Sociology & Communications
Welcome to the Department of Sociology and Communications at Brunel University. Sociology at Brunel has been officially recognised for the international excellence of its research and the high quality of teaching. The Department scored highly in the 2008 national Research Asssesment Exercise and was rated the top Department of its size in the UK. And in terms of teaching, we have an official rating of 'Excellent' (22 out of a possible 24 points). The section below contains a summary of
undergraduate and
postgraduate opportunities.
*CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS*
10-12 December 2010, Brunel University
Our approach is distinctive in combining teaching and research interests in Sociology with those in the area of Communication and Media Studies. At undergraduate level we offer single honours degrees in both these subjects, a joint honours Sociology and Communication degree as well as combined degrees with Psychology and Social Anthropology: Our degrees are either four year 'thin sandwich' degrees, as part of which students complete two work placements of up to six months each, or three year degrees. The work placement system is a key feature of the undergraduate programme, offering our students opportunities of gaining work experience in the media industries, social services, health organisations, public relations and many other areas. This experience contributes to the superior employability of our students on graduation. The first year of each degree consists of a foundation in the Social Sciences, in which basic introductory courses in the student's chosen subject are combined with broader courses providing the opportunity to relate the disciplines of Sociology and Communication Studies to other traditions of social scientific thought. In the second and third levels of the degree, students take progressively more specialised courses in their particular subject, and have available a wider range of options, particularly in the final year. These include: Radio Production & Introduction to TV journalism; City Lives; The Age of New Media; Understanding Audiences; Health & the New Politics of Protest. In the area of communications, our degrees take a sociological and cultural approach to the study of communication, technology and the media. Single honours Communications and Media Studies also includes a number of practical courses in video and radio production - although the degree is not designed as a vocational qualification. At the postgraduate level we offer three taught Masters programmes: The MSc Social and Cultural Research and the MRes Health Research are recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as training programmes for subsequent PhD study in the fields of Sociology and Social Policy/Health Studies respectively. Both the Masters and PhD programmes benefit from close links with our two established Research Centres - the Centre for Media, Globalisation & Risk and the Centre for the Study of Health and Illness (CSHI). In terms of PhD study, Sociologists at Brunel can offer supervision in a broad range of areas. These include the New media and communication technologies; Organisational/industrial sociology, neat capitalism and corporate social responsibility; Sociology and politics of health and illness; Health and science communication; Social theory; Urban sociology; Sociology of everyday life; Material cultures; Youth and popular culture; Politics of popular culture; Satire and popular culture; Audience studies; Sociology of celebrity;TV news, young people and politics; Sociology of leisure and tourism; Free speech and the public sphere; World systems analysis; Race, ethnicity and multi-culturalism; Risk, terrorism and new wars; Design in the home and workplace; Critical pedagogy. 
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