Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Female students in museum looking at antique boat

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Take a closer look at the teaching and research taking place across our Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

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Explore our faculty | Teaching | Research | Our staff | Contact us

In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, our four departments deliver courses and conduct research in a wide variety of humanities and social sciences subjects. We're home to more than 200 staff and 6,000 students from the UK, EU, and overseas.

Our research explores themes across a host of subjects within the faculty, which informs the teaching and supervision of our students. We also support academic staff to develop partnerships and consultancy activities with public and private enterprise.

We engage with the world beyond our University, ensuring that our students are fully prepared for the careers they wish to pursue. We opened the Placement and Internship Centre in 2013, and most of our courses offer placement years.

Our teaching is supported by the latest technology, with learning resources created in partnership between academics and experienced online course developers.

The Faculty is located in four different buildings around the compact city centre campus: Park Building, Milldam, St George’s Building and Ravelin House.

Explore our faculty

Explore the four departments in this faculty

Teaching

Our teaching areas

Explore the undergraduate and postgraduate degrees we offer within the following areas.

Childhood, youth and education

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Criminology and forensic studies

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English and creative writing

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History, politics, international relations and sociology

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Languages

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Or read about postgraduate research opportunities within the faculty:

Research

Our research areas

Explore the research work we're doing within the Faculty – across areas including English Literature, Linguistics, History, Criminology, Education, Area Studies and Sociology.

Area Studies

By studying the international relations, history, politics, economies, cultures, languages and geography across specific regions, our research aims to make sense of the world.

Criminology

We're exploring how crime is changing, and our research in this area aims to improve how it's prevented, detected, investigated and prosecuted.

Forensic worker handling evidence with gloves

Development Studies

Our research is searching for new ways to tackle global issues – such as poverty, inequality, and human rights abuse – and in doing so, make the world a better place.

Education

We're working towards a better understanding of what education looks like for different groups of people around the globe, and pushing for social justice and human rights worldwide.

English Literature

In a globalised and fast-changing world, we're studying how English literature can provide valuable insight and understanding into the lives of other individuals, communities and cultures.

History

We're studying how everyday people throughout time have responded to upheaval – so we can better understand our own society, and how it may change in the future.

Young girls on a march in Eastern Europe

Linguistics

We're exploring how words are used in certain contexts, and the relationship words can have with social phenomena and identity, such as class or power.

Translators working in translation suite

Politics and International Relations

We're working with organisations, governments and individuals to deal with some of the world's most pressing issues – from reducing the impact of war, to fighting political exclusion.

Sociology

We're investigating how societies evolve and the place of individuals, communities, governments, and organisations within them – and tackling the issues of a growing global population.

Women's and Gender Studies

We're exploring past and present social and cultural issues – from women's suffrage and feminism, to the intersections between gender and religion and education, and how gender is represented in the media.

Our research centres

Much of our exceptional research takes place within the following research centres – find out more below.

Centre for European and International Studies Research

Centre for Studies in Literature

Institute of Criminal Justice Studies

female researcher analysing fingerprint scan

Our staff

View all our staff

Dr Theresa Callan

Job Title Interim Executive Dean
Email Address Theresa.Callan@port.ac.uk
Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Jane Creaton

Job Title Professor of Higher Education Associate Dean (Academic)
Email Address Jane.Creaton@port.ac.uk
Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor

Professor Francis Pakes

Job Title Professor in Criminology, Associate Dean (Research)
Email Address Francis.Pakes@port.ac.uk
Department Institute of Criminal Justice Studies
Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Ms Mary Williams

Job Title Principal Lecturer, Associate Dean (Students)
Email Address Mary.Williams@port.ac.uk
Department School of Film Media and Communication
Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Bryony Whitmarsh

Job Title Associate Dean (Global Engagement)
Email Address Bryony.Whitmarsh@port.ac.uk
PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor

Contact us

To get in touch, please contact our Faculty office.

Phone: +44 (0)23 9284 2992

Email: hss-enquiries@port.ac.uk

Email Faculty office

University Coronavirus Information Line

We're preparing to reopen the campus ready for the new academic year starting on 5 October 2020.

We have set up an information line to manage enquiries from students, parents and guardians, as university life will be a little different in 2020/21 due to the Coronavirus.

Email: infoline@port.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)23 9284 5588

The phone line is open Monday–Thursday 8.30am–5.00pm and Friday 8.30am–4.00pm.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences