Quality of Research
Cardiff School of Social Sciences
Research Assessment Exercise (2008)
| Unit of Assessment | Staff submitted (FTE) | By percentage, research activity in the submission judged to reach quality standard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology (J41) | 61.40 | 4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
UC |
| 25% | 30% | 35% | 10% | 0% | ||
(Overall quality profile in blocks of 5%)
Research Profile
| Sociology | ||
|---|---|---|
| Institution | Research Power | |
| Cardiff University | 165.78 | |
| University of Manchester | 140.22 | |
| University of Edinburgh | 127.33 | |
| University of Essex | 124.55 | |
| Loughborough University | 113.33 | |
| Open University | 109.98 | |
| University of Warwick | 102.06 | |
| Goldsmiths College, University of London | 92.91 | |
| London School of Economics and Political Science | 90.60 | |
| Lancaster University | 83.44 | |
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The School of Social Sciences is an inter-disciplinary centre of teaching and research. With strong links with industry and medicine, it seeks to lead on public and policy debates at international, national, and local levels and is renowned for its innovative scholarship across the social sciences and beyond.
Our research activities are configured around seven research themes: Crime and Justice; Education and the Knowledge Economy; Culture and Identities; Globalisation, Work and Labour; Health and Social Welfare; Knowledge Science and Technology; and Innovations in Social Research. Research groups are located within the themes which are linked to seven externally funded research centres - the Universities’ Police Studies Institute (UPSI); the ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE); the Seafarers’ International Research Centre (SIRC); the Cardiff Institute for Society, Health and Ethics (CISHE); the ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Research on Genomics (CESAGEN); and, with Research Council support, the newly formed Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHER) and Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD).
Researchers from the School observe and record childrens' problem-solving skills at a Science Discovery Centre as part of an ethnographic research project.
All staff and post-graduate students are members of research groups and collaborative research between groups is positively encouraged with group members providing mutual support for the design, funding, implementation and dissemination of projects, through informal seminars, networking support and individual mentoring for less experienced research staff and research students.
Training the next generation of scholars and setting agendas in key areas forms a central part of our mission and in the period of the review more than 120 students were awarded research degrees. Research methodology is one of our strengths and Cardiff is one of the UK’s major centres for ESRC Research Studentship awards. The School has ESRC recognition for Sociology, Education, Social Policy and Science, Technology and Innovation, and is also recognised for CASE awards in Sociology and Social Policy. Building on this experience the Nippon Foundation, through the Seafarers International Research Centre, funds up to five post-experience MPhil/Phd studentships each year to support academic research on seafarers and the human related aspects of the maritime sector.
The School makes a strong contribution to the dissemination of scholarly research through editing journals and books. The international reach of the School’s publications is evident in the number that have been translated. Over fifty publications appeared in almost twenty different languages in the period considered by this review exercise. There are also currently twelve peer-reviewed journals being edited from the School.
The School has a friendly and busy atmosphere – offering an excellent environment for students and staff.
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Learn about research at the Cardiff School of Social Sciences