FAQs
Why do sociology at Goldsmiths?
• The Department has pioneered an innovative version of sociology which we call ‘Live Sociology’ which connects sociological theory to contemporary social issues - reflected in our work on race, racism and religion; gender and sexuality; culture; new media; health, illness, and biomedicine; urban life and the inner city; human rights and citizenship; social class; violence and globalisation.
• The people who will teach you are leading sociological researchers and writers. We write the books that are in your reading lists.
• National Student Survey data for 2010 indicate that nearly 90% of our students were satisfied with the quality of their undergraduate degree
• The Department was awarded the highest research ratings in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise carried out by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, indicating the international and world class quality of our research and placing us as one of the top four Sociology Departments in the country.
• Over 50% of our staff have won teaching awards.
• We place a strong emphasis on training you in rigorous sociological research methods.
• We have a great record in developing people’s potential.
Where will a sociology degree get me?
All of our programmes aim to provide you with the skills and competencies that are valued by employers. These include:
• Problem-solving skills - critical & analytical skills, adaptability, flexibility, numeracy & literacy, creativity
• Interpersonal skills - teamwork, social skills, empathy
• Intrapersonal skills - planning & organisational skills, time management, reflection, self-motivation, insight
• Communication skills - articulacy, presentation skills, networking, self-marketing, persuasiveness, emotional intelligence
Our sociology graduates have gone on into a range of fields including teaching, community work, research in local government and in the voluntary sector, radio, TV, women rights, public relations, develop their own companies and further post-graduate study. We have an excellent Careers Service that can provide you with support and advice about your future.
Why come to New Cross?
Goldsmiths is in New Cross, south east London. Vibrant, urban and with great travel connections to central London, it's an ideal low-cost base for experiencing and enjoying the capital.
With green spaces, art galleries, great places to eat, and live music on your doorstep, New Cross has an original and eclectic community feel. It offers a lot to explore.
Take a look at this video that features Goldsmiths students talking about the area:
What will my time-table look like?
UG 1st Year Autumn & Spring Timetable - Academic Year 2011-2012
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MONDAY |
TUESDAY |
THURSDAY |
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09:00-10:00 |
SO51003A Modern Knowledge Modern Power (MKMP) Lecture – NAB LG02 Core for all students: BA Soc, BA Med/Soc & BA Anth/Soc & BA Soc/Pol |
WEDNESDAY – NO SOCIOLOGY TEACHING |
FRIDAY - NO SOCIOLOGY TEACHING |
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10:00-11:00 |
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11:00-12:00 |
MKMP Seminar Group 1 – RHB 343 Group 2 – DTH B8 Group 3 – RHB 226 |
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12:00-13:00 |
SO51005A/6A Core for BA Soc & BA Soc/Pol students only |
MKMP Seminar Group 4 – DTH B8 Group 5 – LGB Tank Room Group 6 – RHB 220a |
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13:00-14:00 |
RSC1 Seminar Group 1 – RHB 220a Group 2 – RHB 219 |
MKMP Seminar Group 7 – RHB 220a |
SO51002A Critical Readings Lecture - WB IGLT Core for BA Soc, BA Med/Soc & BA Anth/Soc students only |
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14:00-15:00 |
RSC1 Seminar Group 3 – RHB 220a Group 4 – RHB 220 |
SO51004A Culture & Society Lecture – NAB LG01 Core for BA Soc students only |
Critical Reading Seminar Group 1 – RHB 141 Group 2 – RHB 226 Group 3 – DTH B8 |
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15:00-16:00 |
Culture & Society Seminar Group 1 – RHB 343 (Aut) & RHB 257 (Spr) Group 2 – WTA (Aut) & RHB 350 (Spr) |
Critical Reading Seminar Group 4 – RHB 221 Group 5 – EB 225 Group 6 – RHB 226 |
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16:00-17:00 |
Culture & Society Seminar Group 3 – RHB 221 |
What will I be reading?
Each course has its own reading list. Here are some examples of the texts that you will cover in the core first year courses ‘Critical Readings’ and ‘Modern Knowledge, Modern Power’.
Critical Readings
Most of the writers you will look at in this course develop a grand view, vision or theory of whole societies – or even all societies, their histories, and the place of individuals within them. This is an example of „the sociological imagination‟ and is a key theme of this course. You will have to learn to get into the mind of the writer. You will come across dense writing that uses many unfamiliar words and concepts – and you will learn how you can „see through the language‟ and identify the argument that the writer is making, the steps they take in their argument, and the strengths and weaknesses of their argument. These ways of thinking and learning are skills which you will develop (learning outcomes), and include:
Course Learning Outcomes
The ability to think critically about what you readThe ability to recognise, understand and explain an argument or idea
The ability to compare and contrast arguments and ideas across a range of thinkers and writers, and the ability to identify the historical context of these arguments
The ability to approach and analyse texts with confidence
Examples of readings
Selections from Swift, Jonathan (2001) Gulliver's Travels London: Penguin. First published 1726.
Orwell, G. (2003) 'Politics v. Literature: An Examination of Gulliver's Travels' in Shooting the Elephant and Other Essays London: Penguin. (First published 1968).
Zimmerman, E. Extracts from Engels, F. (1996) „The great towns‟ in The Condition of the Working Class in England [1845]. Re-printed in LeGates, R. & Stout, F. (eds), The City Reader. London: Routledge, pp. 46-55.
Giddens, A. (ed.) (1974) Positivism and Sociology, „Introduction‟. London: Heinemann. p. 1-4
Swingewood, A. (2000) A Short History of Sociological Thought. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Modern Knowledge, Modern Power
The course is concerned with how sociology has explained and analysed key divisions and differences in modern societies. Rather than focusing on formal structures of power – for example, the state – the course concentrates on how individual and collective identities and experiences are shaped by diverse power relations in society. Specifically, we will be looking at issues of power and identity in relation to four core sociological categories: class, gender, „race‟, and religion. Each block of lectures will consider classical and more contemporary approaches to these themes, tracing how sociological theory and analysis has developed over the history of the discipline. The course will consider these four central themes in terms of both social structures and relations, and subjective identities. In this way, the course as a whole examines how sociology has produced bodies of knowledge about the organisation of power in modern societies.
Learning Outcomes
To understand and be able to apply classical and contemporary sociological approaches to the study of social divisionsTo understand and be able to apply a range of sociological perspectives on power and difference in society
To acquire knowledge and understanding of different approaches to the analysis of inequalities and identities
Examples of readings
Stuart Hall and Bram Gieben (eds) (1992) Formations of Modernity. Cambridge:Polity.
K. Marx and F. Engels (1848) „Bourgeois and proletarians‟, section 1 of The Communist Manifesto, in D. McLellan (ed.) (1977) Karl Marx: Selected Writings Oxford: Oxford University Press. 222-231.
Max Weber (1922) „Class, Status and Party‟. Extract from Economy and society in W. G. Runciman (ed.) (1978) Max Weber: Selections in Translation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 43-56.
Willis, P. (1977) Learning to Labour: how working class kids get working class jobs Aldershot: Gower. Ch 1, Introduction
Skeggs, B. (1997) Formations of Class and Gender: becoming respectable London: Sage. Ch 5 pp. 74-97
A. Phillips (1991) Engendering Democracy University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press Ch. 4
Introductory Readings
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