.
60 credits

The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption. We are no longer offering unrestricted module choice. If your course included unrestricted modules, your department will provide a list of modules from their own and other subject areas that you can choose from.

Open days

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Upcoming open days and campus tours

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time

Teaching

Lectures
Seminars
Computer workshops
Independent study
Individual tutorials

By introducing students to interdisciplinary research practice and the research challenges within their specific academic subject, the MA Social Research provides the strongest possible foundation for PhD study or a career in research across the full range of social science disciplines.

Dr Will Mason,
Director, MA Social Research

Assessment

Group work
Essays
Project reports
Portfolios
Oral presentation
Independent research project

Department

The Sheffield Methods Institute (SMI) is a unique organisation created to promote innovation in research methods that can be applied to the social sciences to ultimately help solve the big challenges facing today’s society.

A masters course from the SMI will help you with the next step on your career path, whether you are looking to pursue a research degree or develop your skills as a researcher in the workplace. Our course will advance your research ability and knowledge of research methodology - skills that can be applied to any area of social science research.

Our postgraduate degree has been designed to develop highly skilled researchers in the social sciences to world-class standards as defined by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). You’ll be taught by academics at the forefront of their fields, working to develop new research methods to help solve real world questions and problems.

You’ll develop highly sought-after qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods research skills through our hands-on teaching methods and you can tailor the course to your interests by selecting from a wide range of modules.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in a subject related to your intended specialism.

We also consider a wide range of international qualifications:

Entry requirements for international students

Overall IELTS score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component, or equivalent.

Other English language qualifications we accept

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Funding for postgraduate taught courses

Apply

You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.

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More information

Sheffield Methods Institute

Contact

SMI-admissions@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 8345

Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.

Our student protection plan

Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.

Postgraduate study