Article by Dr Maisie Tomlinson

In another geopolitically turbulent year, the need for thinking across social issues at a global scale is more important than ever, and this year’s cohort of students explored interconnected global crises, including corporate power in the age of algorithmic management, anti-gender movements, and climate change. All of our students enhance the collective experience by bringing their own set of disciplinary interests and socio-cultural backgrounds. Partly as a result of that diversity, they remain as committed as ever to debates that transcend their choice of academic programme, and the boundaries of the academy. Some might see blogs as somewhat old-fashioned with the ubiquity of vlogs and podcasts, but  this cohort of students has shown that it remains a valuable way of thinking through social problems with the aid of scholarly theory, and communicating persuasive arguments in the spirit of “public sociology”.

We have published 52 of the best blogs on this website, adding to archived blogs from previous years. We hope you enjoy browsing through them.

We offered three prizes, looking for articles which combined an engaging and accessible writing style with good use of evidence and skilful weaving in of sociological theories from the course. You can find the winning blogs on our Prize Winning Articles page here.

Winners of the 2025 Global Social Challenges Blog Prize:

1st Prize: 

Annabel Hayes “The Great British Myth: the Illusion of Meritocracy and the Persistence of Privilege”

Annabel showed an excellent knowledge of class inequalities and weaved in a seamless analysis of Wilkinson and Pickett to strengthen an argument about income inequality, classed expressions of privilege, and the rise of the far right. The writing was engaging and smooth, and well-referenced throughout.

2nd Prize

Ella Morris “The glass ceiling of equality”

Ella chose to combine an analysis of gender inequality with insights from The Spirit Level. Excellent knowledge of Wilkinson and Pickett’s writing enabled Ella to ground a detailed and persuasive argument. Everything was well-evidenced, and the writing was strong, with a gripping introduction and sound conclusion.

3rd Prize 

Taeeun Kim “The Global Gender Debate: From Backlash to Understanding”

Taeeun showed an excellent understanding of gender and anti-gender issues, incorporating thoughtful judgment on the role of education, media, and policy-level perspectives in fuelling this movement. The blog was clearly structured, with a compelling introduction in particular.

 There were very many other great blog posts, and we hope you enjoy looking through our selection, as well as the prize-winning articles.

Dr Maisie Tomlinson

Course Director, Global Social Challenges

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