(BSc) Bachelor of Science
Sociology with Data Science
Current
University of Essex
University of Essex
Sociology and Criminology
Colchester Campus
Honours Degree
Full-time
Sociology
BSC L310
10/05/2023
Details
Professional accreditation
None
Admission criteria
GCSE: Mathematics C/4
A-levels: ABB
BTEC: DDD, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided.
IB: 32 points or three Higher Level certificates with 655. Either must include Standard Level Mathematics grade 4, or a minimum of 3 in Higher Level Mathematics. We will accept grade 4 in either Standard Level Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Standard Level Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation.
Maths in the IB is not required if you have already achieved GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above or 4 in IB Middle Years Maths.
We are also happy to consider a combination of separate IB Diploma Programme Courses (formerly certificates) at both Higher and Standard Level. Exact offer levels will vary depending on the range of subjects being taken at higher and standard level, and the course applied for.
We can also consider combinations with BTECs or other qualifications in the Career-related programme – the acceptability of BTECs and other qualifications depends on the subject studied, advice on acceptability can be provided. Please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information.
Access to HE Diploma:15 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 30 level 3 credits at Merit, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided.
T-levels: Distinction, depending on subject studied - advice on acceptability can be provided.
What if I don’t achieve the grades I hoped?
If your final grades are not as high as you had hoped, the good news is you may still be able to secure a place with us on a course which includes a foundation year. Visit our undergraduate application information page for more details.
What if I have a non-traditional academic background?
Don’t worry. To gain a deeper knowledge of your course suitability, we will look at your educational and employment history, together with your personal statement and reference.
You may be considered for entry into Year 1 of your chosen course. Alternatively, some UK and EU applicants may be considered for Essex Pathways, an additional year of study (known as a foundation year/year 0) helping students gain the necessary skills and knowledge in order to succeed on their chosen course. You can find a list of Essex Pathways courses and entry requirements here
If you are a mature student, further information is here
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) code
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall. Different requirements apply for second year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK.
Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels listed above. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications
If you are an international student requiring a visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Additional Notes
If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College here.
Course qualifiers
A course qualifier is a bracketed addition to your course title to denote a specialisation or pathway that you have achieved via the completion of specific modules during your course. The
specific module requirements for each qualifier title are noted below. Eligibility for any selected qualifier will be determined by the department and confirmed by the final year Board of
Examiners. If the required modules are not successfully completed, your course title will remain as described above without any bracketed addition. Selection of a course qualifier is
optional and student can register preferences or opt-out via Online Module Enrolment (eNROL).
- Applied Quantitative Methods: In order to be eligible for the AQM qualifier, you must successfully complete the following modules:
Year One:
SC101 – (30 credits) Researching Social Life I
Year Two:
SC202 - (15 credits) Analysing Social Life
SC208 – (15 credits) Crime and Inequality Across the Life Course
Final Year:
SC385 – (30 credits) Modelling Crime and Society
SC830 – (30 credits) Quantitative Research Project
Recommended modules for the pathway:
The following modules are recommended options but are not considered essential in passing the pathway:
Year Two:
GV205 (15 credits) Measuring Public Opinion (requires GV207)
GV207 (15 credits) Quantitative Political Analysis
SC213 (30 credits) Social Psychology: Self and Interaction
SC207 (30 credits) Social Data Science: Code, Text and Networks
Final Year:
Please note that the following two modules do not run every year.
SC308 (15 credits) Race, Ethnicity and Migration
SC338 (15 credits) Religion in Modern and Post Modern Societies
Rules of assessment
Rules of assessment are the rules, principles and frameworks which the University uses to calculate your course progression and final results.
Additional notes
None
External examiners
Dr Emily Gray
Assistant Professor of Criminology
University of Warwick
External Examiners provide an independent overview of our courses, offering their expertise and help towards our continual improvement of course content, teaching, learning, and assessment.
External Examiners are normally academics from other higher education institutions, but may be from the industry, business or the profession as appropriate for the course.
They comment on how well courses align with national standards, and on how well the teaching, learning and assessment methods allow students to develop and demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills needed to achieve their awards.
External Examiners who are responsible for awards are key members of Boards of Examiners. These boards make decisions about student progression within their course and about whether students can receive their final award.
Programme aims
- To provide students with an understanding of the distinctive character of sociological thinking
- To equip students with the knowledge and skills that are currently in high demand in the computing industry and in the wider economy.
- To provide students with a knowledge of the main theoretical traditions of sociology
- To provide students with an understanding of the main sociological methods
- To provide students with an understanding of computational sociological methods
- To develop students' capacity for critical enquiry, argument and analysis
- To develop students' capacity for independent learning
- To provide students with the knowledge and skills to enable them to proceed to further study and research
Reference to the QAA Benchmarks for Sociology are indicated by the letter B.
Learning outcomes and learning, teaching and assessment methods
On successful completion of the programme a graduate should demonstrate knowledge and skills as follows:
A: Knowledge and understanding
A1: A knowledge of the intellectual foundations of sociology
A2: A knowledge of key sociological concepts and theories (b)
A3: An understanding of the relationships between individuals, groups, social practices, social institutions and social structures
A4: An understanding of social inequality, identity, social diversity and social change
A5: A knowledge of the relationship between theory, concepts and substantive issues (b)
A6: A knowledge of the principles of research design and the main approaches to data collection (b)
A7: An understanding of the analysis and interpretation of empirical data (b)
A8: A knowledge of the epistemological, ethical and political dimensions of sociological research (b)
A9: Knowledge and understanding of computer science principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in the disciplines of data science and computational social science.
A10: Knowledge and understanding of mathematical and statistical methods necessary to underpin their education in the disciplines of data science and computational social science.
A11: Understanding of how key concepts and issues in sociology and data science are understood in a different academic and national context
Learning methods
The Department uses lectures to present material - ideas, data and arguments - in a clear and structured manner using examples, mapping the field and the contours of debates.
Lectures are also used to stimulate students' interest in the area under discussion.
In each course the issues and arguments covered in lectures are explored further through weekly classes or workshops for which students have to prepare.
The curriculum is designed to involve clear progression between the foundational work in the first year and the subsequent core and compulsory courses.
In particular there is a strong emphasis on developing students theoretical understanding of sociological and cultural analysis through the progressive structuring of the material in SC111 and SC201 with then a substantive as well as substantive Sociology options in the first and third year.
Classes, and preparation for classes, provide the opportunity for students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the content of the courses as well as their practical research skills in SC207.
In addition student learning takes place through the work they do preparing essays and assignments.
In the first year students have to produce a critical review, an essay and answer a quiz for SC111 and have a required examination question on key sociological issues and key concepts.
SC111 also specifically introduces students to examples of ongoing research in the Department.
Students also do methodological assignments for SC101 including an ethics reading review, the use of archival data, an essay on quantitative methods and quizzes which test understanding of qualitative and quantitative research terms. Students’ practical methodological skills are developed further in SC207 through practical labs on computational social science methods, through SC208 which focuses on the application and interpretation of quantitative statistical methods, and finally in SC385 where this statistical knowledge is further extended.
In their third year all students must carry out independent work for a research project on SC830, for which they receive some individual supervision.
Assessment methods
Outcomes A1 to A10 are assessed through coursework and unseen written examinations.
Coursework includes assessed essays, presentations, critical reviews, quizzes and data analysis exercises.
Written examinations not only include standard essay type questions, but SC201 involves a compulsory question interpreting a passage of text from a sociological classic.
In addition, the assessed work for all third-year students includes a research project.
Outcomes A10 and A11 are assessed primarily through examinations, and also through marked assignments and project work including two short independent research projects in SC207.
B: Intellectual and cognitive skills
B1: An ability to understand, summarise and critically assess sociological work
B2: An ability to compare competing theories and explanations (b)
B3: An ability to develop a reasoned argument (b)
B4: An ability to formulate sociological questions
B5: An ability to assemble, evaluate and interpret evidence (b)
B6: Understanding of engineering principles and the ability to apply them to analyse key engineering processes.
B7: Apply advanced problem-solving skills, technical knowledge and understanding, to establish rigorous and creative solutions.
Learning methods
Students enhance the above intellectual skills primarily through the work they do for their courses, although lectures and classes provide a means of teachers demonstrating these skills through example, and in the first year staff give specific presentations on their ongoing sociological research.
Preparation for classes and class presentations involve the reading, interpretation and evaluation of original sociological texts and the collection and evaluation of empirical data.
Class tutors provide feedback on class presentations and contributions to classes through comment and discussion.
SC207 provides students an opportunity to work through practical problems with tutor support.
The preparation of essays and other assignments also develops the listed intellectual skills.
Students are provided with feedback on all assessed work and this is crucial to their intellectual development.
Their work for the third-year research project is also vital to the Department's learning and teaching strategy for this degree.
Assessment methods
Outcomes B1 to B7 are judged and evaluated in the assessed work that students do across the core and compulsory courses of this degree scheme.
B1 is also specifically assessed through a compulsory question for SC201 requiring the interpretation of a passage of a classic text.
Not all assignments require the evaluation and interpretation of empirical evidence (B5) though many do, but these skills are particularly assessed in some of the assignments for SC101, SC207 and SC208
All Sociology courses require students to marshal material in order to expound an argument.
Outcomes B6 and B7 are assessed primarily through examinations, and also through marked assignments and project work.
C: Practical skills
C1: An ability to retrieve relevant sociological evidence using bibliographic and web searches.
C2: An ability to summarise, report and evaluate arguments, texts and findings
C3: An ability to apply introductory statistical techniques to sociological data
C4: An ability to demonstrate reflexive awareness in interpreting sociological material
C5: An ability to conduct and present a small scale piece of research
C6: Understanding of, and the ability to apply, an integrated or systems approach to solving engineering problems
C7: Ability to apply relevant practical and laboratory skills
Learning methods
In the first year assignments cover tasks such as as searching for archival resources online, evaluating the ethics of social research cases, and describing and evaluating a sociological text
Throughout the three years of the degree practical skills are developed through preparation for classes, preparing essays and other assessed assignments, undertaking qualitative and quantitative analysis using software, giving presentations and doing written examinations.
In SC101,students carry out . an archival analysis and SC111 requires students to undertake a reading review to demonstrate reflexive awareness in interpreting sociological material
The work for SC201 includes the detailed examination and interpretation of key sociological texts and in SC208 students frame a research proposal and select the appropriate research methods.
In addition the third year project for SC830 is particularly valuable in developing students practical sociological skills.
Some of these skills are further developed through the work students do for their optional courses.
Students receive detailed feedback on all their coursework and presentations.
Study skills advice and training is available from the Student Support Officer in the Departmental Study Centre which is dedicated to this purpose.
A range of computer science options and SC207 require the application of practical skills to solve research and engineering problems through workshops and lab sessions.
Assessment methods
Skill C1 is specifically assessed in a first year assignment, but also forms part of the assessment of almost every piece of assessed coursework.
Skill C2 is assessed in the assessed coursework and written examinations for SC201 and in the coursework for the majority of Sociology options..
C3 is tested in a statistics test for SC101 and in coursework for SC208, and C4 is assessed in the reading report for SC111, in archival analysis for SC101, and in the course assignments for SC208.C5 is also assessed in SC101, SC208 and in the research project (SC830).
C6 and C7 are assessed through computer science options and SC207.
D: Key skills
D1: An ability to present ideas and evidence to others in a clear and concise manner
D2: An ability to collect and present materials using information technology
D3: An ability to read, interpret and draw inferences from statistics and an ability to carry out simple statistical calculations
D4: An ability to identify problems and propose solutions, and understanding the use of technical literature and other information sources.
D5: Group work, and peer teaching.
D6: An ability to plan work and manage time, and an ability to reflect on their own work and respond constructively to the comments of others
D7: Ability to respond constructively to feedback
Learning methods
Generic skills are taught and learned throughout the degree through a range of strategies, for example, requiring students to give oral presentations, through giving them specific assignments such as carrying bibliographic and web searches, through specific assignments requiring numerical skills, and through class discussion and class and essay preparation.
Students have the opportunity to discuss essay plans with staff and are given clear deadlines for their work which they must meet.
They are given feedback on all their coursework and are encouraged to reflect and improve upon their work.
Students also have the opportunity to develop skills in working in groups through their participation in the classes for every course. In SC207 opportunities for peer tutoring support D5 and D7.
Assessment methods
Communication skills are assessed throughout the degree through continuous assessed coursework and examinations.
IT skills are a component in the evaluation of most assessed work which require bibliographic and web searches, however there is a strong focus on them throughout all computer science modules, and in the assessment of data gathering, analysis and presentation in assessments for SC207.
Numeracy skills are assessed in the assignments for SC101 which includes a statistics tests, and are applied in SC207 and throughout assignments set within computer science modules.
Problem solving skills are assessed in almost all assignments.
Since the curriculum is structured in a progressive manner, students' skills in improving learning and performance are also assessed through the related structured progression of formal assessed work.