The module introduces students to seismic historical developments and radical social movements that have impacted human society and culture. Additionally, it encourages the interpretation and analysis of visual materials, written texts and cultural artifacts, with exploration of their historical and social contexts. It also provides students with an introduction to academic skills relevant to the study of academic subjects within the humanities and social sciences.

Indicative content:

• Introduction to the study of human society, culture, beliefs and language
• Introduction to revolutionary developments and radical change in human society and culture
• ‘Revolutions’ (such as agricultural, industrial, technological, scientific, political and social developments)
• Concepts and debates surrounding the shifts from 'the traditional' to 'the modern' to 'the postmodern' 
• Social movements, political activism and art for societal change
• History, politics and literatures of class, gender, ‘race’, sexuality, and disability
• Introduction to the interpretation of cultural texts, materials and artifacts in the humanities and social sciences
• Exploring the historical and social contexts of visual and written materials and cultural artifacts
• Cultural themes such as visions of science, gender representation, rebels and counterculture, and icons and heroes
• Subject lenses and literatures on societal and cultural developments (including archaeological, historical, philosophical, religious, literary, political, geographical, and sociological perspectives)  
• Learning to use and navigate a range of digital spaces specific to your subject
• Understanding academic conduct and conventions for communicating information
• Finding and using a range of academic sources relating to your subject
• Field visit

The module introduces students to a range of social issues that are of concern across the social sciences, including for sociological, psychological, criminological and legal studies, as well as for people-focussed professional courses. It also encourages students to analyse the wider social and historical contexts for various public policy, legal and criminal justice scenarios, cases and debates. Additionally, the module provides students with support to advance their academic communication and to expand their research into subject-specific literatures.

Indicative content:

• Social scientific subjects and subject lenses, including sociological criminological, psychological, legal and professional perspectives on the social world
• Introductory ideas and concepts including society, socialisation and social structures  
• Introducing and applying social psychological ideas and theories to social issues
• Introducing ideas and debates surrounding youth studies, youth crime, and youth justice, including knife crime analysis
• Theory and debates surrounding generational categories (such as generations X, Y, Z and Alpha) 
• Digitalisation of society and digital ‘zeitgeist’ debates (such as selfie culture and ‘brain rot’)
• Consumerism, young people and identities
• Equality, inequality and intersectionality: class, age, gender, ‘race’, sexuality, disability
• Tackling inequalities, promoting equalities, power and social change
• Introducing and applying critical social science to issues of class, gender and 'race' , including Marxist, feminist, and critical race theory
• Riots, uprisings and collective violence
• Sex work, legal frameworks and sex trafficking
• Criminal justice debates including prison reform, the role and impact of Victim Offender Mediation (VOM) initiatives, ‘defunding the police’ campaigns, and the representation of crime in the media
• Public policy, legal, and criminal justice scenarios and cases  
• Advancing digital and academic skills introduced during Term 1
• Developing research and information literacy in relation to your subject
• Creating an academic poster on a chosen research paper
• Field visit
• Local case study

Overall, the module will guide students to devise, plan and produce their own project about a topic relevant to their degree subject. As part of their project’s planning and research process, students will develop skills to locate, identify and review suitable and relevant literature. Additionally, the module will support students to recognise key features and techniques applied within a range of publications from across the humanities and social sciences, to include research papers, critical essays and creative texts.

Indicative content:

• Identifying topics of interest and generating ideas for a project
• Undertaking background research to inform a project title and project proposal
• Formulating a project title or question
• Devising, planning and producing a proposal for a project
• Project development sessions to include generating ideas, research and planning, proposal and project development workshops, self-directed study, and individual tutorials with study supervisor
• Producing a final piece of work in a relevant format
• Recognising key stages in project development
• Skills for developing a self-directed project, including skills for independent study and time management
• Introduction to reflective cycles and reflective practice, and application of this to own project development experiences
• Introduction to searching and reviewing literature for a project
• Reading and reviewing example research papers
• Recognising forms of research within humanities and social research
• Recognising basic research methods and relevant terminology within published research papers
• Reading and reviewing examples of creative publications
• Recognising literary techniques and devices within pieces of creative writing
• Reading and reviewing example pieces of journalism and other media texts
• Recognising methods and styles of argument, and modes of persuasion including through written and spoken language, images, adverts and media
• Subject lenses and literatures on research and critical inquiry (including archaeological, historical, philosophical, religious, literary, political, geographical, and sociological perspectives)   
• Field visit