Sociology

with Quantitative Research

We live in a deeply unequal world – one in which your education, wealth, power, and even health can be determined not by your intelligence or character, but by the social group you belong to. The study of these social inequalities has been central to Sociology right from its beginnings as a discipline.

You'll learn how deep social divisions by gender, ethnicity, and social background really are, how they come about, and how they might be challenged. You'll read what classical and cutting edge sociology has to say about how and why inequality develops, and how it has been maintained. Engage with important ongoing debates about how society should be organised, and what can be done about social divisions that seem so intractably engrained.

Inequality is one of the most important issues of our age. Barack Obama described it as 'the defining challenge of our time'. And yet so much of the conversation about social inequalities is superficial and uninformed. At the end of this module, you'll have a much deeper knowledge of the real issues that underly these debates, and of how sociological research and imagination can help us to resolve them.

Society is becoming ever more digitally centred – from work to leisure, our activities are centred around 'the digital.' Do the ways we study society need to change in line with the ways we live within it? This module provides you with the chance to critically assess this, and related questions, while offering digital methods training to conduct your own research. To do this, though, we need to do two things.

First, you will critically reflect on issues around digital data and methods. This includes the implications of digital technologies on contemporary culture and society (e.g., online social networks, algorithmic mediation, online participatory culture, etc.); an evaluation of what digital culture and data are and why it’s distinct; and a grounding in the ethics of digital research via critical evaluation (e.g., algorithmic bias).

Second, you will put these critical reflections into practice using digital data and methods. This will allow you to develop your digital research toolbox, learning about methods like Social Network Analysis; Quantitative Text Analysis; Geographic Information Systems; and others. These skills will prepare you for both research in university, and future careers in the digital world.

Explore the major issues and controversies that have shaped key developments in contemporary social theory. We will survey the development of social theory through the second half of the twentieth century and up to the present day. Following on from the the earlier module on ‘classical’ social theory, it questions the distinction between the ‘classical’ and the ‘contemporary’ to highlight the intellectual decisions, values and problems involved in the packaging of social theory under these terms.

You will further explore social theories that extend beyond Eurocentric and anthropocentric perspectives. Examining evolving perspectives on core concepts such as biopolitics, habitus, ethnomethodology, recognition, shame, civilising process, intersectionality, coloniality of power, subaltern, cosmopolitanism etc. Upon completion, you will have gained a deep understanding of contemporary social theories and their applications in analysing current social issues. Being able to critically evaluate societal developments and contribute thoughtfully to debates on social change.

What is globalisation, and what forms does it take? How does globalisation reconstitute our relationship to society? How is global development experienced across the world, and what power relations does it (re)produce?

To help develop your critical understanding of globalisation we will present contemporary modes and challenges of doing sociology in an increasingly complex and interrelated world.

You will critically evaluate explore key topical debates relating to global economic interdependence, migratory flows and experiences, and the work of development agencies and NGOs. You’ll also explore forms of resistance to global processes, including alter-globalisation movements and the national populist backlash. Underpinning these themes and debates is a theoretical investigation of how we might frame and analyse globalisation and development processes, including ‘creolisation’, ‘McDonaldisation’ and postcolonial perspectives.

As digital spaces become more present and crucial to our everyday lives, these spaces not only impact out social and cultural understanding of the world around us, they also lead to new cultures and social groups.

You will concentrate on how the internet in particular has challenged some of our more traditional notions of identity and self, the body, relationships, community, privacy, politics, friendship, war and crime, economics, among others. In your lectures you will discover how some of the basic components of society and culture such as notions of identity, space, work, the body, privacy, community, and even the very notion of what it is to be human, have been complicated by the rise of virtuality, cyberspace, social networking, algorithms and artificial intelligence.

Through examining these issues through case study phenomena unique to digital culture, including gaming, music, dating, and social networking, you will build an understanding of digital culture, these ideas, and ways to communicate them are increasingly in demand in by employers as our society becomes more intertwined with digital spaces.  

Why do we care so much about whether other people respect us? Why does it feel so bad when people look down on us – so bad that people will take dramatic, and sometimes even violent action avoid it? What consequences does this have for society as a whole?

Your exploration of ‘social status’ provides answers to these questions. On this module, you will learn how status is different from the types of inequality we normally study in sociology like wealth, power, and social class. You will explore why human beings value status so highly, and why they often take such dramatic steps to avoid losing it. Through using the lens of social status, you will be able to understand a whole host of social issues, including crime and violence, mental and physical health, cultural taste, and morality and identity.

This is a unique opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’ – to understand one of the hidden forces that shape how society works.

To understand race and ethnicity in society, the self is a crucial place to start. We will encourage you to think about your place in your own social worlds, and in particular the importance of your ethnic and racial backgrounds/identities in shaping this sense of belonging in multicultural contexts.

What is the nature of ethnic ties and membership? How do understanding of ethnic group and race-based identities and membership influence our interactions with one another, and structure our opportunities in the wider society? How do our ethnic backgrounds intersect with our gender, religion, and sexuality? These issues are now critical in multi-ethnic societies such as Britain, where our use of ethnic and racial categories and terms are central to societal organisation and function, whether in the census or in everyday interactions.

But given the dizzying speed with which our societies are become super-diverse, via various forms of migration, and interracial and interethnic unions, the terms and categories we use are much less ‘obvious’ than they may have been in the past. Membership in ethnic or racial groups themselves is now increasingly contested, and we also question what we mean by terms such as ‘minority’ or ‘BME’ and if these terms are still suitable for our society today.

If you’re seeking to work in or make an impact in the world of teaching and education, understanding education is a global context is a great first step to making your voice heard and starting your career.

You will be encouraged to explore problems, challenges, and questions about education through a global sociological lens. You’ll cover the history of education in the local and global context, and an examination of the intersections, hierarchies, ethics, and dynamics of power and inequality in the classroom.

You’ll delve further into other topics such as the marketisation and digitisation of further and higher education; the rise in ‘radical pedagogies’, alternative, and inclusive curricula. We will ask you to consider ideas around the purpose of education and educational policy and their sociological implications, as well as encouraging comparative analysis of international education systems.

There will be a specific focus on your own reflexive experience of education, and how it might be experienced as a UK, international, widening participation, or non-traditional student considering current discourse and educational policy. You will also get hands on, being introduced to educational research methods, including the principles of action research and autoethnography, which will inform the work you do for your main assignment.

This module introduces and applies ideas in critical, cultural and communications theory to debates and issues surrounding media and popular culture. In an ever-changing media landscape, how we understand the relationship between the production and consumption of cultural forms, our relationships to media technologies, and of what constitutes ‘popular’ culture are perennial questions. The module focuses on themes of cultural elitism, power and control; the formation of identities and the politics of representation; the production, consumption and uses of different forms of knowledge; and the dynamic between societal values and the changing technological basis of a mediated culture. 

Global societies are complex, and so are the many ways and tools we can use to analyse them. Building on the previous year’s research methods modules, this will further develop your skills in research methods. You'll module on how to gain in depth, and rich, data and understanding of social phenomena through the design and application of qualitative research methods.

The first part of the module equips students with a critical understanding of qualitative research methods. This will give you skills in understanding how underlying mechanism, stories and experiences can be captured. The variety of qualitative research techniques available to social scientists and their relative advantages and disadvantages in understanding the social world. These include, interviewing, visual, comparative/historical, and discourse analytic approaches.

You'll also explore key steps in designing a qualitative research project and criteria for assessing its quality.  You'll then apply your research skills to a variety of projects, including a dissertation, as well as developing critical understanding of ethical concerns in social research including the application for ethical clearance.  

This module aims to develop your quantitative research skills into a more advanced quantitative research skillset. These skills are highly valuable in several fields, from the social sciences to political research and beyond.

On the module you will: Learn ways to work with and manipulate data to make them ready for statistical analysis. Critically understand the limitations of simple (OLS) regression, with particular emphasis on omitted variable bias and confounding. Learn a number of advanced methods for investigating the social world through quantitative research (e.g. those under the umbrella of the general linear models).

You will first consider the rationale for a method (its strengths and limitations), and then use the method in hands-on statistical analysis sessions using appropriate statistical software (e.g. R); Learn how to communicate and present data and quantitative analysis (e.g. with various types of data visualisations).

In this module students will apply their quantitative research knowledge in a real-world setting in the shape of a work placement within an organisation or working on a research project. Students will be involved in designing projects, working with another researcher or a team, and will be exposed to the practical challenges of developing and making use of quantitative research methods. The module focuses not only on these practical research skills but will also requires students to reflect on the challenges of working as a quantitative researcher and on their own individual progress during their project work.  Students will receive support by a supervisor as well as a supervisor within an organisation for those doing a work placement. Prior to the placement start date, taught sessions will also cover vital skills and knowledge for conducting practical quantitative research in an applied setting, such as: data security, ethics, and project development.  

This module offers you the opportunity to engage in either independent research or professional practice within an organisation, enabling you to apply theoretical knowledge and research skills acquired throughout your studies in a real-world setting. You have the flexibility to choose between three pathways:

Independent Research Project: You undertake an original research project under the supervision of an academic advisor. You are expected to formulate research questions, design, and execute a research plan, collect, analyse and draw meaningful conclusions. The research project culminates in the production of a dissertation-style report that demonstrates your ability to conduct rigorous academic research and the skills that come with it.

Creative Project: You can undertake an original research project akin to the Independent Research Project, but with a creative output aimed at utilising different kinds of skills and engaging a public audience with academic ideas and findings. This creative element could include a podcast, film, zine, poster exhibition, photo-journal or an alternative format depending on which medium best matches the aims of the research and your own interests and talents.

Professional Placement: You will also have the option to work with a placement organisation undertaking work relevant to your course, such as a company, non-profit organisation, government agency, or research institute. During the placement, you will engage in tasks and projects relevant to your field of study under the supervision of the organisation and assisted by an academic. You will apply theoretical knowledge to practical challenges, develop professional skills, and produce a research report addressing a specific issue identified by the organisation and in collaboration with the supervisor. Throughout the module, you’ll receive guidance and support from academic supervisors and/or placement mentors, ensuring that your research, engagement activity, or professional experience aligns with your personal academic and career goals.

This module aims to develop your quantitative research skills into a more advanced quantitative research skillset. These skills are highly valuable in several fields, from the social sciences to political research and beyond.

On the module you will: Learn ways to work with and manipulate data to make them ready for statistical analysis. Critically understand the limitations of simple (OLS) regression, with particular emphasis on omitted variable bias and confounding. Learn a number of advanced methods for investigating the social world through quantitative research (e.g. those under the umbrella of the general linear models).

You will first consider the rationale for a method (its strengths and limitations), and then use the method in hands-on statistical analysis sessions using appropriate statistical software (e.g. R); Learn how to communicate and present data and quantitative analysis (e.g. with various types of data visualisations).

What would you do with £2,000 that you had to give to charity – which cause(s) would you donate to and why? These are the real-life questions you will explore in this module, giving away real money, to real charities each seeking to raise funds for important causes impacting the communities of Kent and Medway.

Philanthropy in Action is like no other module, working collaboratively with Kent Community Foundation, you will hear directly from charities working within fields specific to your discipline, assess real-life assess real-life requests for funding and structure your own decision-making processes to culminate in hands-on engagement through the allocation of philanthropic funding to grassroots community initiatives.

As well as the practical decision of how to allocate £2,000 you will be supported to critically analyse the societal dynamics of philanthropy. We will explore the motivations behind philanthropic acts and their societal outcomes to assess the strengths and criticisms of this funding mechanism. We will draw on economic, social and moral frameworks to critically question the notion of ‘voluntary action for the public good’ so that you can reach conclusions about philanthropy’s role and impact across all spheres of civil society.

Thinking about a career in criminal justice? Or maybe you’re contemplating a career in the public or voluntary sector? Then this module could be your first step towards making it happen.

You will build on your previous sociological and criminological learning and enhance your understanding of how the ‘third sector’ and the criminal justice system operate in practice. You’ll have the opportunity to gain experience by working in the third sector and the criminal justice system. You’ll volunteer your time with an organisation that works in the fields of social justice, the third sector or in the criminal justice system (as agreed by the module convenor).

You will have completed 80 hours of volunteering by the end of the module. In addition to the volunteering, you will attend lectures and workshops that encourage reflection on their experiences and how these relate to their academic knowledge. You’ll also be required to complete a reflective learning log to help you think about your experiences and the transferrable skills you are gaining and that you can take with you in your career.

There is a well-established correlation between illicit drug use and other forms of crime. In order to understand this connection, and how to reduce related harms, we need a thorough and critical understanding of: the scale and type of illicit drug use; the causal connections between drugs, crime and other social factors; and the policies and practices that are used in response.

You will explore these matters, while also examining the inequalities in drug use and related harms across social groups, by class, race and gender. By the end of the module, you will be enabled to gather and analyse data on illicit drug use and markets, their links to other forms of offending, and the policies and practices that can provide just and effective means for preventing and reducing harm and inequalities.

The relationship between humans and other animals has received increased attention since the turn of the 21st century, quickly emerging as a deeply intersectional and multifaceted area of interest generally and in sociology in particular.

This shift also reflects growing public, political, and industry awareness to worsening climate change, mounting human health crises related to animal-based diets and zoonotic diseases, and expanding ethical concerns over the treatment of Nonhuman Animals used for food, medicine, clothing, and companionship.

You will get to grips with a multispecies sociological approach to understanding contemporary social problems, exploring the many ways that our relationships with other animals has profound implications for human systems, the environment, and, of course, nonhuman animals themselves. Together, we will examine historical and contemporary constructions of ‘animal’ and ‘human’ and how stories about biology, evolution, domestication, civilisation, economic progress, and “the other” create and reproduce social distinctions and boundaries for humans and nonhumans alike.

From extreme poverty and repressive governments to gender violence and structural racism, society faces numerous crises which trigger organised and spontaneous movements in pursuit of social justice. Why and how do people come together to engage in collective action? What is the purpose of protest and activism and how should we evaluate their impact? How do social institutions and wider publics engage with social movements?

Through exploring these questions, you will gain a critical understanding of social movements, protest, and activism, and the role they play in society and the wider political process.

Underpinning your learning are core sociological questions of identity, affect, community, and power, and the production of agency and empowerment in the pursuit of social justice. You’ll be introduced to a range of different types of activism, and a range of historical, recent, and contemporaneous movements. You’ll analyse movements’ grievances, modes of communication, organisation, tactics and contexts, engaging in key debates such as the use of violence, the efficacy of online activism, and the relationship between reformist and revolutionary change.

In short, you will develop a sociological understanding of protest and political activism, and engage in self-reflexive and critical ways with the practice of contemporary social and political change.

Environmental issues have become central matters of public concern and political contention, but addressing these issues is a complicated matter. How can we navigate these complexities to make meaningful, positive change for the environment?

Through this module you will consider explanations for the rise of environmental concern as well as the forms of organisation that have been adopted to address environmental questions. You’ll follow the development of environmental protest from the philosophical to the political. In doing so, you examine various scales of political engagement including the grassroots, nation-state, and international.

We will critically examine sociological analyses of environmental inequality, protest participation, institutionalisation, and capitalist co-optation of sustainability efforts. Upon careful consideration of various interventions, approaches, theories, and bodies of research, you will gain confidence in confronting the sustainability challenges that currently and increasingly concern a variety of industries, charities, governments, civic organisations and communities. A greener, more sustainable and equitable society depends on people just like you. This class aims to foster your ambition, leadership, and collaborative skills to make it happen.

How can we use theory and empirical evidence to comprehend the relationship between society and the economy? How can sociological training shed light on a range of contemporary political and economic questions?

This module explores those questions from all angles. You’ll look at topics like work, the rise of precarious employment and the role of digital technologies in workplaces. You’ll also discuss issues like inequality and debt at the household, national, and global level, as well as issues around gendered and racialised divisions of labour and problems related to consumption practices.

Throughout the course, you’ll engage with fundamental questions around the nature of money, wealth creation and rent extraction and examine the effect of extractive industries on our economy and planet - paving the way for a fairer future.

How is science changing society? Global challenges such as the prevention and treatment of disease, finding cures for cancer, or fighting antimicrobial resistance are all underpinned by scientific research; as is addressing climate change, pollution, and safeguarding the world’s ability to produce food. Advances in technology have changed the ways we communicate, work, and interact with the world from the ubiquitousness of smart phones to video conferencing and remote working. But how are people engaging with scientific or medical research?

You will consider science and society through a sociological lens and consider the who, how, where, and whys of ‘doing’ science. You will explore the social, ethical, political, and economic implications of scientific progress. You’ll study the barriers to doing and being a scientist and the implications of absences of peoples and groups in research cultures or health research.

Building upon this, you will explore forms of societal governance of science; policies, guidelines and professional codes of conduct. You contribute to discussions on topics including: risk society and the “humanisation” of science, science and its environmental impact, biosecurity and biosafety, technology and inequality, intellectual property rights, public engagement and public consultation, citizen science, AI and posthumanism, and national innovation policies.

Increasingly, more and more of us come from cities, so understanding the urban environment is crucial for figuring out who we are, and plotting the course for where we might be going. You will explore global cities and key contexts for modern social life, producing distinctive forms of sociological research and enquiry. You will focus on, and contrast cities in the Global North and South to explore questions of urbanisation under capitalism, planning, consumerism, globalisation, social differentiation, multiculturalism, and comparative urbanism.

You’ll delve into key concerns such as questions of belonging, and the ‘right to the city’ including who belongs in - and who is excluded from - the public spaces of the city, and the processes underlying such dynamics, as well as the possibilities for resistance for marginalised social groups.

Through this, you will consider topics including gentrification, displacement, homelessness, and policing, as well as social movements and activism. Key theoretical perspectives introduced will include Marxism, the Chicago School, post-modernism, feminism and post-colonialism. To really explore questions and produce answers, you need to go beyond the classroom, as well as lectures and seminars, teaching will include practical workshops and fieldtrips to enable students to apply learning to live urban contexts and analysis.

How do physical bodies influence the ways we perceive, understand, and engage with the world? How are bodies utilised to represent and experience our own and others’ gender and/or sexuality? How do these factors change how we are perceived, understood, and treated within society?

Everyone has a living, breathing body; so, everything we experience is by definition embodied. Yet bodies and gender are socially constructed, and embodiment is a contested term. Embodiment can describe how we represent ourselves at an individual or societal level: through the clothes we wear; whether we have tattoos; the way we use makeup; or how we ‘discipline’ ourselves through diet and exercise. Embodiment also describes a process of becoming and state of being more self-aware and conscious of the feelings, sensations, perceptions, judgements, and emotions that arise from, within, and about our bodies.

You will explore ways in which bodies can be researched and become tools for research, learning how bodies are a means of developing awareness and reflexivity. You will gain a deeper understanding of the body from a sociological perspective, exploring topics such as: hierarchies of oppression; gendered constructions of identity and sexuality; moving bodies; dis-abled bodies; and how certain bodies feel they do or do not belong.

Migration might be the most pressing issue of recent times, namely, migration, and its relationship to politics of identities, belonging and citizenship in global societies. Over the course of the term, you will explore migration through a series of key themes and issues. You will participate in debate and critically explore the ways in which migrants, refugees and diaspora communities shape their societies of settlement and origin and how they have become key actors of a process of ‘globalisation from below’ at different social and spatial scales.

You will critically discuss key concepts and theories deployed to analyse contemporary processes of migration, transnationalism and diaspora and assess their relevance across a wide range of migration case studies.

Examples of the central questions this module will address are: what are the main drivers of contemporary migration? To what extent can migrants become transnational citizens? What is the link between migration and homeland development in third world countries? How are gender, class and race relations affected by migration? By the end of this module, you will be able to accurately construct potential answers and debate points around these questions, giving you the toolbox to find resolutions to global discourse.

How does social experience from the Global South shape contemporary sociological debate and theory? This module attempts to answer that question by splitting it into three parts.

Firstly, you’ll explore the Global South and power struggles around in its historical context. You’ll examine the Eurocentric blindspots of supposedly ‘global’ or ‘cosmopolitan’ sociological outlooks and discuss what good social research should look like.

After developing a solid grasp of key historical and conceptual debates, you’ll move on to study specific regions (such as China, India and Africa) to deepen your understanding of issues such as universality and difference, resistance and subversion, national and transnational solidarities.

You’ll then conclude the module by looking at methodological and conceptual reflections on mainstream sociology. Deepending both your knowledge of the global south, and understanding its context in modern sociology.

This module combines theoretical and methodological approaches and empirical cases to examine how our understandings of the past, present and future are constructed in various social, cultural, political and digital contexts. It explores the different temporalities that underpin social life on and offline and how ideas and norms about time are embedded in institutions, spaces and everyday practices. We will critically explore the cultural roles of memory and the imagination in the construction of social life, the roles of ‘heritage’ and nostalgia in contemporary political and policy discourse, ongoing debates about the acceleration and mediation of everyday experience, the development of movements for 'slow' ways of living, renewed interest in rhythm, and contest over ‘whose time counts’. Through these explorations, the module provides context and nuance that compliments and help us understand wider issues within and beyond sociology: issues of collective, cultural and individual identity, social and technological change, everyday life, and political decision-making.