Sociology

In this course, Professor Grace Davie (University of Exeter) considers the relationship between religion and modernity. In the first module, we clarify the meaning of the term “modernity”. In the second and third modules, we look at the different...

In this course, Professor Stephen Gorard (Durham University) explores the use of numerical data in education research. In the first module, we think about why numbers are important in sociology and whether the distinction between qualitative and...

In this course, Professor Eileen Barker (London School of Economics) explores the characteristics of New Religious Movements (NRMs) and their relationship to wider society. The first module looks at terminologies associated with new religions,...

In this course, Dr Ross Abbinnett (University of Birmingham) explores Karl Marx’s theory of society. In the first module, we consider Marx’s analysis of labour, its importance to humanity, and alienation from labour under capitalism. In the...

In this course, Professor Gayle Letherby (University of Plymouth) explores ideas and methods associated with feminist social research. In the first module, we consider feminist critiques of traditional sociological research. In the second, we look...

In this course, Dr David Scott (The Open University) explores key philosophical and sociological approaches to prisons, punishment and penology. In the first module, we introduce some key areas of interest within penology, looking especially at...

In this course, Professor Pat Thane (Birkbeck, University of London) explores family policy in Britain since the 1960s. In the first module, we set the context by thinking about some key features of family life prior to the 1960s. In the second,...

In this course, Professor Martyn Hammersley (The Open University) explores the concept of objectivity within sociology and social research. In the first module, we think about the development of the concept from the early twentieth century and...

In this course, Dr Ross Abbinnett (University of Birmingham) explores notions of modernity and postmodernity in sociological theory. In the first module, we consider the meaning of modernity and its characteristics. In the second, we look at...

In this course, Dr Nilima Gulrajani (Overseas Development Institute) explores global aid and its relationship to development. In the first module, we consider the emergence of the modern global aid system from mid-twentieth century. In the second,...

In this course, Professor Katie Willis (Royal Holloway, University of London) explores theories of global development. In the first module, we look at development as a contested concept, and at some of the ways it has been defined and measured. In...

In this course, Dr Angus Nurse (Nottingham Trent University) explores green criminology and crimes against wildlife and the environment. In the first module, we introduce some key definitions, concepts and areas of interest within green...