Our Subject Areas

Sociology and Social Psychology are the main subject areas of the department. Undergraduate courses are also offered in Sociology oriented towards Working Life, Organization and Personnel (AOP) and Sociology with orientation towards Social Work. The department has also applied for permission to offer a degree program in Social Work, which means that Social Work will be introduced as a subject at the department.

The research profile of the department also encompasses areas such as: Social Gerontology, Disability Studies, Gender Studies, Sexology, Housing and Urban Sociology, IMER - International Migration and Ethnic Relations; Sociology of Childhood and Youth, Studies on Working Life, Sociology of Education and Cultural Studies.

Sociology and Social Psychology

Sociology, a social scientific discipline, studies and analyzes society and its social structures, processes and relationships. Studies may address a wide range of issues from global relations and historical processes of social change to organizations and social interaction in everyday life, life histories and identities.

Sociologists are doing research on power relations based on categorizations of people due to class, gender, ethnicity and age, amongst a range of other variables. Research questions may be about youth culture, media, crime, consumption, environmental issues, usage of technology, working life, unemployment, life styles, welfare states, social movements, education, urban life, constructions of childhood, to mention but a few of the many possible areas of inquiry.

Social Psychology, as a subject within Sociology, is related to the discipline of Psychology, which is demonstrated by its strong focus on the interaction between the individual and society. Social Psychology studies how individuals think, feel, act and are influenced by the presence and actions of others. Social psychology is often seen as a brand of micro-sociology which studies small groups and close relationships, but the issues and research areas of Social Psychology may be found at micro, as well as meso and macro levels, in the private sphere as well as in the public, and in cases of normality as well as deviance. Sociological Social Psychology is primarily about inter-personal encounters and social interaction.

At the Department of Sociology, Uppsala University, some of the research questions posed in Social Psychology are related to identity and the body, sexuality, gender, age, disability, care and close relationships.

The sociological and social psychological research covers a number of different fields, theoretical perspectives and both quantitative and qualitative approaches and methods. Questionnaires, interviews, participant observations, texts and pictures are analysed in various ways from different perspectives.

Sociology is largely a critical and reflexive science, contributing to the critical analysis of society and often offering new and deeper insights into issues otherwise taken for granted. Through the development of theories, concepts and methods, Sociology aims at improving our understanding of society.

Where are sociologists employed?

A sociologist has qualifications to direct and conduct investigations and evaluation projects. They have the competence to conduct analyses of many forms of information. In a number of areas, such as urban environment, working life and the education system, sociologists have the competence to analyze social change and propose alternative routes of development. They can interpret the impact of different processes of change in society and within organizations, where they can contribute to knowledge development on work environments, the labor market, on-site learning, management and participation in organizations and companies, social aspects of health and illness, housing environment, media and communication, to name but a few areas.

Most higher education studies are not targeting a specific profession, but the competence gained is of importance in some areas of the labor market. This is also the case with Sociology. A sociological education means developing the competence to deal with all kinds of tasks, where an understanding of society, processes of social change and social conditions is important. Sociologist are in present day society professionally active in a number of different fields:

Employed Sociologist are engaged in the following kind of issues:

The labor market and working life
Housing and social planning
Population issues and family policy
Gender studies
Future and population studies
Organization and technology
Information technology
Criminology
Mass-communication and culture
Environmental issues
Social work and social policy
Personnel administration
Development work
Health care
Education
Evaluation and investigation
Welfare, living conditions, life-style

Sociologists are employed by the following kind of employers:

Research institutes
Municipal and governmental administration
Political organizations
Unions
Other associations and social movements
Universities and colleges
Elementary schools, secondary schools and in adult education
International aid organizations
Consultancy firms
Marketing and lobbying firms
Social welfare agencies
Health care organizations
Media