BAEcon Accounting and Finance

This course will examine how the discipline of sociology was shaped by the historical project of empire. Equally, it will consider how sociology might be an effective tool for antiracist and anti-colonial social movements. In addition to revisiting foundational sociological texts, the course will engage with social theory from the global South and with interdisciplinary bodies of literature, such as postcolonial and decolonial theory, Third World feminism, Black Marxism, and Indigenous studies of the climate crisis. Theoretical readings will be interspersed with contemporary and historical case studies, and students will be encouraged to critically consider whether and how decolonial perspectives might be applied to the contemporary social world.  

The course unit aims to:  

• Explore the historical relationship between sociology and empire.  

• Critically engage with social theory through a decolonial lens.  

• Explore decolonial approaches to social research methods.  

• Consider how decolonial thought has created space for reimagining the university and the curriculum.  

Lectures will introduce students to key theoretical and empirical topics. They will draw together the readings, situate them within their historical context, and apply the key topics to contemporary social issues. Multimedia tools will include video clips and online polls. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and respond to provocations in lecture.  
Week 9 will include an interactive lecture, in which students will share their individual reflections and discuss them in small groups. Week 10 will also devote a substantial amount of time to student questions.  

Tutorials will delve into the readings in closer detail, and will encourage students to apply them more directly to familiar empirical cases. Tutorials will encourage discussion, debate, and nuanced engagement rather than presenting a singular interpretation of key texts. Throughout the semester, the lecturer will announce relevant events (including departmental and external seminars and conferences) and will encourage interested students to attend.  

Course content, required readings, and lecture slides will be made available on Canvas. Lectures will be recorded and made available as podcasts.  

Students should become familiar with decolonial critiques of sociology, understand decolonial approaches to social research methods, and be able to critically examine major contemporary political, social, and cultural issues.

Students should be able to evaluate competing analytical perspectives, assess the strengths and weaknesses of empirical evidence, and employ material available form academic, media and policy sources to make effective arguments.  

Students should be able to use library and electronic sources and resources, and engage reflexively with academic texts.

Students should be able to present ideas and ask questions in group discussion, read actively and critically, and develop a critical approach to contemporary debates on the history and legacies of empire. 

Assessed written end-of-semester coursework (2000 words, 100%) 

Non-assessed eight half-page reflections on key readings, submitted weekly (weeks 2-9) 

All sociology courses include both formative feedback - which lets you know how you're getting on and what you could do to improve - and summative feedback - which gives you a mark for your assessed work.  

Anthias, F., Yuval-Davis, N. and Cain, H. (1991) Racialized Boundaries: Race, Nation, Gender, Colour and Class and the Anti-Racist Struggle. Abingdon: Routledge.  

Bhambra, G. (2014) Connected Sociologies. London: Bloomsbury.  

Chilisa, B. (2019) Indigenous Research Methodologies, 2nd ed. London: Sage.  

Connell, R. (2019) The Good University: What Universities Actually Do and Why It's Time for Radical Change. London: Zed.  

De Sousa Santos, B. (2016) Epistemologies of the South: Justice against Epistemicide. Abingdon: Routledge.  

Go, J. (2016) Postcolonial Thought and Social Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kwoba, B., Chantiluke, R. and Nkopo, A. (2018) Rhodes Must Fall: The Struggle to Decolonise the Racist Heart of Empire. London: Zed.

Meghji, A. (2020) Decolonizing Sociology. Cambridge: Polity.  

Mohanty, C. (1988) 'Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.' Feminist Review 30: 61-88.  

Smith, L.T. (2012) Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed.  

Tuck, E. and K.W. Yang. (2012) 'Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor.' Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society 1(1): 1-40.  

Wynter, S. (2003) 'Unsettling the Coloniality of Being/Power/Truth/Freedom: Towards the Human, After Man, Its Overrepresentation-An Argument.' CR: The New Centennial Review 3(3): 257-337.  

Yusoff, K. (2018) A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.  

30 hours directed reading

20 hours lectures

10 hours seminars

140 hours independent study

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £34,800 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students.

Learn more about fees and finance for international students.

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships. This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026.