The School is a leading centre of interdisciplinary social science, bringing together research, innovation and student education to tackle the key social and political challenges of our time. We attract and support talented staff and students from across the world and work together and with key external partners to support a diverse, inclusive and collegiate centre of inquiry. Spanning the social science disciplines and working closely with arts, humanities and applied health fields in particular, we have a large portfolio of courses and programmes for everyone interested in the development and impact of economies and societies globally. Our research and teaching endeavours to empower young people and disadvantaged communities and address inequalities to deliver an economy that works for everyone. We promote tolerance and respect for difference in public life as a counter to mistrust and social exclusion and we are actively committed to recognising and responding to our legacies in how we work and study.
The School includes over 250 academic and research staff and a large community of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Our staff profile spans the social sciences, with a strong international profile. Our research and teaching is organised in five key subject areas of Economic and Social History, Central and Eastern European Studies, Politics and International Relations, Sociology and Urban Studies. We prioritise interdisciplinary and partnership working with key areas of focus including migration, racism, democracy, security, global governance, media, digital society and communication, housing, sustainability and urban analytics, criminology, health and wellbeing. We work with a range of international research partners and H.E. providers and host a diverse portfolio of collaborative Erasmus Mundus programmes. Academic staff engage extensively with public and private sector partners, to disseminate our research and exchange knowledge and we are proud of our record of impacting upon public debate, social and economic policy development and practice-based innovations.