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The School of Social Sciences and Global Studies is home to a diverse range of teaching across core subjects in the Social Sciences and Arts: we teach 34 modules, offer 31 different certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and in the 2020/2021 academic year, the school has over 25,000 students.

- Matt Staples (Director of Teaching)

Matt Staples

SSGS Prospectus 2023-2024 front cover

The School of Social Sciences and Global Studies is home to a diverse range of teaching across core subjects in the Social Sciences and Arts: we teach 34 modules, offer 31 different certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and in the 2020/2021 academic year, the school has over 25,000 students.

In bringing together Disciplines from the social sciences and humanities, the School offers a deliberately unconventional combination of disciplinary traditions. The eight Disciplines in the School – Economics, Development, Geography, Philosophy, Politics, Religious Studies, Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology (SPC) – support a wide range of interdisciplinary and disciplinary modules and enables SSGS to be home to a diverse range of teaching that spans core subjects in the Social Sciences and Arts. We champion the fact that our approach to teaching is interdisciplinary, particularly at Level 1, and this exceptional standard of teaching is informed by established and internationally acclaimed research.  

So, what does the School of Social Sciences & Global Studies offer at present? In overview, our School covers Politics & International Studies, Economics, Sociology, Development, Geography, Philosophy, Social Policy & Criminology, and Religious Studies. Our undergraduate qualifications include Environmental Studies, International Studies and Criminology, as well as joint degrees such as Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Religion, Philosophy and Ethics, Economics and Mathematical Sciences and Geography and Environmental Science and a wide range of certificates and diplomas linked to these degrees. We have several qualifications in development at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including our MA in International Politics and MA/MSc in Economics.  

As well as a wide range of qualifications, the school presents over 30 modules across the year, including Politics & International Studies, Economics, Sociology, Development, Geography, Environment, Philosophy, Social Policy & Criminology, and Religious Studies as well as range of interdisciplinary level 1 modules that bring together many of the disciplines highlighted above, including DD103 Investigating the Social World and DD102 Introducing the Social Sciences. We also offer level 1 modules in Economics - DB125 You and Your Money and DD126, Economics in Context and in Criminology, DD105, Introduction to Criminology. Two Disciplines in the School, Religious Studies and Philosophy, contribute the School of Arts and Humanities’ Level 1 modules, A111 Discovering Arts and Humanities and A113 Revolutions. 

As a school, we are always looking ahead at what we could do differently, speaking with our students and keeping the dialogue going. We remain open to our students always, and this is essential, especially now as society navigates an uncertain future as a result of the pandemic. We also know that it’s important students can align their studies with their career aspirations. We are continuing to review our curriculum offering to ensure that our students graduate with the best possible opportunities to excel in their chosen field. Much of our research looks at current movements and trends in society, our behaviour as individuals and consumers, our role as global citizens, and our relationship with the past and how this influences the present. Our aim remains to bring the insights from this research into our teaching and curriculum development as we develop cutting edge modules and degrees.