Linguistics and Sociology

Our BA Linguistics and Sociology course will introduce you to the study of the unique human faculty of language and the investigation of the world's languages, while also delving into people's social context and their webs of connection to understand individual behaviour. In Linguistics, you will explore the sounds and structure of languages across the globe, studying topics such as:

- how languages arise, change and die;

- how children acquire their first language;

- how adults learn a second or foreign language;

- differences between the speech of men and women;

- how we communicate as individuals and within groups;

- what happens when speakers of different languages come into contact.

You'll also be able to use quantitative methods in the study of large language corpora.

This is a skill which you'll then be able to apply to other fields throughout your life.

In Sociology, you will develop the skills to analyse and interpret contemporary social challenges.

You will explore how claims about social life are based on types of evidence and develop the ability to critically assess them.

Sociology can cover many different topics, from reproduction of inequalities in relation to social categories (such as race, class or gender), to the shaping of intimate relationships by wider cultural contexts, or the generation of resistance and protest by economic trends and crises.