What Is Applied Social Studies?
Applied social studies is the term used to describe the application of social science models and theories to the understanding and analysis of social issues and to the solution of individual and community problems. It includes the study of sociology, psychology, criminology, counselling and social work.
Sociology and criminology focuses on the study of human behaviour from the perspective of society; psychology focuses on the study of human behaviour from the perspective of individuals and groups. Social work and counselling is a helping profession that bridges psychology and sociology and uses that knowledge to develop theories and practices to solve problems at the level of the individual, the group and the community.
About Our Programmes
The Department offers three undergraduate degree programmes: a full-time Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours (BSocSc) which has three streams or programme options : Applied Sociology, Psychology, and Social Work. A full-time Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours in Criminology provides an opportunity for holders of a higher diploma/associate degree who want to further pursue for a degree qualification, and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Social Work with Minor in Counselling, which is offered to holders of recognized diploma/associate degree in social work to study on a part-time basis.
At the postgraduate level, the Department offers Master of Social Sciences programme in Applied Psychology, Applied Sociology, Counselling, Psychology of Education, and Social Work.
The strength of the Department lies in the diversity of its staff, who are sociologists, criminologists, psychologists and social work educators and practitioners. Their interests include community work, counselling, criminology, family therapy, human development and aging, group work, regional development, social casework, psychology, social welfare and urban sociology. Their interests are expressed in both teaching and research and have led to publications in local, regional, and international journals. They also supervise postgraduate research degree students up to PhD level in many of these areas, and have been widely consulted by government departments and non-governmental organizations.
The Department is recognized by the University for its excellence in teaching and the exemplary relationships between its teachers and students. In recent years, the Department has twice won the Maximizing Students' Learning Award and four of its staff members were recipients of the University's Teaching Excellence Award.