BA Sociology and Chinese / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

Sociology and languages are inherently tied. 

No study of society can ignore language, and no study of language can be removed from its specific social context. 

You will be challenged to think about the nature of the social worlds in which we live and about how language and culture build and inform such worlds. 

You will study social life and social change, from the reproduction of inequalities in relation to social categories (such as race, class or gender), to the way that wider cultural contexts shape intimate relationships. 

You will develop advanced language skills and learn about the cultures and histories related to that language. 

In the third year of this four-year course, you will undertake a period of residence abroad, studying or working in a country that speaks your language of study. 

Our aim is to help you develop analytical, investigative and linguistic skills, training you to become independent thinkers and researchers with the confidence to work in both English and another language.

The course unit details listed below are those you may choose to study as part of this programme and are referred to as optional units. These are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this programme. Although language units may show here as optional, they are a mandatory part of your modern languages degree and you will take the units relevant to your level of language in each year of study. It Is compulsory to study language at all levels of your modern languages degree.

Aims

  • Offer a coherent curriculum in sociology that is strongly informed by leading contemporary research.
  • Impart knowledge and understanding in sociological theory and methods allowing them to progress to further study.
  • Develop advanced communicative skills in Chinese based on a sound understanding of the characters, tones and structures of the language.
  • Impart knowledge and understanding of several contemporary and historical aspects of the cultures or societies of China.
  • Provide an opportunity to study other historical or economic aspects of Chinese society, including China's relations with the wider world.

Special features

Residence abroad

You can study and/or work  for up to a year in a country or countries relevant to your chosen language(s) to improve your communicative language skills in a native-speaker environment. 

Collaborations and partnerships

The University has links with language and cultural institutions across the city, including:

  • Instituto Cervantes - a centre for Spanish culture;
  • HOME - international and contemporary art, theatre and film;
  • Manchester China Institute - promoting mutual understanding in UK-China relations through research, teaching, and activities;
  • Alliance Française - home of French language and culture.

Societies

The University is home to over 30 international and language-related student societies offering a breadth of cultural activities and experiences.

Celebrate and learn more about Chinese culture and language by joining the Chinese Studies Society and Manchester University Chinese Students Society.

Teaching and learning

You'll learn through a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and tutorials, spending approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions. 

For every hour of university study, you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods. 

The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written work, revising for examinations or working in the University's Language Centre .

Coursework and assessment

You will be assessed in various ways, including:  

  • written and oral examinations; 
  • presentations; 
  • coursework (which may include library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection, or web-based research); 
  • in your final year, a dissertation based on a research topic of your choice.  

Assessment methods vary from course unit to course unit - see individual course unit listings for more information.

Course content for year 1

Students take a total of 40-60 credits in Sociology.

You will study our core Sociology unit, SOCY10440 Researching Culture & Society. In addition, you will study optional units (total 20-40 credits), such as:

  • SOCY10441 Media, Culture and Society;
  • SOCY10462 Global Social Challenges.

You will also study an additional 60 credits of Modern Language and Culture course units in your modern language subject.

You will take only the language units relevant to your level of language in each year of study.

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Researching Culture and Society SOCY10440 20 Mandatory
Visual Cultures in China and East Asia CHIN12522 20 Optional
Chinese Language 1 CHIN51011 20 Optional
Chinese Language 2 CHIN51022 20 Optional
Chinese Language 3 CHIN51031 20 Optional
Chinese Language 4 CHIN51042 20 Optional
Chinese Language 5 CHIN51050 20 Optional
Crime and Society CRIM10001 20 Optional
Modern China: from the Opium Wars to the Olympic Games HIST10151 20 Optional
Environment and Society SOCY10201 20 Optional
Inequalities in Contemporary British Society SOCY10402 20 Optional
Contested Foundations of Social Thought SOCY10421 20 Optional
Contemporary Social Thought SOCY10432 20 Optional
Media, Culture & Society SOCY10442 20 Optional
Global Social Challenges SOCY10461 20 Optional
Getting Personal: Intimacy and Connectedness in Everyday Life SOCY10471 20 Optional
Work, Organisations and Society SOCY10912 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 17 course units for year 1

Course content for year 2

Students take a total of 40-60 credits in Sociology.

You will study one of the following core Sociology units (total 20 credits):

  • SOCY20091 Qualitative Social Research Design and Methods;
  • SOST20012 The Survey Method in Social Research.

In addition, you will study optional units (total 20-40 credits), such as:

  • SOCY20501 Social Thought from the Global South;
  • SOCY20012 Sociology of Popular Music;
  • SOCY20962 Racism and Ethnicity in the UK;
  • SOCY20232 Sustainability, Consumption and Global Responsibilities.

You will also study an additional 60-80 credits of Modern Language and Culture course units in your modern language subject.

Course units for year 2

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Gender and Power in Chinese Culture CHIN20071 20 Optional
Introduction to Classical Chinese CHIN28572 20 Optional
Chinese Language 3 CHIN51031 20 Optional
Chinese Language 4 CHIN51042 20 Optional
Chinese Language 5 CHIN51050 20 Optional
Chinese Language 6 CHIN51060 20 Optional
Work, Economy and Society SOCY20032 20 Optional
Social Network Analysis SOCY20042 20 Optional
Education and Society SOCY20052 20 Optional
Qualitative Research Design & Methods SOCY20091 20 Optional
Sustainability, Consumption & Global Responsibilities SOCY20231 20 Optional
Global Migration SOCY20272 20 Optional
Social Change in China SOCY20281 20 Optional
Youth, Politics & Activism in Contemporary Europe SOCY20411 20 Optional
Social Class and Inequality in Britain SOCY20601 20 Optional
Families, Relationships and Everyday Life SOCY20702 20 Optional
Gender, Sexuality and Culture SOCY20892 20 Optional
Racism and Ethnicity in the UK SOCY20961 20 Optional
The Survey Method in Social Research SOST20012 20 Optional
Displaying 10 of 19 course units for year 2

Course content for year 3

In the third year, all students will complete a year studying abroad in a Chinese-speaking country.

Course content for year 4

Students take a total of 40-60 credits in Sociology from course units such as:

  • SOCY30920 Dissertation A (20 credits) or SOCY30930 Dissertation B (40 credits);
  • SOCY30061 Urban Sociology;
  • SOCY30091 Changing Social Attitudes;
  • SOCY30141 Body and Society;
  • SOCY30181 Sociology of Cultural Participation and Cultural Policy;
  • SOCY30191 Material Culture: The Social Life of Things;
  • SOCY30241 A Sense of Inequality;
  • SOCY30042 The Sociology of Human-Animal Relations.

You will also study an additional 60-80 credits of Modern Language and Culture course units in your modern language subject.

Course units for year 4

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

TitleCodeCredit ratingMandatory/optional
Socialism in China CHIN32012 20 Optional
Mass Media in Modern China CHIN35221 20 Optional
Business Chinese CHIN38682 20 Optional
Chinese Language 6 CHIN51060 20 Optional
Languages-Based Project 1 CHIN51071 10 Optional
Language-Based Project 2 CHIN51072 10 Optional
Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures LALC30000 40 Optional
Sociology of Human Animal Relations SOCY30042 20 Optional
Cities and Urban Life SOCY30061 20 Optional
Identity, Power & Modernity SOCY30171 20 Optional
A Sense of Inequality SOCY30242 20 Optional
Sociology of Mental Health & Illness SOCY30261 20 Optional
Connections matter: Sociological Applications of Social Networks SOCY30292 20 Optional
Security, Radical Uncertainty and Global Pandemics SOCY30352 20 Optional
Power and Protest SOCY30462 20 Optional
Social Thought from the Global South SOCY30501 20 Optional
Visualising Society & Social Life: Photography in focus SOCY30521 20 Optional
Dissertation (20 credits) SOCY30920 20 Optional
Dissertation B (40 credits) SOCY30930 40 Optional
Displaying 10 of 19 course units for year 4

Additional fee information

Fees for entry in 2021 have not yet been set. For entry in 2020 the tuition fees were £9,250 per annum for home/EU students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2021 entry.

Facilities

The University Language Centre is home to language resources, including a new interpreting suite, purpose-built recording rooms, and resources for more than 70 languages.  

The Centre also offers multilingual word processing, language learning software, off-air recording and AV duplication, multilingual terrestrial and satellite TV, and extensive support and advice for learners.  

Learn more at facilities

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk