Language, Culture & Society

Language, culture and society is a degree that takes the relationship between what we speak and how we live together as its central subject. Language is not merely a tool for communication; it is the medium through which culture is made and transmitted, social identities are constructed, and power is exercised and contested. At the London School of Economics, this four-year full-time BSc is taught jointly by the Department of Sociology and the Centre for Language Studies, combining rigorous sociological training with the study of one of five major world languages: French, German, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish.

The result is a degree that develops both analytical depth and genuine linguistic competence.

In the sociology strand, you will study social theory, the sociology of culture, inequality, identity and organisations, and the research methods through which sociologists investigate social phenomena. The language component develops your ability to speak, read and write in your chosen language to a high professional level, alongside engagement with the culture, literature, history and contemporary society of the communities that speak it. The integration of the two disciplines is genuine rather than cosmetic: you will bring sociological thinking to the study of language communities and linguistic insight to sociological questions about culture and society.

LSE's intellectual environment and London's cosmopolitan character provide an exceptional context. A typical tariff of around 168 points is expected.

Graduates pursue careers in international organisations, journalism, policy research, the civil service, diplomacy, cultural institutions, business and academia. The combination of sociological rigour and high-level language competence is valued wherever organisations need people who can understand different cultures analytically and engage with them linguistically. Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in sociology, linguistics, area studies, international relations or law.