Goldsmiths, University of London has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Course summary
Our innovative BA Sociology programme will equip you with the practical tools to understand the world around you, and to think about how to change it for the better. Why study BA Sociology at Goldsmiths
- You’ll be joining one of the world’s leading sociology departments. We've been rated top 10 in the UK for Sociology in the QS World University Rankings 2023.
- You’ll study contemporary local and global events to explore diverse issues, such as:
- Our staff are specialists and pioneers in their fields. They write the books that are on reading lists across the country, and you’ll be working with them directly.
- We help you to discover the type of sociologist you want to be. You’ll ‘get messy’ with hands-on research methods modules in your first two years of study. In your final year, you’ll design and carry out your own research project based on your own interests. Recent projects ranged from Social Influencers as Digital Capitalists, to Conventional Beauty Standards and Black Women’s Hair Practices.
- You'll tailor your journey from your first year of study by choosing from a wide range of option modules. Our options are grouped together under three research-led pathways meaning you'll be working directly with experts on Culture, Identity & Inequalities; Law, Rights & Justice; and Health Environment & Global Change. You'll also have the opportunity to do a work placement and to take a module in another department.
- Diversified assessments will support you to consolidate your learning, and develop transferable skills. You’ll explore research design, data analysis, critical thinking, project management, working with others, and tackling inequalities knowledgeably and ethically, giving you an understanding of what it means to be a sociologist.
- The skills and the knowledge you gain during your degree will enable you to pursue a diverse range of careers. You’ll have transferrable skills that could allow you to work in the public and voluntary sector, the culture and media industries, marketing and corporate communications, arts administration, social research, and teaching. You’ll also be well-equipped to undertake postgraduate study in sociology, media, cultural studies, human rights, and related fields.
Modules
Year 1 (credit level 4) You'll be assigned a personal tutor, who also acts as an academic tutor. Tutors oversee your academic work and progress over the year. In your first year, you'll take the following compulsory modules. Methods of Worldmaking 1 Modern Knowledge, Modern Power Critical Readings: the Emergence of the Sociological Imagination 1A Culture and Society You'll also take two of the following optional modules. Critical Readings: the Emergence of the Sociological Imagination 1B Culture and Society B Imaginative Criminology Year 2 (credit level 5) You will take the following compulsory modules: Methods of Worldmaking 2 Philosophy and Methodology of the Social Sciences Governing Everyday Life The Goldsmiths Elective You also choose 3 Sociology options. Those recently available have included: Law and Contemporary Society Religion, Crime, and Law Crimes Against Humanity The Making of the Modern World Explaining Crime Criminal Justice in Context Social Change and Political Action Leisure, Culture and Society London Sociology of Culture and Communication Central Issues in Sociological Analysis Culture, Representation and Difference Art and Society Migration in Context The Sociology of Intimacy and Personal Life Food and Taste Disability: Power, Embodiment and ‘Normality’ Knowledge and Subjectivity Rationality and Its Discontents: Culture, Politics and Philosophy Gender, ‘Race’ and Crime Explaining Crime Year 3 (credit level 6) You will take the following compulsory modules: Dissertation Confronting climate crisis You'll then take 5 optional modules, which can include a Sociology Work Placement (if not taken in year 2). Optional modules change on an annual basis, and recent options have included: Citizenship and Human Rights Race, Racism and Social Theory Globalisation, Crime and Justice Crimes of the Powerful Privacy, Surveillance and Security Identity and Contemporary Social Theory Analysing the Complexity of Contemporary Religious Life Visual Explorations of The Social World Childhood Matters: Society, Theory and Culture Thinking Animals Migration, Gender and Social Reproduction Global Development and Underdevelopment Practising Urban Ethnography Subjectivity, Health and Medicine Prisons, Punishment and Society Making Data Matter Philosophy, Politics and Alterity Sociologies of Emerging Worlds Work, Society and Culture Law, Identity and Ethics Social Theory Through Film On Time Thinking with Others, Philosophy and Cultural Difference Experiment Earth Sciences Politics Disasters Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.
Assessment method
You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, extended essays, reports, presentations, practice-based projects or essays/logs, group projects, reflective essays, and seen and unseen written examinations.
How to apply
31Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)
120 credits at Level 4 and a 2:1 average in a comparable programme, and meet the standard qualification requirements for entry to Year 1 of the programme.
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - BBB
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM
Access to HE Diploma - D: 30 credits
Scottish Higher - BBBBC
Scottish Advanced Higher - BBC
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 33 points
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H2, H2, H2, H2
T Level - M
We exercise flexibility where entry requirements are concerned, and make offers based on your enthusiasm and commitment to your subject, as shown by your application and personal statement, qualifications, experience and reference. If you don't have academic qualifications you may be invited to interview. We frequently interview mature applicants (over 21) or those with alternative qualifications, and have a long tradition of encouraging students from all social backgrounds to study at our university.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | With a 6.0 in writing and no element lower than 5.5 |
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
To find out more about fees and funding, please check our undergraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/fees-funding/
Provider information
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
Lewisham
SE14 6NW