BA Sociology and Japanese

Residence abroad support

We offer dedicated financial support packages of up to £2,000 for residence abroad students, based on household income.

You will be automatically assessed for this, based on your Student Finance financial assessment - you just need to make sure you apply for a financial assessment in the academic year in which your residence abroad will take place.

RWS Brode Scholarship

You may be eligible for this scholarship if you fulfill the following conditions:

• your qualifications were achieved at a state-funded school in the UK;
• your total household income does not exceed £60,000 (as verified by the Student Loan Company);
• you achieve high marks in your A-levels (or equivalent qualifications), usually AAB or above;
• you apply to (and remain on) either a single honours Language course, or a dual-language course.

Awards will be made according to a sliding scale, benefitting those who have achieved the highest marks relative to backgrounds.

You will be automatically assessed for this after you have registered on your degree.

You simply need to make sure you allow the University access to your records when applying for your student lLoan (we cannot otherwise assess your eligibility).

The course examines a series of concepts that are key to understanding modern society: The ideas of culture; ideology and hegemony; discourse; media aesthetics, and digital convergence are all examined in depth. Class discussions investigate the history of communications techniques; the implication of media in the workings of power in modern societies; the politics of media aesthetics; the role of audiences in shaping media, and the impact of digital technologies. 

' To interrogate common sense assumptions of media influence against sociological explanations of the way the media works.
- To introduce the critical analysis of media and cultural forms through the study of industries and organizations, public discourse and politics, technology, and subcultures.
- To introduce key concepts, such as 'representation', 'ideology', 'political economy', 'consumer culture'.
- To understand the relationship between the state, media and the public
- To develop an appreciation of the significance of media and culture in contemporary social and political life.

On completion of this unit students will be able to:
- comprehend and critically analyse the development of media and culture in sociological perspective.
- Situate contemporary phenomena within the broader problematic of modernity.
- Identify social and political dimensions within contemporary media artefacts.
- Make imaginative and critical use of ideas and concepts to develop arguments.

Lectures will be delivered weekly, as a 2 hour lecture session. There is also a 1 hour weekly seminar .  

1x formative essay plan deleted text. 1x 1500 word essay constituting 50% of the overall mark,1x online exam worth 50% of mark.  

 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.

Barker, C. (2000 & 2008) Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice London: Sage.
Branston, G. & Stafford, R. (1999 & 2003) The Media Student's Book London: Routledge.
Fleming, D. (2000) (ed.) Formations: A 21st Century Media Studies Textbook Manchester University Press.
Inglis, D & Hughson, J. (2003) Confronting Culture: Sociological Vistas London: Polity
Kellner, D. (1995) Media Culture: cultural studies, identity and politics between the modern and the postmodern London: Routledge.
Lewis, J. (2002) Cultural Studies: The Basics London: Sage
Storey, J. (2000) Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction, Prentice Hall