Sociology & Politics - Research

In the School of Political Science and Sociology, PhD students pursue their research as part of the thematic Research Cluster in which their supervisor is located. The School's Research Clusters are:



Children, Youth and Families (the Child and Youth Research Centre

Gender, Empowerment and Globalisation

Governance and Sustainable Development

Power, Conflict and Ideologies



Applications within these areas, and/or which combine a Sociological with Political Science/Theory approach, would be particularly welcome, although, others should not feel precluded from applying. In choosing a research topic, it is particularly important to identify a potential supervisor with appropriate research interests.



MLitt

An MLitt is a route to a Master's qualification by dissertation only. The thesis is shorter than a PhD, and is usually done over one or two years. MLitt research is meant to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the area. Admission to a research degree by MLitt is at the discretion of the research committee of the School, and is based on a proposal from the applicant following discussion with the member of staff whose academic area of interest is most appropriate.

Admission to a research degree is at the discretion of the potential Supervisor and Head of School, and is based on a proposal from the applicant following discussion with a potential supervisor.

Course Code: PHDS-PSS

Applications are made online via the NUI Galway Postgraduate Applications System.

PhD full-time & part-time

MLitt full-time & part-time

Research Areas


Processes and practices of social in/exclusion, gender, poverty, in equalities, and rural development.


Community and local development-theory, policy and practice; disputes and dispute settlements; family support-policy and evaluation.


Argumentation, wisdom and rhetoric; culture/interculturality; qualitative methods in the human sciences; sociology of ageing and the life course.


Theories of ethnicity and nationalism; theories of ideology; postcommunism; intellectuals and political elites; sociology of war and violence.


Sociology of religion; sociology of sexuality; civil society and the Catholic Church.


Political activism online; conflict in Northern Ireland; conflict and territory; territory and minority languages.


Power and exclusion, social practices relating to freedom and discipline, post-structuralist theory, government theory.


Normative international relations, human rights, global civil society, buddhism and politics, prostitution policy, sex trafficking and women and politics.


Gender and development; youth politicization; activism and citizenship; youth policy; children in difficult circumstances-street children, child solders, child labour, and sexual exploitation of children.


State theory; environmental politics; risk and public policy.

Mobility and sustainability, time (use) and temporality; culture/interculturality; cross-cultural comparative research and social research methods.


Political anthropology; political culture; political identities; Latin America; migration.


Family support; community based models for working with adolescents; social support and resiliency.


Processes of acculturation and cultural integration; approaches to cross-cultural comparative research; social research methods in general and time use research in particular.


Political conflict and social exclusion; postmodernity; discourse and semiotics.


Agrarian politics; populism; the collective action associated with social movements; ethnography.


Social exclusion; youth transitions; community development-theory and policy; rural change and development; heritage in community.


E.U. environmental policy; E.U. policy analysis (theory and case studies); Irish environmental policy; E.U. constitutional politics (subsidiarity, enhanced co-operation, open method, etc.); E.U. as a 'regulatory state'.


Social theory, power, social structure, modernity; the relationship between sociological theory and political theory; nationalism and liberalism.


Globalization, culture, theory and practice of alternative development-especially environmental; southern and feminist perspectives and movements.