The Master of Arts (MA) degree comes in two pathways, by coursework or by thesis. The MA by coursework The coursework option normally requires either one year or three semesters of full-time, or the equivalent in part-time, study and entails completion of papers and a dissertation. The dissertation is a major piece of supervised research of up to 20,000 words on a topic of current interest. The primary aim of the MA by coursework programme is to provide candidates with a grounding in their chosen discipline within a wider disciplinary frame to build the skills needed to identify a significant topic, design and implement a significant piece of research, and present the findings in a form acceptable to an expert readership. The MA by thesis The thesis option normally requires at least one year of full-time, or its equivalent in part-time, study and entails completion of a thesis. The thesis is a major piece of supervised research of up to 40,000 words on a topic of current interest. The primary aim of the MA by thesis programme is to develop in a candidate skills needed to identify a significant topic, design and implement an extended piece of research, and present the findings in a form acceptable to an expert readership. Sociology Sociology is the study of people, societies and social groups. The aim of sociology is to understand and explain aspects of social behaviour and relationships. Sociology encourages the critical analysis of people's participation in social processes and focuses attention on the dynamics of power, inequality, social divisions, and personal and cultural identity. There is an emphasis on the way in which these dynamics and social structures change over time. The subject matter of sociology traverses a broad range of topics including class, gender, and ethnicity; health, education and welfare; the media; politics; environmental issues; religion; social movements work; sport and leisure; and social policy. Structure of the Programme Thesis option The programme of study for this option shall consist of the preparation and submission of a thesis embodying the results of supervised research. Depending on their prior studies, a candidate may be required to complete a thesis only, or a combination of thesis and papers. Coursework option SOCI 590 Research Dissertation Two of: HUMS 501 Writing and Revision for Graduate Research HUMS 502 Research Methods in the Humanities HUMS 503 Key Debates in the Humanities Three 400-level SOCI papers A candidate may not present a thesis, research dissertation, or studio option, which has previously been accepted for another degree.