Course summary

Do you want to understand better how society works? Are you keen to know more about the purpose, processes and outcomes of social welfare, both here and abroad? Why and how do people break the law? How can the criminal justice system define this and how do we police, prosecute and punish people? Our courses look at the nature of social change, social differentiation, the construction and definition of social problems and the maintenance of social order as well as broader questions of process and policy. And we offer an international and comparative approach covering topics that analyse society and welfare issues in various countries. We have particular expertise covering Scotland, the UK, the European Union, Western and Central Europe, Australasia, North America and Latin America. In your first two years you will take three subjects each semester. One of these is a core subject for your degree, but you can choose the other two from Faculties across the University. For example, you could take Sociology with English or another language, Social Policy with Marketing or Criminology with Law. The key benefits of this system are that you can change the emphasis of your degree as you progress, change from full-time to part-time if you need to, change your degree subject(s) and not until midway through your second year do you need to decide what your final degree subject(s) will be. Many of our students go on to complete Combined Degrees with subject such as Law, History, Education, Politics, Philosophy, Business Studies, Spanish, Computing Science and Psychology. The core modules for Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology students in the first two years – Social Differentiation, Social Problems, Understanding Social Policy and Development of Social Theory – provide a coherent and cumulative introduction to key concerns. In Years 3 and 4, you will specialise in your chosen area. As well as taking core modules you will chose from a list of optional modules. For Sociology and Social Policy students, these include: Sociology of Childhood; Race and Ethnicity; Sociology of Development; Ageing, Society and Social Policy; Urban Society; Housing Policy; and Addiction: Policy and Practice. Criminology students can choose from a range of modules including: global networks and crime; Women, Crime and Society; Punishment and Society; and Crimes of the Powerful. At Stirling we approach Spanish as both a European and a global language.There are in excess of 400 million Spanish speakers worldwide, and our courses broaden in-depth understanding of language, societies and cultures across historical and geographical contexts. You’ll explore cultural diversity in modern-day Spain and Latin America, through contemporary and classic films, literature and media. As Spanish students you will be taught by tutors and lecturers who specialise in the complexities of Spain and Latin America. Our highly experienced language teachers work to provide in-depth language study throughout your degree. You will not only develop high-level written and spoken linguistic skills, but you will also build an understanding of the histories, societies, literature, cinema and visual cultures of Spain and Latin America. You’ll be taught through a combination of lectures and small tutorial groups, with access to our state-of-the-art range of language learning resources through our virtual learning environment and our campus language labs. As a student of Spanish at Stirling you will have a number of opportunities to spend time living, studying and working abroad as part of your degree.