Why study sociology at Essex?
Sociology is the study of everyday life. It seeks to explain why individuals,
groups, cultures and people are the way they are and also asks how they might be
different. Sociology combines two ways of thinking about social life.
Firstly, it poses broad questions about the world.
- Why are societies unequal?
- How should we define equality?
- What does it mean to hold power over others?
- What forms can power take?
- Why are some societies more authoritarian or violent than others?
Secondly, it provides practical means of investigating and answering those
questions: sociologists are skilled at interviewing, conducting focus groups,
running surveys, observing organisations, analysing texts and statistical data.
The combination of these two elements - theories and ways of
researching social life - helps to make sociology a distinct discipline, one that
is very well-placed to address the many problems, passions, dilemmas and dreams
that mark our modern world.
Our staff have a wide range of
research interests within our overall themes of:
- criminology and social justice;
- economic sociology;
- intimacy and gender;
- social theory and methodology;
- citizenship and human rights; and
- ethnicity and immigration.
This expertise is embedded within our teaching. Many staff are also
specialists in a number of geographic areas, including Britain, Europe, North
America, Latin America, Japan and East Asia.