Sociology

Why study Sociology?

Are you interested in social difference and variation?  Do you want to understand inequality?

In Sociology you can study these issues in contemporary society and also look back to historical patterns, like the development of capitalism and the experiences of colonialism.  You will understand specific features within different kinds of societies and explore fundamental insights about the social arrangements that humans make.

Sociology helps you to see your own experiences as only one of many ways in which social life may be lived. It is comparative, critical, and stimulating.

As a Sociology student, you will discover the literature, theories, and methods of sociology, and learn to apply your insights to a diverse range of problems.

Students and staff in the Department of Sociology do research on modernity, work, technology, consumerism, family, death, science, the arts, popular culture, social justice and social policy, emotions, food, religion, global capitalism, poverty and development, law, crime, ethnicity, organisations, gender and sexuality.

Careers for graduates

Your sociology study gives you valuable skills in research methods, critiquing existing understandings, and offering innovative ways to think about social contexts, business and market environments, political and social movements, and health and wellbeing.

Our graduates are employed in business, local and national government, social welfare, media and journalism, social and health research, marketing, policy analysis, advertising, town planning, law enforcement, and education.