Summer School: Social Sciences

Engage with some of the world’s most urgent topics from various perspectives.

Tackle the big issues facing people and planet

Consider global challenges from social, political, cultural, economic and geographical angles in our Social Sciences Summer School.

You’ll address everything from climate change to human rights in our dynamic and interactive modules.

Read Gabriella’s Summer School story. 

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Modules you can study

Select from the following modules:

Session One

• Climate Justice

  Module code: IS448 

  This module will introduce you to the concept of climate justice through the world-leading sustainability research being done at the University of Sussex. Climate justice brings a focus on social equity and historical responsibility to understandings of climate change. It recognises that climate change exacerbates existing inequalities, and has a disproportionately high impact on those who are least responsible for causing the problem. 

  Students on the module will explore questions of extractivism, climate responsibility, finance and funding, ecosystem uncertainty and activism through a series of lectures, case studies, seminars and workshops. Together, we will learn about the colonial roots of contemporary environmental justice conflicts and the range of responses proposed to the climate crisis, while working in groups to discuss, design and propose alternatives. 

  The module is both solutions-focused and interactive, and you will have the chance to work in groups throughout as you reflect collectively on how you would address particular challenges. Teaching will be conducted both inside and outside of the classroom, with workshops taking place in the landscape of the Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere Reserve and South Downs National Park. 

  Your assessments will encourage you to engage proactively in practical examples of climate justice and develop your public communication skills.  You will work on a short group-produced presentation, podcast or video to explore a debate or an example of local activism, and the final assessment will be a blog designed to enhance public understanding of climate justice.  

  The University of Sussex is ranked first in the world for Development Studies (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023) and joint first in the UK for Education for Sustainable Development (People and Planet 22/23). These rankings reflect the range of sustainability research and dynamic teaching across the Sussex campus that you will be a part of. The module is ideal for those with a humanities or social science background, whether that be Geography, Politics, Anthropology, Sociology, International Relations, Law, or anyone with an interest in looking at the climate crisis through a critical lens. 

  Learning outcomes: 

  • demonstrate a critical understanding of climate justice and the politics and processes that underpin responses to climate change 

  • analyse cases of environmental injustice in a range of geographical contexts 

  • design and develop creative, team-based responses to climate justice challenges to achieve common goals 

  • demonstrate good writing skills that showcase an ability to be reflexive and to engage with academic, activist and policy literature 

  Teaching method: Lectures and workshops 
  Assessment: 70% blog, 30% group project 
  Contact hours: 42 hours  
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits 
  Level: 4 

  If you are interested in this module, you may want to build on your scientific knowledge in the Session Two module Ecology and Conservation: Current Topics. 

• The Politics of Crisis

  Module code: IS443 

  This module evaluates the global political questions that our international lived, shared experience of recent crisis events has brought to light. Specifically, these crisis events refer to national, international and geopolitical issues arising from the Coronavirus pandemic, ongoing global military conflicts, and the need of nation states and collective governance institutions to respond to climate change.

  Crisis events and prophecies of “crisis” paradigmatically shift the political agenda; alter the reception to dominant political ideologies; modify the behaviour of political actors and governments; challenge political governance and public policy; and oppose the theoretical credibility of abstract theoretical concepts presumed to form the basis of governmental behaviour. Additionally, the response to crisis events provides the greatest challenge to the stability and perpetuity of existing political structures, relationships between states and the resilience of the global political system.  

  Comprehensively addressing the Politics of Crisis represents the chief focus of the module, and this intersects across the three disciplines of academic Politics: Political Science; Empirical Politics; and Political Theory. Students will engage with the political questions that the Politics of “Crisis” asks and evaluate viable responses to these questions. This will involve interpreting statistical analysis, applying abstract and descriptive concepts, analysing the empirical political world, and forming, substantiating and justifying arguments through debate, and writing.

  This will enable students to document the challenge that the Politics of Crisis poses to Politics and theorise towards what the most viable responses to these challenges are. Topics students can expect to analyse and evaluate include the quantification and interpretation of data. This will be used to identify and justify significant global trends, as well as understand how statistics can be manipulated in the political sphere. Other topics include political corruption, the rise of anti-politics, the comparison of public policy as a response to crisis events, and how crisis events affect migration patterns, relationships between nation-states, and the credibility of existing theoretical notions of liberty, equality, and democracy.  

  Inspired by the research interests and pursuits of academics from the internationally renowned Law Politics and Sociology School at Sussex University, the module immerses itself with cutting edge political research, and modern methodological approaches. On top of informative lectures and discussion-based seminars, the interactive workshops will make use of the state-of-the-art archive centre based on Sussex campus, ‘The Keep’, to evaluate data regarding the lived experience of crisis via the National Observation Archive. Students will also carry out political scientific data analysis using the political statistics and data program, SPSS. Also, students can expect to reconstruct and simulate parliamentary and international governmental debates on real world political issues, shedding light upon the processes and challenges involved in finding solutions for seminal political issues of our time. This module will appeal to students with an interest in Politics, and other Social Scientific fields. A previous understanding of or experience with academic Politics is not required to study this module.  

  Learning outcomes: 

  • understand how to analyse, interpret and critically evaluate statistical data by using political scientific methods  

  • form arguments and critically assess received political scientific consensus. This will involve recognising the value of challenging hypotheses, scrutinising conclusions, and criticising methodological approaches of different political scientists and theorists  

  • show awareness of the interconnectedness between practical and theoretical political issues, and how these have received new significance  

  • demonstrate the ability to construct and sustain arguments in written form. 

  Teaching method: Lectures, seminars and workshops 
  Assessment: 75% essay, 25% group presentation 
  Contact hours: 40 hours  
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits 
  Level: 4 

  If you are interested in this module you may also want to explore two of our Session Two modules: A Post-Liberal World and Business Law and Human Rights. 

Session Two 

• A Post-Liberal World

  Module code: IS444 

  In the 21st century, the challenges facing liberal democracies are unique and wide-ranging. The challenges to the liberal world are thought no longer to be external, much like the challenges to liberal democratic states from Fascist and Communist ideologies in the previous century. Rather, there are reasons to explore the possibility that the very 'achievements' of Liberalism, for example, the freedoms individuals now enjoy as a result of living within liberal democratic societies, have mutated.

  This means that the way these freedoms have been expressed, or the justifications of these freedoms and government attitudes associated with them are no longer relevant in the modern era. Subsequently, it could be that liberal values and norms pertaining to political authority, and the justification of individual freedoms, have overrun their social purpose. This may threaten to undermine the legitimacy of liberal societies themselves. If this is true, then the case for moving towards a post-liberal world, or indeed, the reality that we already on this trajectory or at the end of it, is strengthened. 

  In this module, students will interrogate these issues from the perspective of Political Theory, and examine the extent to which we are moving to a post-liberal world. Primarily, the module will explore whether the claim that we are moving towards a post-liberal world is true. Encompassed within this interrogation, students will look at real world political problems and trends that make this trajectory possible, as well as what form a post-liberal world might take, and whether this is desirable.

  Students will be encouraged to argue critically as to whether a post-liberal world is desirable or not, and explore the ways through which this might be prevented. This will culminate in a critical analysis of the ways in which liberal theory could be re-imagined or justified to respond to modern world issues. 

  On top of informative lectures, the chief way in which these themes will be addressed is through close readings, and eleven two-hour, discussion-based seminars. These will critique and evaluate modern concepts in Political Theory, and draw upon cutting-edge research in the discipline. Through these seminars, the question of whether we are heading towards or existing within a post-liberal world will be consistently referred to, and critically evaluated.

  This module should appeal to any student with an interest in Politics, Political Theory, or those with an interest in the Social Sciences more generally. A previous understanding or experience of the themes this module addresses is not required to select this module. 

  Learning outcomes: 

  • critically analyse and communicate ideas about how liberal political theory and its methodology has changed and adapted throughout history 

  • show awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of liberal theory, and debate how academic and real-world challenges to the perspective might be addressed 

  • analyse the concept of a ‘post-liberal world’ and critically evaluate whether the implications of moving towards this should be embraced 

  • develop sophisticated and critical arguments and communicate these through written expression. 

  Teaching method: Lectures, seminars and tutorials 
  Assessment: 100% essay 
  Contact hours: 40 hours  
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits 
  Level: 4 

  If you are interested in this module, you may also be interested in The Politics of Crisis in Session One. 

• Business Law and Human Rights

  Module code: IS457

  In today’s global economy, businesses play a pivotal role in shaping human rights outcomes. This module examines how legal systems, corporate practices, and governance frameworks intersect with human rights across different jurisdictions. Students will explore the legal responsibilities of companies, the influence of international standards, and the ethical challenges that emerge in global trade and investment.  

  Through real-world case studies, students will investigate how corporations can both advance and undermine human rights—from labour rights and environmental justice to digital privacy and corporate influence on public discourse. Examples include litigation against Shell for environmental damage in the Niger Delta, the impact of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act on global supply chains, and Apple’s legal challenge against a UK government directive to create backdoor access to encrypted user data, raising questions about privacy, surveillance, and corporate responsibility. The module also considers how governments are increasingly focused on improving the international reputation of their companies, particularly in response to scrutiny over overseas investments and human rights compliance.  

  Students will engage with key legal instruments such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and explore comparative regulatory approaches in Europe, North America, and Asia. Designed for students in law, international relations, development studies, business, and public policy, the module encourages reflective thinking about the role of law in shaping ethical business practices.  

  A highlight of the module is a full-day field trip in Week 2, offering students direct engagement with organisations working at the intersection of business and human rights. The day will likely include guided sessions with advocacy or legal experts, a panel discussion hosted in an academic institution, a visit to a financial or regulatory body to explore governance practices, or a meeting with a law firm specialising in corporate accountability or international business law. A reflective session follows the trip in week 3 to consolidate insights and connect theory with practice.  

  Ideal for students interested in law, ethics, and globalisation and international affairs, this module offers insight into one of the most urgent challenges facing global trade and investment today. No specific study background is required as the module will be taught through accessible lectures and interactive seminars, using real-world case studies and comparative legal frameworks to support interdisciplinary learning. 

  Learning outcomes: 

  • understand the global frameworks and principles that govern the relationship between business operations and human rights, including key international legal instruments 

  • evaluate the role of corporations in both promoting and violating human rights across different jurisdictions and sectors  

  • apply legal and ethical reasoning to real-world case studies involving corporate conduct and human rights challenges 

  • explore comparative approaches to business and human rights, gaining insight into how different countries and regions implement and enforce standards. 

  Teaching method: Lecture, guest lecture, seminar, field trip and reflective session 
  Assessment: Essay 
  Contact hours: 40 
  Credits: 15 Sussex Credits 
  Level: 4 

  If you are interested in this module, take a look at our Session One module Climate Justice. 

Read our top tips for choosing your modules. You can also find out about our teaching structure, assessment process and how your credits transfer back to your home institution.

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