Sociology

Sociology is the discipline that makes the social world itself the object of systematic inquiry, asking how societies are organised, how inequalities are produced and sustained, how culture shapes identity and behaviour, and how institutions from the family to the state reproduce or transform the conditions of social life. It is a discipline that demands both empirical rigour and theoretical imagination, requiring you to gather and evaluate evidence while also engaging with some of the most provocative and influential ideas in modern thought, from Marx and Weber to contemporary theorists of race, gender, and globalisation.

At Goldsmiths, this four-year programme includes an integrated foundation year that provides a supported and careful introduction to sociology and to the academic skills needed for degree-level study. Goldsmiths has a distinctive and internationally recognised reputation in the social sciences and the arts, with a strong tradition of critical and innovative thinking. The foundation year allows students from a wide range of educational backgrounds to develop the conceptual vocabulary, reading habits, and analytical skills that will serve them throughout the main degree.

From the main programme onwards, you will engage with sociological theory, research methods, and empirical topics including inequality, race, migration, digital society, urban life, and social movements, in the characteristically open and critical spirit for which Goldsmiths is known.

Graduates from Goldsmiths sociology go on to careers in research, the civil service, journalism, education, social work, arts and cultural organisations, community development, policy, and the third sector. The particular ethos of the department, which values critical thinking, cultural engagement, and a willingness to question received wisdom, tends to produce graduates who bring a distinctive perspective to whatever field they enter. Further postgraduate study in sociology, cultural studies, or social research is a well-established route for those who want to develop their expertise further.