Social Studies
Part-time BA (Hons) Degree
Our BA (Hons) Social Studies degree (part-time) is designed to give a broad understanding of the academic subjects which constitute the social sciences. These include sociology, health and social policy, business studies, economics, lifelong learning and politics.
You will choose to specialise in one discipline and this becomes your 'major' subject throughout your studies.
| Starts | Starts October 2018, applications should be submitted by 31 August 2018 |
| Day and time | Dependent on modules taken; please contact us for more details |
| Fee | See Student fees and funding for more information. View potential additional fees. Levels of funding and payment plans |
| Venue | Main Campus, The University of Warwick |
| Entry requirements | Flexible entry requirements, consideration given for non-traditional qualifications, work and life experience. Applicants are normally interviewed by the course selector. |
| Length | Minimum 4 years, maximum 10 years (most students complete the degree in 6 years) |
| Contact | Please use our Contact page to send us an enquiry |
Core modules
On this degree, you will study a core module at all levels.
| Level 4 | Foundations in Social Studies |
| Honours Level 5 | Research methods in the social sciences |
| Honours Level 6 | Dissertation/Research Project |
You can select your 'major' from the following subjects
- Business Studies
- Economics
- Health and Social Policy
- Lifelong Learning
- Philosophy
- Politics
- Sociology
In each of these majors, there are core level 4 modules that serve as prerequisites or foundations for study at Honours Level. As you only study four level 4 modules, some care must be exercised about choosing which ones you take, but we will give you guidance with this.
Optional Modules
In addition to the core modules you will also take some optional modules and there is an extensive range on offer on this degree. You can choose modules from the 'major' subjects listed above and you can also take modules from the Centre for Lifelong Learning, Language Centre and the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL).
Each department has an undergraduate module webpage which details the modules on offer.
Day-time and Evening Study
Modules are offered at various times of the day and evening, but please note that the evening choice is limited and a number of modules will only be offered in the day-time. The Warwick Business School and Departments of Economics, Philosophy and Politics offer day-time classes only.
The Centre offers a free entry course to social studies called the Warwick Gateway to HE: Social Studies. If you have little recent formal educational experience, you may wish to consider this introductory course first.
*The modules mentioned above may be subject to change. Please read our terms and conditions for more detailed information.
Hi all, hope you’ve all received the results you wanted and congratulations to everyone that has graduated this year.
As we’ve come to the end of the year I thought I’d write about some things that have really helped with my lack of confidence.
In 2015 I started on the 2+2 social studies degree with the Centre for Lifelong Learning, when I started the course I really lacked in confidence, found it hard to talk to people I didn’t know, got really anxious about getting involved in seminar discussion, and just generally lacked self-confidence. During the first two years of my course, my confidence did grow slightly, and I felt less anxious around my classmates yet still struggled with people I didn’t know. In October 2017 I made the transition to Warwick (which you can read about in my other blog) not long after moving to Warwick I applied to be a Digital Skills Mentor, which I have been doing ever since, I enjoy working on computers and found that through the first 2 years of my course other students would ask me how to do various tasks, so I thought by being a Digital Skills Mentor I could help more people whilst also pushing myself out of my comfort zone and having to talk to people I didn’t know. I have since helped people with numerous tasks, held workshops, and met loads of new people.
Following this I enquired about becoming a CLL student Ambassador, which again I am now doing, I go out to various events with other ambassadors. So far, I have been to Coventry pride, Leamington peace festival, Coventry community information fair, and the Warwick University open day. At the events, we talk to numerous individuals offering advice and guidance about what CLL has to offer, again this position was completely out of my comfort zone.
I have also been involved in other projects including a photo shoot for marketing materials, made a support video for future students, audio recordings all of which will be viewed by numerous people. Before I started the degree, there is no way I would have done any of this. Over the last 3 years but particularly the last 12 months my confidence has increased no end, I have met some really nice people both staff and other students, I have even applied for a job at the University as Academic Student Support with the library, so fingers crossed.
All of these roles have and still are very enjoyable, and I would recommend anyone thinking about getting more involved whilst at University to go for it, not only do you build your own confidence, you meet some lovely people, and you develop new skills which will look great on your CV.
Surrey campus is all quiet with the students having finished for the year, and many of the students our office have spent the year helping find a placement are beginning to start their year of work. However, a new module has started for me so it's back to study…
Last month I attended the three-day residential for the compulsory CEIGHE module Challenges of Careers Work in Higher Education. This module looks at an overview of the wider context of where Higher Education careers work takes place. At the residential we looked at a range of topics, from stakeholders, to personal challenges in our roles, to student expectations, as well as wider external factors of labour market and policy influences, and of course economic and political changes (it goes without saying that Brexit unknowns got a mention). It was interesting to look at both the internal and external influencers of challenges myself and my colleagues face in our roles, and how we might look to respond and change to try to keep delivering our services effectively.
There were a mix of people from different Universities at the residential, in a variety of roles, such as Careers Advisors, and staff from areas of Placements and Employer Engagement. Having a chance to connect with others is a great benefit I have found from these residentials so far. You have the opportunity to share best practice and to reflect a bit more on how you, and your place of work, are supporting students. It enables you to sit outside of your own University bubble for a few days and listen to different perspectives. I have also found that it is good for approaching the distance studying, as it helps you to assess and reflect on what you do know and understand already, but also what topics you are less familiar with so that you can place a focus on those areas when it comes to the module reading.
With this being the third module for me now, I do feel it has become less daunting to work out how to approach the studying. I am able to look ahead at what is required for that module, in terms of volume of reading and assignment questions, and begin to plan a little schedule of study. This hasn't come without some trial and error to begin with, when working out how much time is needed for reading and draft writing. However, I realise this is part of the learning curve of returning to study, and I am proud to be nearing the mid-way point now of my diploma.
So assuming this glorious sunshine doesn't make my brain too useless, I am aiming in July to get ahead on plans for assignment number three!
About the author
Rose Leek is a paid blogger for CLL.
I relocated back near my hometown last year in Surrey, after a decade living near the sea in East Kent. I work in a University Employability & Careers Centre, assisting engineering and science students onto a placement year as part of their degree, and providing administrative support to their academic tutors.
I started the Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Education, Information and Guidance in Higher Education (CEIGHE) in October 2017 and am looking forward to developing a wider awareness of the service I work within, and increasing my confidence and understanding.
I have experienced a year with lots of change, and it is both exciting and daunting to be adding studying back into my life. I have never written a blog and my reasoning for doing so is the hope that it will help me to better reflect on, and share, my experience as a CEIGHE student. My course is mainly distance taught, with a few residential workshops per year. I wanted to also try to share the perspective of being a distance student, and how I will (hopefully!) learn to juggle the balance of study, work and home.
I look forward to the journey ahead!
And if all else fails, maybe the cat can do some of my studying for me?
Well, I’ve completed a year! Looking back, it seems to have flown by. However, I know that it has taken a great deal of commitment and hard work, and this is only my first year!
When I started the degree, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought, quite naively, that I’d breeze through it no problem. I didn’t anticipate how much work would be involved in a ‘part-time’ degree. It has been a very busy first year, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’ve learned so much this past year. I’ve learned from the lessons, key note speakers, and additional reading. I’ve also learned how to write a blog, use Office 365, navigate the library, use One Drive to access my documents at Warwick and at home, find my way around campus, use Harvard referencing and master academic writing (ok, ‘master’ might be a slight exaggeration!!). I’m sure that there are lots more things that I could add to that list, but I think you get the point – I’ve learned a lot in my first year.
Whilst this first year has been really full-on, I’ve still enjoyed it immensely. The lessons have been informative and interesting. Each module has taught me something different about the early years - such as the benefits of storytelling, the different perspectives that impact on the early years, and how children develop from birth. And, the recommended reading lists and additional reading have expanded my knowledge even further. Plus, the Saturday morning key note speakers have been really informative. Overall, my experience of being a first year at university has been a good one. And, most of all, I’m glad I chose Warwick. I love the campus. It’s always buzzing with students. There are cafes, coffee shops and nice places to go for a walk. Plus, on most visits to campus I’ll see ducks, rabbits or squirrels wandering around. Also, spring-time on campus was lovely, when the daffodils were in bloom. If it was a bit easier to find a parking space, then it’d be almost perfect! ;)
Now the first year is finished, and my last assignment was submitted on Wednesday, I’m looking forward to a nice break. I may fit in some reading over the summer, but I’ll mostly be taking it easy, spending time with family, and making the most of the good weather!
I hope you all have a fab summer break. I’ll be back blogging in September, so ‘bye’ till then!
When I was planning a weekend away with my family and deciding on dates, I didn’t consider university work-load. I only really considered what the weather might be like, if my husband could book the dates off work and the fact that I would have finished my first year at Warwick (or so I thought!). So, I picked my dates (15-18 June) and booked a mini-break to Prestatyn, Wales. In about May, it dawned on me that I needed to submit a 3000 word assignment by 27 June. So, I was taking a weekend break, at a pretty crucial time! However, I was determined that I would do as planned and spend some quality time with my family, with no laptop or books. Plus, I had another 3000 word assignment due by 13 June, so I thought that it would be nice to switch off for a few days after that and recharge the batteries. So, that’s what I did. I packed up the car, left my laptop and books at home, and headed to Wales. I wasn’t sure if I could put the pending 3000 word essay out of my mind and relax, but it was surprisingly easy! The fact that I hadn’t even had chance to make a start on it before the weekend away didn’t ruin my break either. I just switched off and enjoyed some quality family-time, and a break from the books. And, whilst the weather wasn’t scorching, we still went to the beach.
Rhyl beach
Plus, I enjoyed the staple seaside dinner of fish, chips and mushy, on our visit to Llandudno!
It was a great break. Definitely well needed, and I was certainly ready for it. However, it was the calm before the storm! When I came back, it was a mammoth task to do a 3000 word assignment in just over a week. I was at Warwick most evenings till midnight or 1am. The positives were – I did get to see the campus rabbits coming out for a midnight feast most nights, the roads were clear, and the campus was quiet. The negatives were - I barely spent an evening with my husband, I didn’t read my daughter a bedtime story for a week, and I was exhausted! However, I completed the assignment, finished my first year and I’ve learned a valuable lesson – I won’t book a weekend away when I have a 3000 word assignment due! :)
Learning is the "acquisition of knowledge or skill through study, experience or being taught" (Oxford English Dictionary).
My definition, which is perhaps not as concise: "learning is receiving information, making sense of it, understanding it and being able to apply it"
One of the assignments on the CLL Gateway course is to research a topic and present your findings to the class. As I am enjoying learning new things I decided to look at the theory and practise of learning, here are some of the things I found.
It has long been acknowledged that people have learning preferences. Individuals have a better chance of understanding information if it is presented to them in a favourable format. In its simplest form this would be either seeing it, hearing it or doing it themselves.
Neil Fleming wrote extensively about learning theory and describes four main preferences, he uses the acronym VARK:
Visual – Images, photographs, diagrams, video and illustrations.
Auditory – Lectures, podcasts, group discussions, verbal Q+A, recital of key points.
Read/Write – Written text, lists, note taking and further reading
Kinaesthetic – Hands on learning, role play, models, practical experiments
Some people respond well to a blend of these methods, but most have a bias toward one or two preferences. It can be useful to know what your preferences may be, so you can look for the information in a more suitable package e.g. listening to an audiobook rather than reading the text, taking an active part in discussions with your fellow students instead of studying in isolation. Draw diagrams and flow charts to illustrate theories or put theories into context by weaving them into a story of events linked to people. The are many possibilities.
Flemings VARK questionnaire is available to try at: http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/
The research that resonated more with my personal learning was David Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. Kolb maintains that one cannot learn without first having an Experience. Following this Experience is a period of Reflective Observation where the learner makes sense of the event and gains an understanding of what has happened. Conceptualisation is next, where the learner concludes, makes amendments and forms the idea into a concept to try out in the last stage which is Active Experimentation, applying the new idea to form the next experience. Then start again and the cycle continues.
Having read this theory it's clear to me that I spend a lot of time in Reflective Observation. Its useful to have this insight and now I can plan this into my study time.
There are many more learning style theories to look at, some linked with personality types and some with basic tests that can be done to help identify how you might learn more efficiently.
I will leave you with the same question I started with,
How do you learn?
About the Author
I'm Steve Lock and I'm on the Gateway to Higher Education at CLL. I'm not an academic, I've been employed in practical roles throughout my working life. I've been in the Armed Forces and now work in the Emergency Services. My next personal challenge is education, have a look at my blog to see how I'm getting on…..
Student Experience
"The support and warmth of the part-time team at Warwick in particular is something which will stay with me forever, and my experience at Warwick has left me feeling equipped to face future challenges in life."