14 May 2025 | Book now
Sociology is an immersive journey into the heart of humanity and the complexities of human nature.
If you're interested in learning about the social forces that shape our lives, then save your place at a Sociology Taster Afternoon on 14 May 2025.
You'll explore where you could go with our vibrant Sociology degree at Portsmouth, and explore social issues including happiness and wellbeing, love and relationships and social inequalities.
Book now
At our Sociology Taster Afternoon
get ready to:
- Delve into captivating sessions that explore key sociological concepts, from taste and identity to bodies, power, and exclusion.
- Challenge your perspectives and explore the many layers that make up society
- Uncover how sociology helps us to understand different social worlds and confronts assumptions on social structures
- Connect with passionate sociology lecturers who will share their insights and expertise in the field
- Explore where degrees in Sociology could lead to including social care, local government and marketing
- Quiz our current students on their time at ºÚÁϳԹÏincluding degree options and the fun side of University
- Gain useful experience that you can you write about on your UCAS personal statement
Explore courses in Sociology
Taster Day location and meeting point
We'll meet at Portland Building, Portland Street Portsmouth, PO1 3AH
If you're arriving by coach or minibus, we recommend parking on Museum Road, ºÚÁϳԹÏwhich is just outside of the Ravelin Sports Centre. For more information on checking in and how to get here, take a look at our guide to taster days page.
Programme
Check-in from 12.45pm in Portland Building, Portland Street Portsmouth, PO1 3AH
Get an overview of what you'll be exploring on your Taster Afternoon and the careers that a degree in Sociology could lead to.
Thinking Sociologically About Taste and Identity (with Sociology Lecturer Katherine Munden)
Join us for an engaging exploration of sociological thinking! This session will examine how everyday forms of consumption—such as music, fashion, celebrities, TV, literature, and film—shape and express our taste and identity within society. You'll be encouraged to reflect on and discuss everyday consumption, considering what it can reveal from a sociological perspective.
Together, we'll explore what makes certain things socially and culturally desirable, and who determines what is "cool" or "uncool." Through an interactive session featuring video clips, brand analysis, and discussions on celebrities, food, music, fashion, and media, we'll use images and post-it notes to construct our own hierarchy of taste.
Quick breather ready for the next session, with a chance to chat with students and lecturers at the ºÚÁϳԹÏ.
We invite you to finish the day to ask questions of our lecturers and current students.
You could ask anything from Sociology modules studied, the transition from college to uni, moving away from home, finances - and/or whatever you might want to know about uni.
Thinking Sociologically About Bodies (with Sociology Lecturer Rosa Marvell)
This taster session explores how sociological perspectives can reshape our understanding of health and bodies beyond biological and medical frameworks, with a focus on menstruation and contraception. You'll examine how shame and stigma surrounding menstruation contribute to gender inequalities and analyse historical connections between contraception, racism, and social control.
Together, we'll consider critical questions about power and exclusion: Who has access to menstrual products and contraceptive choices, and what barriers exist? Whose bodies and experiences are prioritised, and whose are marginalised? How do poverty, gender identity, and sexuality shape lived experiences and access to essential resources?
Through discussion and analysis, you'll discover how Sociology provides tools to examine everyday topics in new ways. This session is particularly relevant for students interested in gender studies or those wanting to explore how personal experiences connect to broader social structures and inequalities.