Investigating the most interesting questions about society and the individual's place within it. One of the UK's top Sociology departments, and a world leader in the development of social-research methodology.
Hate crime is a well-examined area, with many research studies looking at harassment and violence against people of a particular ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and so on. What's less well understood is the targeting of people on the basis of their membership of a youth subculture.
Researchers from the Department of Sociology are exploring the nature and extent of this behaviour (from insults to threats and even actual violence), and how it affects the victims and the wider social group.
Do people who identify with certain subcultures (for example, goths) change their behaviour and appearance after having been victimised, or after hearing of incidents involving their peers, or even through a general fear of being seen as different? Do they avoid certain walking routes or buses, or hide their clothing under big coats while they are out on the street?
There is a deeper question, too: Should the targeting of members of a group on the basis of their chosen subcultural identity count as a hate crime, or would this dilute the term itself?
That is a question that is still under discussion. These are the debates on which we are taking the lead.
Higher education is not immune from globalisation, but how are the opportunities (and competition) that come with increased international mobility affecting students and universities?
In one strand of her work, Professor Rachel Brooks (Head of the Department of Sociology) looks at the experiences of students who move overseas to attend university. By learning about those who have left the UK to study abroad, and foreign students who have come to the UK, she has reached an interesting and surprising set of conclusions.
For example, British students from privileged social backgrounds are able to choose from a global menu of elite higher-education institutions, whereas those from the least privileged backgrounds may find themselves limited to domestic universities within easy travelling distance of the family home.
That might be the situation one would expect. However, those with the opportunity to attend university abroad must choose wisely: though there is prestige in having attended famous foreign universities, potential employers' knowledge of other high-quality overseas institutions is limited. British students educated at elite American or French universities that have little or no international profile may find their degrees cut little ice when trying to find that first graduate job back in the UK.
Young adults often adopt the fashions and musical tastes of a particular youth subculture to form part of their own identity, but what happens as they grow older and take on responsibilities such as employment and a family?
Dr Paul Hodkinson (Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head in the Department in Sociology) is a leading expert on youth identity and subcultures. His work with people who have remained involved with the goth subculture looks at how they reconcile continued participation in the goth scene with the demands of parenthood and a career.
For example, does a receding hairline and a full-time job mean having to give up the extravagant hairstyle and clothes completely, or do adult male goths find a more age-appropriate way to express their identity? Do older goths try to adapt to the latest trends, or do they stick with the music and fashions from their younger years? Is there such a thing as an elder statesman on the goth scene?
The strong research culture in the Department allows academics such as Paul to pursue these interesting lines of investigation, which means that Surrey Sociology students learn from the very people who are creating new understanding in their fields.
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