Social Science Foundation Year

In this module you will be introduced to the concept of crime and its manifestations within society. You will explore the different types of crime that exist and the platforms on which they take place; consider perspectives that help explain why these crimes occur; investigate ways in which we respond as a society to those who commit crime and look at different approaches used to prevent it. You will also explore the different career and study routes that are available to you within the crime / criminal justice sector.

As well as the above core knowledge areas, you will also be introduced to and will develop key skills needed to understand and talk about crime within society and within a Higher Education environment. For example, you will be introduced to different information sources; academic referencing; essay and report writing and presentation skills. All of these will prepare you to progress to the next level of study.

This module will enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of sociology as a discipline and to begin to develop your own ‘sociological imagination’. Central to this is an understanding of how individuals not only shape the world around them but are also shaped by it. This is the core focus of sociology and will be the focus of this module. It will draw on contemporary social issues and problems to help you understand society and the role of sociology in understanding and seeking to change it.

This module introduces you to key ideas and vocabulary in the in the study of society, such as ‘agency’ and the notion of the structured social world and therefore the foundation of society such as the family, identity, the role of the state, crime and punishment and economic inequality etc. Throughout the module you will be supported to be self-reflective about your place in the social world and to consider if your own attitudes and beliefs are the result of your own free will (agency) or the consequence of pressure from wider social forces, or maybe even both.

The module will introduce and assess a number of important academic skills including writing for academic purposes, accessing and evaluating different information sources, academic referencing, group work and presentation skills. This module will prepare you for further study in higher education and, more specifically, for the study of the sociology and/or other social science subject areas.

In this module you will be introduced to the concept of power through which you will gain an insight into the world of politics and how collective decisions are made. As part of this you will investigate who makes decisions, how decisions are made, what factors influence decision-making and what is the impact of decisions. This will be examined through studying a number of real world, contemporary and often controversial issues, which will help you better understand domestic and international politics, political processes and the role of ideas in decision-making.

In addition to the above, you will also be introduced to and will develop key skills needed to communicate your understanding within a Higher Education environment. For example, you will be introduced to different information sources; academic referencing; and writing. All of these will prepare you to progress to the next level of study.

You will be introduced to some of the key issues and debates in the social sciences such as those around a good life/society, democracy, citizenship, social change, mobilities, solidarities, power, culture and identities/self. These issues will be illustrated through classical and contemporary case studies, demonstrating links to the undergraduate curricula in the social sciences, notably criminology, sociology, politics and international development. A range of social scientists (from criminology, sociology, politics and international development) will also reflect on how their disciplines have developed distinctive professional practices and identities as they have engaged with these ‘Big Ideas’ in recent years.

Through this module, you will be supported to develop a range of skills which will be critical to succeeding with the foundation degree and your subsequent undergraduate programme. Specifically, the module will cover: managing the transition to university life; key academic skills, such as referencing, research, communication and team-work; Students will undertake a group research project, demonstrating and evidencing the broad range of academic, professional and personal skills which they have developed through their learning.

On this module you will (a) explore the meaning of encounters and the relevance of encounters to the social sciences; (b) consider the ways in which history and our understanding of society have been shaped by encounters and (c) consider the ways in which specific encounters can help us understand actions, events and ideas that have shaped our world.

Encounters offer a lens through which we can look at and understand concepts, ideas, and debates central to the social sciences, including globalisation, colonialism, imperialism, and knowledge itself. Examples of the types of encounters this module looks at include the encounter between Moctezuma and Cortez in Latin America in the 16th Century (that laid the foundations for colonialism and exploitation of the global South), and the more recent example of Australians encountering Uluru in the 1990s, until that point called Ayres Rock, which allows us to explore notions of indigenous knowledge and land rights in former colonies. Other encounters will be drawn from the breadth of human history.

Staff delivering the module will draw on their own knowledge, experiences, and research to develop interactive sessions around a range of known encounters that feature in contemporary literature.