Sociology and Communication PhD

The Sociology and Communications group is a dynamic, international and globally respected community of researchers. Members are at the forefront of study into subjects as diverse as globalisation and social transformation, political communication, communication and social change; gender and sexuality, the body, human-animal studies, the senses and embodiment, race and ethnicity, the environment, urban space and cities, digital cultures, public communication, young people, rights and the global south; popular culture, comedy/humour studies, experimental multi-media, and sports studies. 

Join an expert interdisciplinary community that publishes innovative and world-leading research addressing contemporary concerns and emerging social and cultural challenges.
Be part of a thriving research culture where researchers have received regular grants from the AHRC, ESRC and British Academy.
Benefit from our excellent multi-Supervisory teams to support your postgraduate study.
Enjoy being part of a collegial and active research environment.
Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in Sociology and Communications and Media Studies.

While we welcome a wide range of topics in the areas of Sociology & Communications, here is an example list of potential research topics that we would like to supervise:

Digital antagonism, exclusions and discrimination
Environmental Communication
Popular communications and Social change
Public sphere, deliberative democracy and free speech
Public space and protest movements
Surveillance and algorithmic profiling
Creative industries, inequality and diversity
Comedy, Identity and Society
Intersectional Veganisms
Transgenderism and ‘Transracialism’
Reality Television and Ethnic Minority Girls
Cities, urban change and place
Sensory Sociology
Culture, Space, Time and Cities
Political economy of communication/media
The digital revolution and social change
The rise of the far-right and neo-fascism
Radical social movements, the precariat and digital labour
Democratisation and the clash of civilisations
World-systems analysis
Anarchist social thought
Emergent Digital Media Technologies
Film & Media History
Globalisation and youth activism
Children and international development
Globalisation of education
Science and society
Urban Space and Experience