Sociology and Global Sustainable Development

First-year core GSD modules consider different perspectives that might be taken on global issues, corresponding to the United Nations’ three pillars of Sustainable Development – Economic, Social andEnvironmental. You’ll also complete a group project on a controversial, local, topical problem that poses significant sustainable development questions.

In your second year, you have a choice of GSD modules. You can take either Bodies, Health and Sustainable Development, which examines issues surrounding health and the representation of bodies in contemporary culture, or Food Security which will examine the relationship between food and sustainability using theories and methods from the sciences, social sciences and humanities.

You will also choose a module from a range of options available across the University which has a focus on sustainability. Alternatively, after the first term at Warwick studying Bodies, Health and Sustainable Development or Food Security you may choose to travel to one our overseas partners, where you’ll continue taking relevant modules in Global Sustainable Development and your joint degree subject.

In your final year, you’ll be able to choose to study topics that raise global sustainable development issues from a range of options offered by the GSD Department (such as ‘Work’ and ‘Energy’) as well as from around the University. You’ll also bring together your knowledge, ideas and conclusions in a dissertation focusing on a GSD issue.

You’ll build a solid foundation of essential theoretical, analytical, professional and research-based skills in your first-year Sociology modules. In your second year, you will learn about the development of sociology as an academic discipline and the approaches taken by key practitioners as well the effects of neoliberalism on society. You will learn how to analyse datasets and will gain practical skills for planning and carrying out social research. In your third year you have a choice of modules. For current students, these options include Sociology of Health and Medicine, Capitalism and Religion, and Racism and Xenophobia.