Student Profiles

I came to Lancaster University to study for a Masters in Sociological Research Methods, since this ESRC recognised course would provide me with the necessary skills to undertake doctoral research. I was lucky enough to be awarded an ESRC studentship to fund my studies during the next four years. My specialist interest is gender inequalities in the workplace and Professor Sylvia Walby, who is world renowned for her work on gender, and is located at Lancaster University, will be my doctoral supervisor. Sociological Research Methods has been a challenging but extremely enjoyable experience. Probably my greatest achievement was mastering SPSS (the Statistical Package for Social Scientists). The module 'Research Methods in Practice'also provided me with the experience of undertaking empirical research with like minded colleagues and receiving invaluable feedback from my peers and the course convenor. The staff at Lancaster are friendly and easily accessible, and my advice to future students would be 'do not be afraid to ask'!

-Shireen Chilcott MA Sociological Research Methods

I came to study a methodological MA at Lancaster to furnish me with the necessary skills to conduct doctoral research. I wasn't aware that I would be conducting a piece of empirical research in the first term. This approach escapes the restrictive confines of 'text book' methodology courses. Engaging simultaneously with the reality of how research actually gets done, as well as the more expected focus on why certain methodologies are deployed and for what ends. It is a genuinely communal process of learning with weekly sessions involving several groups reporting to each other on their research project's development. Lancaster Sociology is certainly an exciting department to be working in. This much can be discerned from a few minutes roaming the staff pages and departmental website. Inevitably the website cannot communicate the feeling of being part of the department, the openness of the staff (both academic and support) and the enthusiasm of the MA and PhD students. It is these aspects that make Lancaster Sociology what it is.

-Joe Rigby MA Sociological Research

I came to LancasterUniversity in 2004 for the Masters of Environment, Culture and Society program because it offered me everything I was lookingfor in an MA. I loved the program and thoroughly enjoyed the courses and research I undertook during my year there.Upon completion I returned toCanada where I currently work on energy and climate change policy research and analysis. I am now thinking about returning to the academic world to start a PhD or work with research projects which delve into the complexities of our current social issues.

-Kate McDonald MA Environment, Culture and Society

I arrived to Lancaster to do my MA Sociological Research degree with high expectations, but my stay there actually exceeded those expectations! Lancaster Sociology is not just a world class academic department, where you can familiarise yourself with cutting edge theory, but so much more! Novel approaches to research, methdology and theory were not just buzzwords during the time I spent there, but constant inspiration for me. It was hard not to overbook myself with the various open seminars, workshops and reading groups at Sociology and other departments. Lancaster made interdisciplinarity meaningful. There is a great postgraduate community, to which I owe many great friends and insightful conversations. Both students and staff are generally very easily accessible. You can just pop in to the office of virtually any member of staff you would like to talk to, or have a pint with the postgrads after a long day. My stay in Lancaster was one of the best and most productive years of my life. I hope you will have the same experience!

- Marton Fabok MA Sociological Research

I undertook my MA in Environment, Culture and Society between 1998 and 2000, whilst I was working at Cumbria County Council. The diverse landscape and economy of the county ensured that much of the knowledge I gained was immediately useful in public policy-making. I later moved to London where, in addition to employment at the Local Government Association and later at the BBC, I became Deputy Leader of Barnet Council with responsibility for environmental issues. During that time I introduced a compulsory recycling scheme amongst the 300,000 residents (the first in the country), undertook a Carbon Trust scheme to identify and reduce carbon emissions across the borough and oversaw a massive road safety programme that reduced the number of Killed and Seriously Injured people by over 45%.
What am I doing now? In May 2010 I was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for the constituency of Hendon in North London. In addition to my constituents’ concerns, I maintain an active interest in environmental issues, particularly hydropolitics, water quality, energy security, rural policy, agriculture, food security, economic development and pharmacology.
In January 2012 I was awarded my PhD at King’s College London entitled Rural Governance and Economic Development: The Changing Landscape of Rural Local Government

-Matthew Offord MA Environment, Culture and Society