Social Sciences (Politics & Policy/Sociology & Policy/Sociology) - BA (Hons)

University of the West of Scotland

The BA (Hons) Social Sciences is a multi-disciplinary degree focusing on how individuals, groups, and institutions interact and how societies are organised and change. Amongst the key issues that Social Sciences at UWS focuses on are social justice, power, participation, and sustainability. The first two years of this degree equip you with a firm grounding in the essential disciplines of politics, policy and sociology. After this, you can choose to follow one of three specialist pathways at both Paisley and Lanarkshire campuses: Politics and Policy Sociology and Policy Sociology In these pathways, you will deepen your understanding of society, politics, and policy and have opportunities to develop further subject specialisation. Graduate employability is embedded throughout the programme, as you develop your critical thinking skills alongside a wide range of research and transferable skills that are highly valued by the public, private and voluntary sectors. You will investigate the driving forces behind and potential solutions to complex local and global challenges in society, using a range of theoretical lenses and research approaches. The specialist pathways will provide you with the opportunity for in-depth exploration of issues such as activism, migration, gender, nationalism, political parties, and populism. You will experience and use the social sciences as a creative problem solver, drawing on cutting-edge research, political insight, and policy evaluation. Academic staff, experts in their fields, will guide you in choosing your own research topic and help you complete an in-depth independent research project in your Honours year.