Sociology

Sociology is concerned with how people create and sustain society, and how society shapes people. Students learn to adopt the ‘sociological imagination’, which illuminates the interplay of individual biographies with historical and social circumstances. Sociology at Aberdeen is recognised for its excellence in both research and teaching

• In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise Aberdeen was in the top rank of UK university Sociology departments

• The Times Good University Guide (May 2007) identifies Aberdeen as one of the best places in the UK to study sociology. Aberdeen currently occupies second place in its rankings and we are the highest ranked department of sociology in Scotland

• A recently completed national survey of student satisfaction (November 2007) gave Aberdeen's Sociology Department a satisfaction rating of 97%, the third highest rating among UK Sociology Departments

• Recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council as an outlet for research training and supervision for Masters and PhD students

• The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council judged the department to be “Excellent” in its Teaching Quality Assessment: the highest grade possible

• International reputation for its research work

Degree Programme Structure & Content

Courses are available from first through fourth year. There is an Honours degree and a Designated degree in Sociology.

First Year
Introduction to Sociology 1 answers the question of what sociology is. It addresses the relationship between individuals and society and looks at how society is reproduced over time.

Introduction to Sociology 2 examines the key sociological notion of ‘social structure’ by means of a range of contemporary social themes and issues, such as religion, crime and the media.

Second Year
The second year extends the analysis of the ‘sociological imagination’ and looks at a range of contemporary social issues and themes that exemplify sociology’s attention on people acting in social settings and the structures they inhabit and which comprise what we call society. Topics will be approached in order to illustrate how sociology combines both theory and empirical investigation.

Third & Fourth Year (Honours)
In the third year students take courses in Research Methods and Sociological Theory. In the fourth year students begin their individual research projects and choose from a range of option courses such as Work and Industry, Modern Scotland, Body Work, Political Sociology, Masculinity and Femininity, European Societies, the Sociology of the City, Religion and Culture, and the Sociology of Peace Processes.

Teaching & Assessment

Most courses are taught using a combination of lectures and small-group seminars, and are assessed by both essays and formal examinations. For Honours students, the year-long research project forms a major element in the final assessment.