Sociology’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion; from the family to the state; from divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and much more!
Here are some general resources related to Sociology. These should be a useful introduction, regardless of which Sociology related course you’re interested in and where you might want to study it.
Pay attention to the way that the authors write about their findings. Take notes and follow up on their references and research anything you’re intrigued by - this sort of process is useful for ‘thinking like a university student’ and developing your personal statement.
‘Very Short Introductions’ 🔗 🌟 - this series is great for getting a more in-depth overview of a topic, for example, Developmental Biology, Human Evolution, Demography, and Social and Cultural Anthropology.
Videos are a great way to get you thinking about some of the issues covered in sociology. Take notes and use them as a springboard to further study. Again, the real value from these comes from what you do next: following up, or digging around for something else that catches your interest more.
Gresham Lectures 🔗 🌟 Gresham College hosts lectures on all sorts of topics, and they record them so that they are available to watch online, along with PDF transcripts you can read
Stanford lectures by Professor Robert Sapolsky 🔗 This series of lectures, freely available on YouTube, cover a variety of topics you may study as part of a Sociology degree.
Crash Course Sociology 🔗 Whether you have studied Sociology before or are new to the subject, this course has a range of episodes which you may find interesting.
Black British history documentaries 🔗 🌟 Historian David Olusoga’s series on Black British history ‘explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa’, considering various factors you may consider when studying sociology.
TED talks 🔗 🌟 There are so many TED talks on sociology, psychology, criminology...something for everyone!
Podcasts are a great opportunity to engage with sociology in an everyday context. Listen while you’re doing the dishes or on a walk, and if anything sparks your interest, follow it up afterwards. The process of using a ‘source’ such as a lecture or podcast, and then researching anything interesting, contradictory or surprising that it mentioned, is a key part of being a student. This could come in handy as evidence of interest and curiosity on your personal statement.
The Sociology Show 🔗 🌟 This podcast series conducts interviews with key figures in the world of sociology. In particular, check out this episode 🔗 🌟 on studying sociology for the first time.
New Books in Sociology 🔗 Interviews with sociologists discussing their new books. Use this as inspiration for what to read next!