About the course

The world around us is changing rapidly, from climate change and Black Lives Matter to the rise in authoritarian governments and industrial action. This up-to-the-minute, bespoke course teaches you to make links between the local and the global, the individual and society, so you graduate with the knowledge and skills to make a change in society.

On this degree, you adopt a problem-driven approach to social issues, exploring policy and practice intervention responses across government, public services and the third sector. You learn to make links between what happens in our neighbourhoods and communities, and how these developments connect to sometimes very different communities in other parts of the world. Our teaching and research are rooted in local communities in Luton and Bedfordshire, around Britain and in places as far away as Eastern Europe, South Africa and the Caribbean.

The course is bespoke in that it offers a choice of three pathways – human rights, political sociology or cultural studies – as well as the opportunity to focus on subject areas that motivate you, such as globalisation and climate change; human rights and migration; activism and identity; power and inequality; politics and welfare.

Why choose this course?

• Tailor your education to your interests by choosing one of three pathways and focusing on subject areas that motivate you to explore the relationship between global trends and where you live, in topic areas such as climate change, migration, working conditions, community activism and much more
• Learn through practical, task-based activities which give you the transferable skills you need to succeed in a range of jobs in the public, private and third sectors
• Study with an enthusiastic academic team, actively publishing in their fields and undertaking world-leading research in human rights, migration and asylum; political and social theory and welfare studies; cultural, creative and visual sociology
• By the end of your final year, have a strong understanding of key issues in policy, the law and society in the UK and internationally; be able to design and conduct projects individually and in teams; understand the fundamentals of research
• Access one-to-one support from experts in policy and practice; a personal academic tutor; and university-funded support with academic writing and skills
• Take the course over four years and include a Professional Practice Year (see below) to gain practical experience, build your CV and make contacts
• If you need to step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate degree

Tom is a political sociologist whose research and teaching sit at the intersection of political economy and social theory. He has published and lectured extensively on the ideological direction of the British Conservative Party, the relationship between political theory and the economy, and work and welfare in the UK and Scandinavia. This focus on how ideas are put into practice is reflected in his teaching agenda which takes concepts like ideology, power and work and asks students to think about how they manifest themselves in the real world. He has also taught extensively on research methodologies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is currently co-Principal Investigator of the research project: What Happened to the Affluent Worker? Deindustrialisation and Identity in Luton.