Course summary

Questions about how we understand, organise and change society have never been more urgent. These questions surface in a range of contemporary phenomena. The many faces of inequality, fake news and the climate crisis. War, displacement and shifting relationships between the Global North and South. Child exploitation and care scandals. Rising racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, resurgent nationalism and settler colonialism. But also growing anti-racist and decolonial movements, queer and trans activism, and feminist campaigns against gender inequality and sexual harassment. This course welcomes students from across the world to the heart of London to provide them with an internationally and practically oriented understanding of the ways in which core debates within the social sciences can shape our responses to pressing social and policy questions. The course has a particular focus on issues of inequality and social justice, informed by the close reading of social theory and the analysis of empirical case studies and policy literatures. Key benefits

• Join a top programme ranked 1st in the UK for Sociology and Social Policy (The Guardian University Guide, 2025).

• Learn how to make a difference in the world. Our innovative curriculum enables students to focus on issues that matter to them. It encourages and supports creativity, risk-taking and social action, teaching you the knowledge, skills and confidence to analyse, collaborate, organise and persuade.

• Work with academics who are active innovators in their fields and committed to high quality research-led education. On top of having a proven track record of research and teaching excellence, the experience of the course team extends beyond academia to include work with a range of policy, cultural and activist organisations.

• Develop inter-disciplinary literacy. Real-world social, political, and ethical questions do not fall into neat disciplinary boxes. You will learn to apply and combine perspectives from a range of social science disciplines including sociology, anthropology, human geography, social psychology, and politics.

• Access a range of opportunities for learning and forging new relationships outside the university thanks to our links with key civil society organisations and activist communities. Practitioners from a range of external social and policy relevant organisations contribute to the teaching and host reciprocal visits and work placements.

• Build a set of key social research skills and write your own original dissertation. You will learn traditional qualitative and quantitative research methods such as survey, interview, and ethnographic methods, while also exploring more creative, participatory, and experimental methodologies situated at the cutting edge of social inquiry.

• Study in a friendly, vibrant and supportive School, located at the Southbank in the heart of Central London. Join a group of diverse students from across the globe brought together by their passion for critically exploring, understanding, and transforming society.