Founded in 1964, our Department of Sociology and Criminology rapidly became known for its sociological pioneers and new approaches. We have played a major role in shaping the discipline ever since. We fostered foundational research on gender, sexualities, deviance, sociological criminology, survey methods, social stratification and oral history. We continue to lead in these fields today.
Embracing an interdisciplinary approach and our commitment to social justice, our courses focus on three main areas of Sociology:
Work alongside our world-class academics who have spearheaded the pursuit for a new understanding of the social world since the Department of Sociology and Criminology was founded in 1964. Our spirit of critical enquiry drives us in the quest for academic excellence, exploring questions of social justice and equality.
We build on the traditions of sociological analysis, with a range of both qualitative and quantitative methods. We explore the contributions of cultural history, criminology, social anthropology, social psychology, social philosophy, feminism, and global sociology.
We are 1st for research environment in sociology and 2nd in UK for research power in sociology (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021). Join our pioneering research community and have a meaningful impact on the future of sociology.
Search our staff profiles and discover the researchers open to academic supervision at the University of Essex.
Sign up to emails and discover what it's like to live and study at Essex.