What you will study
Introducing the social sciences provides an accessible and contemporary introduction to the social sciences and the questions and issues that social scientists investigate and explore. It is an ideal entry-level module for a range of social science and related qualifications.
The module begins with The Life and Times of the Street as a window into a range of social issues which social scientists are interested in exploring. In addition to providing the starting point for the three questions that form the teaching strands to this module, the street is regarded as a place that provokes questions and issues which you will return to at various points during your study. By exploring the street, this module aims to show you how social life is being made and remade in the contemporary UK.
The three module-wide questions are:
- How is society made and remade? This asks how people make society in their relations with one another and with the world around them, and how, in turn, society shapes people.
- How are differences and inequalities produced? People making and being shaped by society generate differences between and inequalities among groups and individuals – you will discover where these come from and how they change
- How do we know? This sets out how social scientists investigate and answer questions about society.
You'll explore social science answers to these questions by looking at the following three strands of study:
This addresses questions about how people make and remake their lives but not in circumstances of their own choosing. Through a focus on consumerism and shopping, power and markets, you will explore how social lives are made and remade, how individuals’ identities and sense of self are shaped by their relationship with other people and with objects. In addition, you will examine the constraints and opportunities that impact upon people’s ability to belong to a consumer society.
The second strand is about the various ways that individuals and their social lives are made and remade through connections to, and disconnections from, other people and places, plus how they see themselves, see others and where they live. A key focus will be on the insights both psychologists and sociologists can bring to an examination of questions of identity in relation to personal and social lives, issues of class, gender, race and disability and issues around our connections to place and migration.
The final strand explores some of the different ways in which social life is ordered and governed through the rules, norms and expectations people have of one another in day-to-day interaction. You will discover how these are made and remade; how does social order and ordering vary in time and place; and how is social order contested, challenged and sometimes broken. In this strand you will explore the relationship between social order and disorder beginning at the level of the neighbourhood and finishing with an examination of the role played by political authorities (governments and states) in defining and attempting to govern order and disorder.
You will learn
You will learn:
- the nature of the social sciences and the ways they develop through a process of questions, arguments, evidence and evaluation
- some key issues and debates at the centre of life in the contemporary UK.
You’ll develop an awareness of a range of different disciplinary approaches in the social sciences and you will gain confidence and skills in:
- studying and accessing information from a range of sources
- constructing arguments
- reading, interpreting and evaluating evidence
- presenting and communicating ideas and information in a variety of formats
- managing your time
- communicating effectively
- learning from feedback
- reflecting on your own learning.
After this module, further study in the social sciences could open up employment opportunities in a wide range of occupations in business, banking, insurance, education, health professions, administration, law, social services, voluntary and campaigning organisations, the media, public relations, public service organisations and government (national and local), planning and environmental management, the criminal justice system, and social welfare organisations. The module builds a strong basis of vocationally oriented skills that are transferable to the job market.