Bachelor of Arts (BASS)

BASS Social Anthropology and Philosophy

Debate today's fundamental questions and how they relate to different cultures.
  • Duration: 3 or 4 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: LV65 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Study abroad
  • Industrial experience

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

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).

Scholarships/sponsorships

Scholarships and bursaries, including the Manchester Bursary , are available to eligible home/EU students.

Some undergraduate UK students will receive bursaries of up to £2,000 per year, in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.

You can get information and advice on student finance to help you manage your money.

Course unit details:
Inequalities in Contemporary British Society

Course unit fact file
Unit code SOCY10402
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

This module aims to introduce the discipline of sociology by highlighting the social aspects of everyday life in British society and the inequalities persisting within it. It also introduces you to sub-disciplines within sociology such class, education, race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, (dis)abilities, and ageing. This module is perfect for those who have previously studied sociology and want to explore it further, as well as for those who are new to the discipline.

Aims

There are five aims to this course:

1.    The course aims to introduce students to the discipline of sociology by highlighting the social aspects of everyday life in British society and the inequalities persisting within it.

2.    To introduce students to sub-disciplines within sociology by teaching a range of topics. The focus is on class, educational inequalities and employability, race, ethnicity and media representation, gender, sexuality, (dis)abilities and ageing.

3.    For students to gain an awareness of theoretical ideas and empirical research so they have an understanding of the relationship between sociological arguments and evidence.

4.    To enhance study skills by introducing students to a body of literature that they must read and evaluate for class discussions, exercises and essays. They will have a sense of the complexity of social life and different explanations of it and how to develop a reasoned argument around them. 

5.    To provide students with academic support for readings though the university's short loan collection. In other words, we seek to provide easy access to key and other readings so students have the opportunity to develop their study skills and undertake and present scholarly work in their first year of study at university.

Learning outcomes

Understand what it means to consider British society from a sociological perspective and to have a sense of the different fields within the discipline of sociology.

Have an understanding of the inherently social nature of everyday life and the various inequalities persisting within it. In addition to appreciating the processes by which social change and social stability co-exist.

Be able to analyse and answer questions sociologically.

Know more about a variety of theoretical perspectives in the discipline.

Be able to engage with different ideas and novel ways of seeing things.

Have a better understanding of recent empirical research.

Be aware of the use of different research methodologies and how they shape substantive findings.

Understand the relationship between theory and research.

Be able to handle a greater volume of reading material than before.

Know how to apply what they have learnt from readings to class discussions and exercises in essay writing                                                  

Appreciate the complexity of social situations and events and how they can give rise to different explanations that must be assessed in a reasoned way

Teaching and learning methods

Each week there will be a two-hour lecture and a one-hour tutorial. Tasks for each week are specified in detail in the weekly folders available on Blackboard.

Assessment methods

One non-assessed task offering formative feedback

One assessed coursework essay, 1500 words; 50% of mark

1 hr exam (or online equivalent); 50% of mark

Feedback methods

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.

Recommended reading

Required readings will be made available electronically via Blackboard. All other readings should be available from the University Main Library. The following more general textbooks are helpful and recommended:

Giddens, A. and Sutton, P.W. (2017) Sociology, Cambridge: Polity Press.

Macionis, J. and Plummer, K. (2012) Sociology a Global Introduction, Harlow: Pearson.

Cohen, R. and Kennedy, P. (2007) Global Sociology, London: Palgrave.  

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam 2
Lectures 20
Tutorials 10
Independent study hours
Independent study 168

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Verdine Etoria Unit coordinator

Return to course details