BA (Honours) in Social Sciences (Politics)
Online, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
6 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
GBP 21,816 *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* total cost; part-time at a rate of 60 credits is £3,636 per year
Key Summary
About: BA (Honours) Social Sciences (Politics) at The Open University combines social science and sociology with political theory. You’ll specialize in international politics or contemporary political ideas. Study online with tutor support, scheduled modules, assessments and group work. Skills include evidence analysis and communication. Modes: full-time 3 years, part-time 6 years; max 16 years.
Career Outcomes: Graduates work across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Roles include local government officer, civil servant, secondary school teacher, social worker, charity worker, journalist and trade union official; other paths include policy analyst, researcher, communications officer, campaigner or further study. Some roles need training.
This is one of several specialist routes available in our BA (Honours) Social Sciences (R23) degree. You'll study core modules in interdisciplinary social science and sociology, giving you a firm grounding in ideas central to the social sciences. This will be combined with exploring the fundamentals of political theory and examining the debates and conflicts inherent in a modern democracy.
You’ll have an opportunity to focus on either international politics or contemporary political ideas. On completion of your degree, you’ll be able to apply political and social theories and analytical techniques to a variety of topics that affect individuals and society, and you’ll have gained a wide range of transferable skills – opening employment opportunities in private, public and voluntary sector organisations.
Key features
- Specialise in politics within a broad interdisciplinary social science degree.
- Focus on either international politics or contemporary political ideas.
- Enhance your employability with valued skills, including analysing and evaluating evidence, and communicating specialist ideas and information to different audiences.
- Gain a degree applicable to a wide range of professions, including international agencies and government bodies, businesses and non-governmental organisations.
Accessibility
Our qualifications are as accessible as possible, and we have a comprehensive range of support services. Our BA (Hons) Social Sciences uses a variety of study materials and includes the following elements:
- Online study – most modules are online; some have a mix of printed and online material. Online learning resources could include websites, audio/video, and interactive activities
- Pre-determined schedules – we’ll help you to develop your time-management skills
- Assessment in the form of short-answer questions, essays, and examinations
- Feedback – continuous assessment includes input from your tutor and using this to improve your performance
- Finding external/third-party material online
- Online tutorials
- Group-work
How long it takes
- Part-time study - 6 years
- Full-time study - 3 years
- Time limit - 16 years
This degree has three stages, each comprising 120 credits.
- In Stage 1 you'll study two introductory social science modules exploring the issues facing contemporary society.
- Next, at Stages 2 and 3, you will take a sociology module, as well as explore the fundamentals of political theory and examine the debates and conflicts inherent in a modern democracy.
Stage 1 (120 credits)
You'll start your degree with:
- Introducing the social sciences (DD102)
You'll complete this stage with:
- Global challenges: social science in action (D113)
Stage 2 (120 credits)
You'll begin this stage with:
- Understanding digital societies (DD218)
You'll complete this stage with:
- Understanding politics: ideas and institutions in the modern world (DD211)
Stage 3 (120 credits)
You’ll complete your degree with one from:
- International relations: continuity and change in global politics (DD313)
- Modern political ideas (DD316)
Assessment
Our assessments are all designed to reinforce your learning and help you show your understanding of the topics. The mix of assessment methods will vary between modules.
Computer-Marked Assignments
- Usually, a series of online, multiple-choice questions.
Tutor-Marked Assignments
- You’ll have a number of these throughout each module, each with a submission deadline.
- They can be made up of essays, questions, experiments or something else to test your understanding of what you have learned.
- Your tutor will mark and return them to you with detailed feedback.
End-of-Module Assessments
- The final, marked piece of work on most modules.
- Modules with an end-of-module assessment won’t usually have an exam.
Exams
- Some modules end with an exam. You’ll be given time to revise and prepare.
- You’ll be given your exam date at least 5 months in advance.
- Most exams take place remotely, and you will complete them at home or an alternative location.
- If a module requires you to take a face-to-face exam, this will be made clear in the module description, and you will be required to take your exam in person at one of our exam centres.
The qualification provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills, and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
On completion of this qualification, you will have:
- An extensive knowledge and critical understanding of key concepts and theoretical approaches in the social sciences
- A systematic understanding of a range of disciplinary approaches within the social sciences and an awareness of the different sources that contribute to the social sciences
- An extensive and critical understanding of key social processes and their impact on individual and collective life
- A critical appreciation of how the social sciences understand, explain, and evaluate matters of social concern,
Cognitive skills
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to:
- Interpret, critically analyse, and evaluate a diversity of social scientific ideas, concepts, and arguments, and identify, gather, interpret, critically analyse, and evaluate evidence from a wide range of sources
- Demonstrate knowledge of and familiarity with established techniques of social science analysis and enquiry
- Deploy a conceptual understanding of the social sciences to devise and substantiate arguments that address social problems
- Review, consolidate, and extend your knowledge and understanding, and initiate and carry out an independent social scientific project.
Practical and/or professional skills
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to:
- Regularly review current and future personal development and career options, including developing strategies to address factors that limit choices
- Engage critically with skills and ethical issues relevant to social scientific enquiry
- Learn from feedback and reflect on the process of learning to evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses and improve performance
- Recognise and critically evaluate personal viewpoints and engage constructively with others’ views.
Key skills
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to demonstrate the following skills:
- Communication - accurately and effectively communicate information about the social sciences in a variety of ways suitable for a range of academic and non-academic audiences, both formal and informal
- Digital information literacy - select, access and exploit a wide range of digital sources and to find, use, create and share information, data and knowledge in ways relevant to the social sciences
- Plan and organise - make and carry out effective plans involving the identification of relevant information and resources frame questions and make judgements to achieve a solution to a problem
- Connect and work with others - work collectively with other learners, playing an active and appropriate role to achieve joint outcomes.
A degree in the social sciences can lead to employment across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Businesses, public sector organisations and educational institutions increasingly have to deal with social issues and value the skills that social science graduates can provide, making this degree relevant to a wide range of professions including local government officers, civil servants, secondary school teachers, social worker, charities, journalism and trade union officials. You can also use your BA (Hons) in Social Sciences for further study in the higher education sector.
Other careers
Many graduate-level jobs are open to social graduates, particularly in business, the voluntary sector and the public sector. Please note, however, that some careers may require further study, training and/or work experience beyond your degree.
With our unique approach to distance learning, you can study from home, work or on the move.
You’ll have some assessment deadlines to meet, but otherwise, you’ll be free to study at the times that suit you, fitting your learning around work, family, and social life.
For each of your modules, you’ll use either just online resources or a mix of online and printed materials.
Each module you study will have a module website with
- A week-by-week study planner, giving you a step-by-step guide through your studies
- Course materials such as reading, videos, recordings, and self-assessed activities
- Module forums for discussions and collaborative activities with other students
- Details of each assignment and their due dates
- A tutorial booking system, online tutorial rooms, and your tutor’s contact details
- Online versions of some printed module materials and resources.