Postgraduate Prospectus
Postgraduate Prospectus
Postgraduate Prospectus
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Sociology | www.essex.ac.uk/sociology<br />
Why study sociology<br />
at Essex?<br />
n<br />
n<br />
n<br />
n<br />
n<br />
Achieved the joint first position<br />
nationally in the last Research<br />
Assessment Exercise (RAE,<br />
December 2008)<br />
Renowned for our research<br />
excellence – the only Department<br />
of Sociology in the UK (of a total<br />
of 60) to have been awarded the<br />
highest rating in all six national<br />
RAEs<br />
Part of the University’s accredited<br />
Doctoral Training Centre of the<br />
Economic and Social Research<br />
Council (ESRC), with a number of<br />
ESRC studentships available for<br />
new postgraduates<br />
Teaching and supervision by staff<br />
who are world leaders in their field<br />
Offers an informal and supportive<br />
environment with a large<br />
international postgraduate intake<br />
Career prospects<br />
Many of our postgraduates go<br />
on to successful academic careers,<br />
both in the UK and overseas.<br />
Others have established careers<br />
in non-governmental organisations,<br />
local authorities, specialist think<br />
tanks, government departments,<br />
charities, media production, and<br />
market research.<br />
About our Department<br />
We are a large, friendly, international and<br />
diverse department, and have long been<br />
recognised as one of the most outstanding<br />
departments of sociology both nationally<br />
and internationally. We build upon the<br />
traditions of sociological analysis whilst<br />
exploring the contributions of cultural<br />
history, criminology, social psychology,<br />
social anthropology, social philosophy,<br />
feminism and cultural studies.<br />
As a student with us, you are part of<br />
a large community of international<br />
postgraduates pursuing taught MA/MSc<br />
courses and research degrees, benefitting<br />
from dedicated postgraduate support<br />
facilities and our unique Sociology Student<br />
Resource Centre.<br />
All members of our academic staff are<br />
active researchers, so you will be taught,<br />
supervised and able to attend seminars<br />
by experts in their fields. Our renowned<br />
off-campus Graduate Conference takes<br />
place every February and sees<br />
presentations by our academic staff<br />
and students in full panel or poster<br />
sessions, as well as being a major<br />
social event.<br />
Current research being undertaken in<br />
our Department includes Professor Dick<br />
Hobbs, who has been given funding by<br />
the ESRC to explore the darker side of<br />
the 2012 Olympics, and Dr Nick Allum,<br />
whose research showing poverty and gross<br />
inequality are more likely to cause British<br />
people to be suspicious of their neighbours<br />
than ethnic divide, flies in the face of<br />
research undertaken by a Harvard<br />
academic in 2007.<br />
We form part of Essex’s interdisciplinary<br />
Doctoral Training Centre, recently<br />
designated by the UK’s ESRC and one<br />
of only 21 in the UK. This means some of<br />
our courses have ESRC Doctoral Training<br />
Centre accreditation, and a number of<br />
ESRC studentships are available for new<br />
students to begin an MSC or MA, followed<br />
by a PhD, with us (1+3).<br />
Our University is strong across the social<br />
sciences so, by studying with us, you gain<br />
the opportunity to work with and be taught<br />
by world-class scholars. We have strong<br />
interdisciplinary links which mean your<br />
studies can be informed by a variety of<br />
perspectives.<br />
Taught courses<br />
We have a global reputation for our<br />
research and teaching, which means<br />
that our students on our taught courses<br />
are placed at the cutting edge of sociology<br />
and criminology. You will benefit by learning<br />
about the latest research findings from our<br />
staff who are amongst world leaders in<br />
their fields.<br />
Our taught courses can be taken full-time<br />
for one year or part-time over two years. All<br />
require you to complete six taught modules<br />
(each lasting ten weeks) and a research<br />
dissertation on a topic of interest to you.<br />
MA Sociology•<br />
Our flagship course offers you an intensive<br />
grounding in contemporary sociological<br />
theory and analysis. You have the option<br />
of following one of our designated thematic<br />
streams or one of your own choosing,<br />
taking available modules that reflect your<br />
own interests.<br />
The streams we offer reflect our areas<br />
of expertise and provide you with the<br />
opportunity to study issues of contemporary<br />
concern. You will be taught by leading<br />
figures in these fields, who will bring their<br />
own experiences and knowledge to your<br />
course. The following streams are available:<br />
n Citizenship and Rights<br />
n Contemporary Social Theory<br />
n Criminology<br />
n Culture, Media and Identities<br />
n Global Challenges<br />
n Intimacy and Gender<br />
n Open stream<br />
MSc Criminology and Socio-Legal<br />
Research•†<br />
This new course forms part of our ESRC<br />
Doctoral Training Centre accreditation<br />
and combines training in current debates<br />
196 | <strong>Postgraduate</strong> <strong>Prospectus</strong> 2012
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