Job Description and Person Specification (4401-10-L)

Job Description

School/Department School of Social Sciences – Division of Sociology & Social Policy

:

Post Title: Professor in Sociology

Please enter Level ERE TAE MSA CAO R.Nurse Clinical

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Posts Responsible to (and Head of School, Head of Sociology & Social Policy
Level):

Posts Responsible for (and Research staff and students, and others by agreement.
Level):

Job Purpose:
To provide strategic leadership in the development of research and to conduct and lead research
of the highest quality in Sociology; to contribute to the delivery and ongoing development of the
highest quality teaching in the Division of Sociology & Social Policy at both undergraduate and
postgraduate levels (including postgraduate supervision); and to play a full part in the
administration of Sociology & Social Policy in the current School of Social Sciences and in the new
Faculty of Social and Human Sciences.

Key Accountabilities/Primary Responsibilities (6-10 bullet points maximum) %

Time

To undertake high quality research in the field of Sociology, including publications in

major journals; to attract research funding to maintain and enhance areas of research
excellence in Sociology; and to provide strategic leadership in the development of
Sociological and related research. 40

To support the teaching objectives of the School and the new Faculty by developing
course modules in the Division of Sociology & Social Policy at both undergraduate and
postgraduate levels including the supervision to postgraduate students. 40

To contribute to the efficient management and administration of the Division of

Sociology and Social Policy, the current School and in the new Faculty, by performing
administrative duties allocated by the Head of School and the Head of Sociology & Social
Policy. This may include senior management roles within the Division, School and/or
Faculty. 20

Internal & External Relationships: (nature & purpose of relationships)

The post holder will be a member of the School Board and the Sociology & Social Policy
Examination Boards. Teaching and administrative duties will be allocated by the Head of

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Sociology & Social Policy within the context of the Division of Sociology & Social Policy teaching
programmes.

Special Requirements:
To attend national and international conferences for the purpose of disseminating research
findings

Person specification

Criteria How to be
Essential Desirable
assessed

Qualifications. Knowledge and Experience

PhD in Sociology (or relevant academic

discipline) 

Established record of outstanding research

and scholarship in Sociology that will make a
major contribution to the research profile of
the Division and the REF Unit of Assessment 

Proven ability to teach to a high standard at

both the undergraduate and postgraduate
level 

Planning and organising

Ability to develop and lead a programme of

research of international quality leading to
publications in major journals. 

Track record of attracting external funding to

support innovative research 

Management and Teamwork:

Ability to manage significant administrative

portfolios 

Collaborative and collegial skills in staff and

professional groups. 

Communicating and Influencing:

Excellent written and verbal communication

skills 

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Further details
Professor of Sociology in the Division of Sociology and Social Policy,
School of Social Sciences, University of Southampton
The successful applicant will be joining the highly-regarded Division of Sociology and Social
Policy. The Division is an interdisciplinary grouping including sociologists, social-policy
specialists, anthropologists, criminologists and social-psychologists. For more information on
the Division of Sociology & Social Policy please see:
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/sociology/index.shtml
The Division of Sociology & Social Policy forms part of the School of Social Sciences, which
also includes the Divisions of Economics; Politics and International Relations; Social Statistics;
and Social Work Studies. For more information please see:
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/index.shtm. From August 2010, the School of Social
Sciences will become part of the new Social and Human Sciences Faculty (which will also
include the current Schools of Education, Geography, Mathematics, and Psychology).

Research in the Division of Sociology & Social Policy

The Division has an excellent record of research. Members of the Sociology and Social Policy
Division were submitted with colleagues in Demography and Gerontology to Unit of
Assessment 40 (Social Policy) for the 2008 RAE (for more information on RAE 2008 results
see: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/sociology/news/2009/0202raerelease.shtml
This was a highly-successful submission, with Southampton ranked third nationally, and we
will build on this success in the forthcoming REF. The successful applicant is expected to
make a major contribution to our forthcoming REF submission in terms of research outputs,
research environment and research impact.
We are currently in the process of reviewing our overall research strategy in the light of our
REF preparations, and in relation to developments which are taking place in the University,
such as the formation of the new Social and Human Sciences Faculty. Research in the
Division is currently organized under the following groups:
Research methodologies for a Changing World
Several members of the Division are directly involved in research which has an explicit
emphasis on methodological innovation and the development of new research
methodologies. This includes work on such issues as research ethics and the definition of
‘informed consent’; visual and biographical research methods; and the development of
methods for researching the experiences of ‘hard-to-reach’ groups. We are also directly
involved in the leadership and management of the ESRC National Centre for Research
Methods and the organisation of the ESRC’s biennial Research Methods Festival for social
scientists.
Historical demography and the history of social policy
Our research in this area includes work on the history of the British welfare state; the
relationship between charity and mutual aid and their contributions to the ‘mixed economy of

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 welfare’; the evolution of contributory health insurance schemes; the history of sickness and
morbidity; and long-term developments in health, nutrition and human development.
Governance, Citizenship and the Politics of Welfare
This research area incorporates a wide range of sub-areas, including gender and social
movements; citizenship and social exclusion; migration; European pension systems; welfare
governance; relative deprivation theory; and the well-being of prisoners. This area is also
closely linked to one of the areas which have been highlighted by the new Third Sector
Research Centre, namely the distribution of third-sector organisations and their economic
and social impact.
Transitions across the Life Course
This research area is particularly concerned with the analysis of social change across the life-
course, from childhood and youth to old age. In addition to studies of pension policy, it also
includes work on questions of social identity; the accumulation of personal savings; the
personal and professional biographies of volunteer aid workers; young people and household
change; migration and social care; and the lives of young offenders.
Conflict and Cohesion in a Global World
This area explores a range of issues associated with questions of social cohesion, including
such issues as: community cohesion, integration, immigration and citizenship in multicultural
societies; the welfare of offenders and their families (including the role of third-sector
organisations in the provision of offender support services); fashion and identity; the
boundaries between the social and the ‘non-social’; and the role of voluntary organisations in
war zones and post-conflict situations.
Work Futures
Our research in this area brings together a number of different strands exploring aspects of
work and social change. One established strand explores the relations between work,
organisation and identity, specifically in relation to gender and race. A second key strand
focuses on the changing nature of working and organisational experience, and includes the
impact of restructuring, migration, changes in workplace design and studies of team work. A
third strand, associated with research on pension provision, is concerned with the
development of occupational pensions schemes and their role in the provision of financial
security for old age. Fourth, is a new strand of research exploring work and organization in
the digital economy. This strand is closely aligned to the newly funded Institute for Web
Science based at Southampton. Members of the Division are founders of the Work Futures
Research Centre, a cross-University initiative now established as a University Strategic Group

The School and the University

The University of Southampton is an intensive research-led university. The following have
been designated as the University’s research priorities: Ageing and Lifelong Health;
Complexity in Real-World Contexts; Digital Economy; Global Threats to Security; Health
Technologies; Institute of Life Sciences; Living with Environmental Change; NanoScience;
Neurosciences; and Work Futures. A number of these research priorities can be directly
mapped onto the existing Research Centres in the current School of Social Sciences
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/research/index.html. In particular we draw applicants’
attention to the following
• The ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (http://www.ncrm.ac.uk/)
NCRM is a national network of research groups, each conducting research and training
in an area of social science research methods. The co-ordinating hub has been based
in Southampton since 2004. The Centre is directed by Professor Patrick Sturgis, and
Professor Graham Crow is the deputy director. The Centre’s mission is to promote
research methods capability among members of the UK social science community
across the range of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods. It does this by
conducting cutting-edge research and by a co-ordinated programme of training for

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 social scientists across the range of disciplines, in all sectors, and at all career stages.
Hub research focuses in particular on methodological innovation and
interdisciplinarity.
• The Work Futures Research Centre (http://www.southampton.ac.uk/wfrc/)
The Work Futures Research Centre brings together researchers from across the
University including a diverse range of disciplines from social science, education,
health sciences, geography and engineering and computer science, who are
developing exciting new research about work, organisations, training and the
workforce in the 21st century. The Centre has active links with policy makers,
employers and academics. WFRC is directed by Prof Alison Fuller (Education); Prof
Susan Halford; Dr Pauline Leonard; and Prof Cathy Pope (Health Sciences).
• The ESRC Third Sector Research Centre
(http://www.southampton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2008/jul/08_130.shtml and
http://www.tsrc.ac.uk/)
This Centre has been established by funding from the ESRC, the Office of the Third
Sector, and the Barrow Cadbury trust. It is directed by Professor Pete Alcock
(University of Birmingham) and Professor John Mohan (University of Southampton).
The centre seeks to enhance our understanding of the dynamics of the third sector
(including a range of non-profit organisational types such as registered charities,
voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises) and the effectiveness
and impact of third-sector organisations on the provision of social welfare services.
• The ESRC Centre for Population Change
(http://www.southampton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2008/apr/08_70.shtml)
This Centre is concerned with issues surrounding migration (both internal and
internal), fertility, household change and ageing, and with the implications of
population change for economic welfare and social support at national, local,
household and individual levels. The Centre is part of a consortium including
colleagues at the University of St Andrews and other Scottish Universities. Colleagues
in the centre work in partnership with the Office for National Statistics and the General
Register Office for Scotland. The centre is directed by Professor Jane Falkingham of
the Division of Social Statistics.

Teaching In the Division of Sociology and Social Policy

Undergraduate programmes
The Division is currently responsible for the provision of undergraduate programmes in
Applied Social Sciences, Sociology, and Sociology and Social Policy, and for the provision of
ESRC-recognised postgraduate instructional programmes in both Sociology and Social Policy.
We welcome applicants who can contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
across the Division.
The undergraduate degree in Sociology
(http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/sociology/study/ug/degree.html) is designed to
provide students with a broad-based introduction to the study of sociology, and the first year
of the programme includes compulsory units in social theory, the Sociology of Everyday Life,
and the Transformation of the Modern World. Students also take units in Social Problems and
Social Policy, and Quantitative Methods, together with three other units from across the
Social Sciences. In their second and third years, students have more opportunity to develop
specialist interests in areas which are related to the research specialisms of Divisional staff.
They also complete a 10,000-word research-based dissertation on a subject of their own
choice.
The undergraduate degree in Sociology and Social Policy
(http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/sociology/study/ug/degree.html) is a joint-honours
degree which emphasises the close relationship between the understanding of social life and
the analysis of social problems, together with the policy responses they evoke. In addition to

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following units in Sociology, students also take units in such areas as the analysis of social
policy, the development of the British welfare state and comparative social policy. Like the
degree in Sociology, the degree in Sociology and Social Policy is also designed to provide
students with a robust training in research methods, combined with the opportunity to
undertake research for their own dissertation in the final year.
The undergraduate degrees in Applied Social Sciences
(http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/appsocsci/study/intro.html) are concerned with the
study of society and culture and the ways in which people and social groups behave and
impact on the world around us. In addition to a ‘general’ pathway, students also have the
opportunity to follow specialist pathways in the areas of Anthropology, Criminology, and
Criminology and Psychological Studies. There are close links between the undergraduate
degrees in Applied Social Sciences and the undergraduate degrees in both Sociology and
Sociology and Social Policy, and many students take both compulsory and optional modules
from across all three sets of programmes.

Postgraduate programmes
(http://www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/sociology/study/pgt/index.html)
We now offer postgraduate-instructional programmes in Social Policy and Social Research,
Sociology and Social Research, and Sociology and Social Policy.
The Dip/MSc in Sociology and Social Research is recognised by the ESRC for research-
training purposes. It is designed to equip postgraduate students with an advanced level of
knowledge, understanding and skills in the field of sociological analysis. All students take
general methods courses in qualitative and quantitative research methods and the
philosophy of social research and research design, together with subject-specific core
modules in the understanding of modernity and social change. They also have the
opportunity to undertake more intensive study of specialist topics in the form of project units.
These units also provide a foundation for the completion of a Masters dissertation which
enables them to showcase their independent research skills.
The Dip/MSc in Social Policy and Social Research is also recognised by the ESRC for
research-training purposes. It has a similar structure to the Dip/MSc in Sociology and Social
Research but the specialist core modules for this programme cover Key Concepts and
Debates in Social Policy and The Mixed Economy of Welfare Delivery, and the project units
are also more likely to be orientated towards social-policy concerns.
The Dip/MSc in Sociology and Social Policy has been designed for those students who
wish to focus more on substantive issues rather than methodological training. Students who
follow this degree take core units in both Sociology and Social Policy, and may submit a
dissertation in either discipline.

Postgraduate research
The Division has a large number of postgraduate research students pursuing a wide range of
topics, including such issues as migration and social change, the social determinants of
volunteering, the history of British social policy, comparative social policy, sexuality and
identity, research with children, and access to higher education. For further information
about the interests of recent and current students, see
www.southampton.ac.uk/socsci/sociology/research/students.html
The Division has been actively involved in the development of the University’s application for
the creation of a Doctoral Training Centre in Social Sciences. In addition to the programmes
which have already been mentioned, members of the Division have also been directly
involved in the development of training pathways in Complex Social Systems; Economic and
Social History; Energy, Environment and Resilience; Governance and Policy; and Health and
Wellbeing.

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Further Information
For more information about all the Division’s activities, and about the particular interests of
individual members of staff, please visit our main website –
www.southampton.ac.uk/sociology If, after doing so, you have any further questions, please
contact the Head of Division, Derek McGhee, D.P.McGhee@soton.ac.uk or by telephoning 023
80594807.

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 Job Hazard Analysis Form - Appendix to Job and Person Specification

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