Courses and structure

Year 1

You take two Sociology Core Courses:

• Researching Society and Culture (15 credits)
  
• Modern Knowledge, Modern Power (15 credits)
  

and one Politics Core Course:

• Ideas, Ideologies and Conflicts (15 credits)
  This is an introduction to political theory and an exploration of why central political ideas and concepts influence our understanding of the world around us. Assessed by: one essay and a two-hour unseen examination.

and one of these Politics Options:

• World Politics (15 credits)
  This course takes a critical look at the study of world politics, emphasising that there are different and competing perspectives on how to approach the subject, drawing on perspectives from both international relations and international studies. Assessed by: one essay and a two-hour unseen examination.

• UK and European Comparative Governance and Politics (15 credits)
  An introduction to the comparative approach to politics and government, in addition to building a foundation understanding of the politics and governance of four key members of the European Union: the UK, Germany, Italy and France. Assessed by: one essay and a two-hour unseen examination.

• Political Economy and Public Policy (15 credits)
  This course provides an introduction to the main theories and concepts in economics, and to debates about major issues in public policy that are informed by economic analysis. Assessed by: one essay and a two-hour unseen examination.

Year 2

You take three  Sociology Core Courses:

• Central Issues in Sociological Analysis (15 credits)
• The Making of the Modern World (15 credits)
• Social Change and Political Action (15 credits)

and one Politics Core Course:

• Modern Political Theory (15 credits)
  In this course we examine the modern tradition of political thought. Students will be introduced to the major figures in this tradition – English thinkers such as Hobbes, Locke and Mill – and continental thinkers such as Rousseau and Marx. Through these thinkers, we will explore key themes and concepts such as sovereignty, justice, human nature, rights, liberty, democracy and equality. The course aims to give students a more in-depth introduction to a series of thinkers who have all had an enormous impact on the way we think about politics today, as well as to allow them to situate key ideas and concepts within contemporary political theory debates. Assessed by: two essays and a two-hour unseen examination.

plus one Politics Option from the following list:

• Africa in the Global Political Economy (15 credits)
• An(other) Japan: Politics and Popular Culture (15 credits)
• Comparative European Politics (15 credits)
• Chinese Politics (15 credits)
• Contemporary International Relations Theory and Practice (15 credits)
• Political Economy (15 credits)
• Themes and Issues in British Politics (15 credits)

and one Sociology Option.

Year 3

You take two Sociology Core Courses:

• Theorising Contemporary Society (15 credits) 
• Dissertation (30 credits)
  Supervised research and study on a topic agreed between you and your tutor.

and one Sociology Option (15 credits), plus Politics Options to the value of 30 credits, spread evenly throughout the year – the list currently includes:

• Anarchism (15 credits)
• An(other) China: Streetscenes of Politics (15 credits)
• Beyond all Reason (15 credits)
• Discourse, Power and Politics (15 credits)
• Nationalist Conflict and International Intervention (15 credits)
• Party Systems and Electoral Systems (15 credits)
• Politics and Economics of Immigration (15 credits)
• Public Policy Analysis (15 credits)
• Rhetoric and Politics (15 credits)
• Risk and Politics: Theory and Practice (15 credits)
• The Politics of the African City [subject to approval] (15 credits)
• Political Economy of the European Union (30 credits)
• New Radical Political Economy (60 credits)

Teaching

Teaching is by lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. You're assigned a personal tutor, who also acts as an academic tutor. Tutors oversee your academic work and progress over the year. In the third year, most students undertake a Dissertation on a subject of their choice, for which they receive supervision.

Assessment

Assessment is through a combination of examinations, pre-released examinations, assessed course work and projects.

Skills and careers

We work closely with the Goldsmiths Careers Service, part of the University of London Careers Service – the biggest in the UK. Through the Careers Service you'll have access to a wide range of facilities to help you plan your future effectively. You'll have the opportunity to meet our Department’s graduates and find out how their sociology degree gave them skills intrinsic to careers development.

We also work closely with the College’s Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship’s Synapse programme, which provides workshops that will help you to develop both your employability and personal skills in critical and creative ways. In the context of a rapidly changing social and economic climate, these workshops provide you with valuable thinking time in which you can develop practical skills and also explore your ideas for your future.

Skills

The BA Sociology and Politics programme will help you develop the following skills:

• an understanding of political processes
• and understanding of current and emerging concepts and theoretical approaches that are central to sociology
• the capacity to carry out sociological research
• the ability to examine how social, public and civic policy can be influenced by sociological knowledge
• the ability to investigate, appraise and communicate empirical information
• research and problem-solving skills
• communication skills

Careers

This degree enables graduates to go on to a wide range of careers, covering areas including:

• television
• the press
• political research
• national/local government
• advertising
• pressure groups and charities
• business and management
• market research

Further information

• Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
• Our alumni

About the departments

The Department of Sociology

The Department of Sociology is nationally and internationally recognised as one of the UK’s leading university departments in the discipline. We have an excellent reputation for teaching and achieved the highest rankings for research in the latest Research Assessment Exercise 2008, coming joint top in the UK. We play a key role in the development of contemporary social and cultural understandings and innovative social science research methodologies.

Research strengths

Our research strengths are wide and include:

• inequalities
• sociological theory
• art and literature; education
• culture and communication
• science, technology and health
• globalisation, cities and economic life
• racism, religion and nationalism
• social and political movements
• citizenship
• design
• class
• the body and society
• new media and the internet
• psychoanalysis
• human rights, law and citizenship
• visual sociology

These research interests are reflected in our teaching, especially in the second and third years of our undergraduate degrees.

Staff

The Department has 28 full-time academic staff, including nine Professors and nine professional staff, as well as part-time and research staff. We also have a number of visiting tutors. We publish widely in the form of books, contributions to journals, and press articles. This means that you'll be taught by staff who are actually shaping the discipline.

Find out more about staff in the Department of Sociology.

Facilities

In addition to extensive computing facilities, the Department co-ordinates a programme of talks featuring visiting lecturers from other universities. These talks cover specific areas of interest, and supplement events held by academics within the Department.

The Department of Politics

Politics at Goldsmiths focuses on three key themes: conflicts, cultures and crossing boundaries. In tackling conflicts, clashes of ideas and nations. Our emphasis on political culture draws in politics from street-level upwards. By crossing boundaries, we reach beyond the study of Politics to many other disciplines. In doing all of this, we offer a number of exciting specialisms including Asia, Africa, and postcolonialism, as well as political theory and core aspects of British and European politics.

Why study in the Department of Politics?

• The Department of Politics was awarded an excellent 22 points out of 24 in the latest Teaching Quality Assessment of Politics and Economics.
• Our research strengths include Chinese politics, European politics, African politics and political thought, British politics, modern political and social thought, history of ideas, Marx and Marxism, the politics of health, international relations and public administration, the relationship between art and politics.
• You'll benefit from extensive computing facilities, direct access to the campus network, a wide range of packages, including SPSS, Microsoft Office, e-mail, Internet, and other software according to individual needs.
• We have research links with private and public institutions.
• We have external links with bodies including the Home Office, Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, and representations on the Joint University Council, the European Commission and national bodies.

Staff

Find out more about the specialisms of staff in the Department of Politics.