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2023 Blog Prizes

2023 Blog Prizes

Author:  Maisie TomlinsonPhoto by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash 2023 was another challenging year for the world, and this year’s cohort of students were determined to show us how public sociology could help address some of the biggest global challenges we face in the...

2020 Blog Prizes

2020 Blog Prizes

This year students on the first year Global Social Challenges course have produced a host of great blogs drawing on course themes and current events. The blogs demonstrate the public relevance of sociological understanding – perhaps this year more relevant than ever....

2019 prize announcement

Once again, students on the first year Global Social Challenges course have taken to blog writing with relish, demonstrating the public relevance of sociological research and teaching. Fifty student blog pieces were published during April - June 2019 and the teaching...

Why cutting back on meat is the best thing you can do for the planet.

Why cutting back on meat is the best thing you can do for the planet.

According to a report by the UN, the global livestock industry contributes to 18% of human produced greenhouse gas emissions across the globe – that’s more than all transport methods put together. However, this is rarely shown in the media. We are often told to “cut down on shorter car journeys” or encouraged to “take public transport,” whilst there are bigger issues staring us in the face.

Taking the wall street bull by the horns

Taking the wall street bull by the horns

What we are seeing in the political landscape of America is that newly created wealth is increasingly going in the pockets of the already rich. In his infamous Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx seemed to provide early warning of this progression. He told us that capitalism would inevitably lead to stark inequality. That those who own capital will exploit those that do not; increasing working hours, creating inhumane working conditions and so on. So why didn’t we listen?

Growing older – the impact of an ageing population on society.

Growing older – the impact of an ageing population on society.

This blog will attempt to address these reasons as well as reasons for why an ageing population may cause problems for our societies. The first section will look at why populations are ageing, the second will look at the older populations in the “modern” workforce, and finally the third section will look at the impact that an ageing population has on healthcare and the economy.

The gap is widening – Inequality in the UK.

The gap is widening – Inequality in the UK.

Inequality is a big issue in the UK. 2018 saw the fall in average income of the poorest fifth of the population by 1.6% while the average income of the richest fifth rose by 4.7% (Office for National Statistics). While income per person is a somewhat useful indicator of inequality, there is far more to it than just how much money is in the pockets of people in the UK: Factors like health and other social issues are key to improving inequality as a whole country-wide.