BSc Honours Global Social Science Degree

Overview & facilities

Each year thousands of UK students begin a study of the social sciences but few consider the internationalisation of our social world. As our economy, society and communications become increasingly transnational a view of the changing nature of society is necessary if we are to play our part in shaping the world of tomorrow.

Our new degree, BSc Global Social Science, seeks to explore the world view we set out to discover the changing nature of relationships in a global context seeing how individuals and organisations, regions and countries interact with transnational companies to shape the world of tomorrow.

Content & modules

In this degree you'll engage with some of the most compelling and contested questions in contemporary society

• How do we communicate with each other?
• Why do places carry meaning for people?
• What are our rights as citizens?
• What shapes our identity and why?

And we do all this by using modern social science to look at the local, national and international context of modern society.

Modules

• Year 1

  Introduction to Politics (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  Introduces students to fundamental concepts of Political Science and the distinctions which can be drawn between theoretical and empirical approaches to the subject. Provides a preparation for subsequent modules which build upon and reinforce levels of competency gained at this stage. Includes questions on the nature of politics, the relationship between the state and civil society, authority and legitimacy.

  Introduction to Social Policy (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module aims to introduce students to the concepts, issues and policies associated with social welfare in contemporary societies. In the first part social welfare is conceptually and comparatively discussed in order to demonstrate both common and different types of welfare problems and experiences in several societies. In particular it will discuss the different roles played by public and private forms of welfare provision. National and international institutions e.g. The UN will be examined with regard to how several social welfare issues are perceived, portrayed responded to for example; global inequality, ageing populations, childhood poverty, HIV/AIDS, migration, employment and unemployment. The second part of the module focuses mainly on British and European Union welfare institutions, their ideologies and some of the current policy issues they are currently involved with. In both parts, the module aims to examine social welfare and social policies and discourses in a globalising context. The third part will provide opportunities for students to reflect on skills and future career planning and to develop their personal development profile.

  The Business of Tourism (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module aims to introduce you to the general context of tourism and provide you with an overview of the business of tourism. This will include examining various definitions of tourism primarily from economic and management perspectives, the development of tourism, tourist behaviour and motivation, the demand for tourism, the structure, dimensions and characteristics of tourism as a service industry, the characteristics of different operational sectors and their interaction within the tourism system, the role of intermediaries in the business of tourism and the current and future trends of tourism business. This module will also integrate key study and management skills required for level-one students to allow you to develop your transferable skills, attitudes and abilities, all of which will become very useful in subsequent years of study and indeed in future employment.

  The Construction of the Third World (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  The module aims to introduce students to the processes that have shaped, and continue to shape, the contemporary First and Third Worlds. The module explores how the Third World was geographically and historically constructed through processes of colonialism and post-colonial development policies in order to better understand how these have shaped the contemporary development landscape in both its professional and popular imaginations. Since the year 2000 the development agenda has been dominated by the Millennium Development Goals MDGs and their achievement has become a priority for governments and development agencies. Through critical examination of the MDG framework, those aspects that are contained within it and those omitted from it, contemporary notions of development will be critically analysed.

• Year 2

  Development in Theory and Practice (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  The module aims to develop understanding of the processes of development. Taking the meeting at Bretton Woods Post WWII as its starting point, the module examines how notions of development have changed over time, exploring early development theorising and its consequences in order to better understand contemporary development thinking and its critics. The module pays particular attention to changing conceptualisations of development and who defines these or constructs our development knowledge . The issue of women s status and gender inequality is used as an example throughout the module to highlight changing conceptualisations around what and who are included in development agendas and what this means for the development of these individuals. The module focuses on understanding what informs contemporary development initiatives and engages with long standing yet on-going debates around the role of economic growth in delivering development outcomes. Specific attention is paid to more recent policy initiatives particularly those promoted by the International Financial Institutions and the modules also seeks to examine the ideas of those who critique these initiatives, in turn critically deconstructing these alternative development paradigms.

  International Political Theory (30 Credits) - Optional

  Introduces students to the main theories, concepts and themes of international relations. The rival paradigms of the discipline are initially explored and then applied to the understanding of key topics of relations between states and also non-state global actors.

  Social Policy in Consumer Society (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  This module discusses the following issues; The development of social policy in the modern era of industrial societies and its development both in post-industrial and developing economies in the 21st Century. It opens with a discussion about the public welfare roles adopted in various ways, by modern industrial states, in both former socialist and capitalist regimes , as they responded to the demands of expanding industrial production and urbanising populations. Consideration will also be given to the transition from industrial in order to see how social policy has changed to reflect the global impact of consumerism . This will be discussed by reference to the case of the British Welfare State . It will examine how discourses of consumerism became significant in terms of both the production, how services are organised and run , and consumption, as the concept of citizenship is arguably redefined to promote individualism and ideals of choice in the area of social welfare hitherto characterised by more collectivised forms of bureaucratic public administration. Finally, during the second term, the module discusses competing theoretical and political interpretations of consumerism as a welfare discourse before students undertake a small scale group research project when that learning can be applied to a selected service operates and its relationship with citizens in the 21st Century, e.g. gaining access to secondary schools, health care services, social housing or social services.

  Tourism Impacts and Sustainability (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims to explore the impacts of tourism in relation to the economic, environmental aspects, the tourism infrastructures and the destination host communities. The module is designed to provide students with a foundation in theoretical and practical concepts of tourism impacts and to relate this systematically to the tourism industry. In addition the module introduces the concept of sustainability and sustainable tourism in the context of providing a response to some of the negative impacts of tourism. This provides a link to the core module at level three and to one optional level three modules.

• Year 3

  Disasters Development (30 Credits) - Optional

  Many feel that the World is becoming a more dangerous place as the number and severity of natural events, such as the Boxing day Tsunami of 2005, appear to have increased in recent years. Rather than examining how nature produces such hazards, the module focuses on how these hazardous events become disasters through examination of their differentiated impact on the human population. The module considers what happens after an event like a hurricane, and focuses on the often marginalised aspects of disasters, such as the psychosocial impact on those who survive and secondary disasters that follow such as gender based violence. The module aims to highlight how disasters are as much political, social and economic events as they are natural occurrences.

  Environment and Development (30 Credits) - Optional

  The module aims to increase student awareness and critical understanding of environmental issues in the context of developing countries by looking at a range of case study examples of environmental degradation and applying a range of key concepts and frameworks to the analysis of these examples. Different stakeholder perspectives will be used to deepen understanding of the processes at work.

  Managing Sustainable Tourism (30 Credits) - Optional

  This module aims to provide a broad understanding of the various dimensions of sustainable tourism in both the developed and the developing world. It will critically review the concept of balance between environmental, social and economic components of sustainable tourism and develop an understanding of the opportunities and constraints associated with sustainable tourism. The module also aims to provide students with an analytical appreciation of a range of management tools that can be deployed in sustainable tourism initiatives. In addition the module will develop students critical awareness of the role of sustainable tourism in achieving sustainable development in different world regions.

  Social Inclusion (30 Credits) - Compulsory

  The module aims to introduce students to the processes responsible for the creation of social exclusion and to the policies aimed to promote inclusion. The module introduces the students to the three key areas in which one can look for causes, the economy, the state and in the functions of daily life. These causes however all happen in particular locations; and for that reason the module examines the processes whereby these causes are reinforced and reproduced in different places. The third leg of the module is an emphasis upon strategies that have been developed under different political regimes to overcome exclusion. In order to evaluate the policies there is a special emphasis upon policy analysis which is introduced as a skill in the module. While the focus is on Britain, the emphasis upon processes and spatial hierarchies introduces the idea of social exclusion as a global phenomenon occurring in all societies. Students will be encouraged to apply the processes to different situations by assessing the way that many strategies have been developed in one part of the world and exported to others, often from developing to developed countries, yet with problems of transferability. There will be opportunities to apply the analysis which is Western oriented to the developing world There is a particular emphasis in this module on developing skills of policy analysis and the critical evaluation of policy to discover internal inconsistencies within the strategies and to put forward explanations of different strategic approaches. The intention is to develop the student s skills of handling different paradigms in both the explanation of social reality and in the development of strategic thinking.

Download the course specification

Entry & applying

We normally make offers on a minimum of 220 UCAS tariff points, plus GCSE English Language at grade C. BTEC National Diploma/International Baccalaureate/Advanced Progression Diplomas at equivalent tariff. Access to HE - Pass. Applications from candidates without formal qualifications are welcomed. Additionally overseas students whose first language is not English will need a qualification that demonstrates competence in English, eg IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 550 paper-based or 213 computer based.

Entry requirements

Apply now

Qualifications accepted

For a comprehensive list of qualifications accepted by Middlesex, see further information under entry requirements

English language requirements

You must have competence in English language and we normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification. The most common English Language requirements for international students are IELTS 6.0 (with minimum 5.5 in all four components) or TOEFL internet based 72 (with at least 17 in listening & writing, 20 in speaking and 18 in reading).

Middlesex also offers an Intensive Academic English course (Pre-Sessional) that ranges from 5-17 weeks depending on your level of English. Successful completion of this course would meet English language entry requirements. For more information on applying for the pre-sessional please email english@mdx.ac.uk.

Entry into year two or three (transfer students)

If you have achieved a qualification such as a foundation degree or HND, or have gained credit at another university, you may be able to enter a Middlesex course in year two or three. For full details of how this works see transfer students

UK/EU applicants with existing higher education qualifications

If you have already been awarded a qualification at the same level as the course you are applying for, you may not be eligible for a tuition fee loan, see fees and funding for more information.

Applying

Applications for UK and EU students should be made to UCAS – the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. The institution code for Middlesex is M80, and the code name is MIDDX. You also need the code for the course you wish to apply for – this is found in the 'at a glance' box above.

International students from outside the EU can make a direct application.  We have a network of regional offices across the world to assist you with your application.  They have worked with people from your region coming to Middlesex before and can help. Read more on international applications

Fees & funding

The tuition fee for the 2012/2013 academic year for UK/EU students is £9,000.
The tuition fee for the 2012/2013 academic year for International students is £10,400.

Click here to find out more about fees, funding and our scholarships in 2012.