Course description
The range of expert teaching available is so unique at Manchester.
The lecturers are leading academics which not only means they are enthusiastic about their work, but you know you are really learning from the best. They provide you with support and for me, they really pushed me to achieve higher. When I talk to people from other universities they are shocked when I say that we have learnt how to code in a programme called R and that for my dissertation I am analysing tweets. This just shows that Manchester really offers a wide range of topics and really puts you ahead of others
Hannah Watts / BA Criminology
BA Global Social Challenges is a first-of-its-kind transdisciplinary programme in the School of Social Sciences at The University of Manchester.
The central aim of this programme is to equip students with skills to understand and tackle challenges that result in globally significant harms. Contemporary global challenges include complex issues such as:
- Social injustice;
- conflicts and violence;
- climate change;
- the migration and displacement of people.
As students progress through the degree, they will learn about and critically analyse the local, national, international and global responses to the pressing challenges societies across the globe face, as well as how these responses create new problems of their own.
By graduation students will have built their own areas of expertise and will have gained the key knowledge, skills and expertise to work across national and international organisations, governmental bodies and the third sector.
Special features
Our School brings together experts from across eight disciplines which influence the topic of Global Social Challenges. Our academics are leaders in their fields and boast strong connections to international institutions, such as the UN, the WTO and the EU, affording our students outstanding insight and connection to the real-world implications of their studies.
Hands-on learning
This course emphasises practical and transferable skills that graduates can apply to their careers. Many of the core units are skills-focused and you will practice the real-life application of your knowledge. There will also be opportunities to learn from sources from beyond academia, such as guest speakers and field trips.
Professional Experience Year Opportunity
You apply in year 1 to boost your employability through a paid Professional Experience Year.
If you meet the criteria, the Professional Experience Team and Careers Service will work with you to find a suitable placement in your 2nd year.
You will then complete your Professional Experience Year in 3rd year extending your degree to four years, before returning to University to finish your final year.
Your degree title will be extended to include 'with Professional Experience', giving you the added advantage of relevant work experience when entering the competitive graduate jobs market.
Study abroad
You can apply to study overseas for a year at one of our partner universities.
You apply in Year 2 to spend a year abroad in Year 3. If successful, you will put together a programme of study at the host university in consultation with your Academic Exchange Advisor, to complement your studies at Manchester.
You will then come back to Manchester to study for a fourth year and graduate with a degree title including ‘with International Study'.
Teaching and learning
You will learn through traditional and participatory methods including:
- interactive workshops with your peer group on a series of core units each year;
- lectures and seminars;
- small group learning;
- individual tutorials;
- self-study materials;
- group collaboration and teamwork.
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed through methods including:
- presentations;
- blog posts / vlogs;
- podcasts;
- team projects;
- essays;
- coursework;
- dissertation.
Course content for year 1
In your first year, you will learn about a range of contemporary global challenges and begin to identify social harms created by them. You will consider if, how and why social injustice is a pressing global concern, and you will learn to critically appreciate the obstacles and impediments to social justice.
In addition to the core units/modules available on your degree you will be able to take units from different areas, including from the School of Social Sciences, as well as courses from the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL) which includes language courses.
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.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Engaging With Social Research | SOCS10111 | 20 | Mandatory |
Understanding Social Injustice | SOCS10201 | 20 | Mandatory |
Current Issues of Social Injustice | SOCS10302 | 20 | Mandatory |
Global Social Challenges | SOCY10461 | 20 | Mandatory |
Politics of the Global Economy | POLI10502 | 20 | Optional |
Cultural Diversity in Global Perspective | SOAN10312 | 10 | Optional |
Understanding Social Media | SOST10012 | 20 | Optional |
Leadership in Action Online Unit | UCIL20032 | 10 | Optional |
Trust and Security in a Digital World: From Fake News to Cyber Criminals | UCIL20132 | 10 | Optional |
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Your Role in Shaping a Fairer World | UCIL22302 | 10 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
In the second year, you will begin to specialise and extend the depth of your knowledge, particularly in how global social challenges can be tackled. You will analyse how challenges are governed on national and international scales and will develop understanding into the international obligations people and nations have towards these problems. You will also explore these challenges in relation to case studies of violence and ‘The State', where an optional field trip to Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau will help further illustrate the issues at hand.
During Year 2 of the programme, students will have the option to go on a part-university funded international fieldtrip to Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, to learn more about the infamous Nazi death camp and the Holocaust. Given that the subject theme of Year 2 is ‘violence' which includes case studies of state violence and genocide, the fieldtrip will provide an opportunity for students to visualise key course content and to deepen their understanding of how and why genocide occurs. Students will also have some free time to explore the beautiful city of Krakow and learn more about its history and culture.
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.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Making Sense of Criminological Data | CRIM20441 | 20 | Mandatory |
Understanding Violence and Social Disorder | SOCS22111 | 20 | Mandatory |
Current Issues of Violence and Social Disorder | SOCS23112 | 20 | Mandatory |
Explaining Crime and Deviance | CRIM20412 | 20 | Optional |
Modelling Criminological Data | CRIM20452 | 20 | Optional |
The Politics of Globalisation | POLI20711 | 20 | Optional |
The Politics of Development | POLI20722 | 20 | Optional |
Environmental Politics | POLI20982 | 20 | Optional |
Political and Economic Anthropology | SOAN20821 | 20 | Optional |
Sustainability, Consumption & Global Responsibilities | SOCY20231 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Understanding Global Governance | SOCS31111 | 20 | Mandatory |
Current Issues of Global Governance | SOCS32112 | 20 | Mandatory |
Drugs and Society | CRIM30601 | 20 | Optional |
Criminology and Mass Violence | CRIM31051 | 20 | Optional |
White-Collar and Corporate Crime | CRIM31142 | 20 | Optional |
Crime Mapping: an introduction to GIS and spatial analysis | CRIM31152 | 20 | Optional |
Introduction to International Political Economy | POLI30721 | 20 | Optional |
Postcolonial Politics | POLI32062 | 20 | Optional |
Anthropology of Development and Humanitarianism | SOAN30111 | 20 | Optional |
Anthropology of Displacement and Migration | SOAN30452 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 4
If you are selected for the Professional Experience opportunity in Year 3, then you will take Year 3 course content in Year 4.
If completing a year abroad, you will take the Year 3 content in Year 4.
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and bursaries are available to eligible Home/EU students, including the Manchester Bursary . This bursary is in addition to the government package of maintenance grants.
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