Sociology and Social Policy will allow you to focus on the role of social policy and public sociology in bringing about social change, exploring how we – as citizens -can participate in generating solutions to tackle social problems.
The Sociology and Social Policy joint programme has been taught at University of Wolverhampton for a number of years. However, for 2022, the Sociology and Social Policy has been redesigned, taking an innovative and exciting approach to the social world, with a particular focus on social change.

Contemporary society faces a number of critical problems, such as climate change, growing social and economic inequalities and the influence of social media on mental health. Exploring solutions to these problems – along with other concerns such as the future of the welfare state and growing food insecurity – are central to this joint programme. Sociology and Social Policy will allow you to focus on the role of social policy and public sociology in bringing about social change, exploring how we – as citizens -can participate in generating solutions to tackle social problems. It will offer you the opportunity to not only understand how social problems come about but to examine the social policy responses to those problems – and ask critical questions about why policies fail.

Events such as COVID 19 and climate change, and social movements such as Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter, have shown us how citizen involvement can be crucial in highlighting social problems. However, sometimes interactions between the state and its citizens leads to social change – and shifts in policy direction - and sometimes they do not. Through a diverse range of case studies, shaped by student and teacher expertise and interest, we will reflect on the health, wealth and wellbeing of our society.