Course Essentials
Welcome you to Sociology and Social Science here at Canterbury Christ Church University. We pride ourselves on being friendly, approachable and supportive and are really looking forward to getting to know you and introducing you to your fellow students. University study is not just about academic learning: it's also about making friends and being part of a vibrant community, and working towards your future career. A Sociology and Social Science degree develops the skills and attributes that are valuable for a wide range of careers, and encourages you to develop your knowledge and curiosity of the world and your role in it. There has never been a more important time to study Sociology and Social Science, and we have designed our degree to be stimulating, contemporary and useful for many walks of life. We know that coming to University is a big step and you can be confident that we are committed to helping you succeed.
Your Course Team
Your Teaching Timetable
Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
View your first semester teaching timetable.
On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.
If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.
Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.
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Your Semester 1 Modules |
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Careers in Psychology |
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Psychology in Context |
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Success Modules - you will complete 3 of these 5 credit modules* |
*Success Modules
Your Journey to Success at CCCU is a compulsory success module. You'll then choose two more Success modules from a choice of eight.
These modules are completed online (asynchronous learning) and are not timetabled, so they won't appear in your teaching timetable.
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Semesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome and Induction
Your Welcome Week is an essential introduction to your course and the wider University, helping you to feel confident and prepared for your studies right from the very start.
It is important to check your Course Welcome Week for all the activities you are required to attend as part of your course induction. If any of your welcome activities are in groups, your course team will contact you before you arrive to let you know which group you will be in.
You will be informed of your group and room for the Meet your Personal Academic Tutor session during the Course Welcome on Monday 15th September. If you are unable to attend this session or have any queries regarding this please go to Rf05 (Ramsey) at the beginning of the Meet your Personal Academic Tutor activity to find out your group.
In addition, check the Student Events Hub for a range of fun activities. including the Students’ Union Welcome Fair, to help you make friends and live your best CCCU student life.
Your teaching timetable
UniTimetables provides an overview of all teaching activities for a course. If your course is taught in groups, it will display information for all groups, not just the group you will be assigned to.
Your individual student timetable will show you what modules and groups you are expected to attend via MyTimetable. This will be available for when your teaching starts.
Learn more about timetabling for new students including user guides and videos.
Welcome
The Social Sciences are endlessly fascinating. They study all aspects of human society by examining the large scale social forces that shape our experiences and the small scale social interactions that give our lives meaning.
Key questions addressed in the Sociology and Social Science course include: how are societies possible?; what is the relationship between selves and societies?; how and why do societies change over time?; how and why are societies divided?; what gives a society order and why do some people break the rules?; how do cultural norms and values influence our thinking, what we do, and who we think we are? By becoming a social scientist you will learn to be careful, considered and creative, analytical and rigorous, reflexive and ethical. These dispositions will prepare you for education, work and life.
When you start you will be invited to a number of welcome activities to help everyone begin to get to know one another, the staff, and the interrelated disciplines of Sociology and the Social Sciences. Even if you have studied Sociology or Social Science before we will be encouraging you to think about this question in new ways.
Getting started
Your first few weeks at CCCU will be an exciting time! As a course team we appreciate that the transition to university life and study can be a slow process, and we want to assure you that your having a positive experience of the course and while at CCCU is our upmost priority. We will therefore take things nice and easy in the beginning - supporting you and your classmates in making the transition, and doing so in a way that brings you together.
During the first year of your degree, you will study a range of modules:
- Student Success Modules (3x5 credits)
- Selves and Societies (15 credits)
- Unequal Worlds (30 credits)
- Solving Social Problems (30 credits)
- Crime in Context (30 credits)
Community
On the social side, the Student Union (CCSU) has a huge range of clubs and societies – all of which have unique social calendars of their own and offer endless opportunities to make lifelong friends and discover new hobbies. And you can always create your own society and cultivate your own community!
CCSU will be hosting their Welcome Fayre on Wednesday 17 September 2025. Make sure you keep checking the CCSU website for further details and how to get involved.
We understand that you may be nervous about your first few weeks on campus but rest assured - you'll be joining a nurturing and supportive environment where diversity, equality and individuality are part of everything we do.
You can find out more about our welcoming community and making friends.
If you are an International Student joining us then please see our International Student Support pages for further information and guidance.
Pre-course reading
There is no required reading before you start your degree, but two members of the team have written a brilliant book for budding Sociologists. If you choose to read it before you arrive, you’ll find it really helpful once you start. The book is called ‘How to be a Sociologist’, and it is published by Collins. Watch Sarah talk about the book at this webinar .
There is a lot of reading to get stuck into once you arrive on the course, and we select the best essential and additional readings for you to engage with for each module. These will all be accessible online, via your University library account. The Library also has an incredible range of books, e-books, and journal articles so you can read around each topic and follow your sociological interest.
We strongly encourage you to engage with current events. What's in the news? What cultural or lifestyle issues are people talking about? What is going on in the world that intrigues you, and that you would like to investigate further? Sociology and Social Science are disciplines that engages with life as it is happening to us, and our class discussions are topical and relevant - so bring your own thoughts and questions with you to University!
International student success programme
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.
Contact details
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