• University of York
New

Imagining York: Discovering the Everyday

Explore York to uncover how our everyday lives reflect deeper social forces and divisions.

Educators are currently active on this course

Skeldergate Bridge in York at Sunset

Imagining York: Discovering the Everyday

  • 3 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

Explore the city of York through a fresh sociological lens

What can a single city reveal about our society? On this three-week course from the University of York, you’ll uncover how everyday life, from personal identity to public spaces, reflects broader cultural, political and economic changes.

You’ll be introduced to key sociological concepts, including C. Wright Mills’s idea of the sociological imagination, and examine how it helps explain the connection between personal stories and larger social patterns.

Explore identity, inequality and social divisions

From local landmarks to famous figures, you’ll investigate how York’s history and people offer insights into inequality experienced through issues like class, gender, and sexuality.

Through case studies like Anne Lister and places like the Shambles or York Minster, you’ll see how the city embodies stories of social change, exclusion and progress.

Examine how space and consumption reflect the past and present

Dive deep into the city’s public space—reveal competing views of heritage, deviance, morality and belonging. You’ll also analyse how consumption habits and cultural trends reflect changing technologies, colonial histories, and economic pressures.

Connect the past and present to ask: What can we learn about society from how we live day to day?

Learn with leading sociologists from the University of York

Gain new insights into your surroundings, wherever you live and be inspired to think like a sociologist.

On this course, you’ll be guided by experienced educators from the Department of Sociology, known for using innovative, public-facing teaching to explore everyday life.

By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped with tools to understand society more deeply and explore how your life connects with the lives of others and societal structures.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 8 seconds We are all sociologists. Being part of society and interested in justice, inequality, discrimination and conflict makes us sociologically inclined. Professional sociologists pursue the study of the world at large to to understand social differences particularly in terms of opportunities and outcomes. They investigate how society works, and the impact that difference and change has on culture, values and practices. In this course, we will introduce you to the discipline of sociology, and extend an invitation for you to become a sociologist. You will have your imagination inspired as you explore the city of York, as a lens through which to examine societal debates and issues.

Skip to 0 minutes and 52 seconds You will not just understand the city itself more deeply, but also see how your own life and experiences connect to wider social structures and historical transformations. You will do more than learn about one city however– you’ll also get the chance to see your own life in the context of broader social forces. Join us to gain an understanding of York’s notable people and places, and together we’ll discover how their personal choices, struggles, and successes are tied to larger cultural, economic, and political shifts.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Introduction, Understanding Society and Everyday Identities

    • Introduction

      Welcome to the course! This short section offers tips for getting started, a chance to meet fellow learners, and an introduction to the concept of society, which we’ll explore throughout – often through the lens of York.

    • Understanding Society

      What do we mean by ‘society’? In this section, we’ll explore how sociology helps us make sense of the world around us, and how everyday lives are shaped by wider social structures, often using examples from York.

    • Everyday Identities

      Explore how everyday identities – shaped by class, gender, race, and sexuality – connect to wider social forces, using York-based examples like Anne Lister to reflect on how identity is lived.

    • Closing Thoughts

      To see how much you've learnt so far we'll end the week with a short multiple choice quiz and final discussion

  • Week 2

    Everyday Consumption

    • Introduction

      Explore the concept of consumption as a sociological lens. Reflect on your own habits and consider how everyday practices like eating, shopping, and media use are shaped by identity, culture, class, and place.

    • Drinking

      This section explores tea drinking as a sociological practice. We’ll look at its colonial roots, cultural meanings, and how it reflects class, identity, and everyday rituals – using York’s Betty’s Tea Rooms as a case study.

    • Shopping

      This section explores shopping as a form of everyday consumption shaped by class, place, and history. Using York’s Shambles as a case study, we’ll consider how shopping habits reflect broader social changes and cultural values.

    • Media

      This section explores how film and music shape everyday consumption and cultural identity. Focusing on York, we examine how cities are staged, sounded, and consumed through creative industries and popular culture.

    • Closing Thoughts

      We've come to the end of Week 2 and now is the time to test the knowledge you've built up this week and have a final discussion

  • Week 3

    Everyday Places

    • Introduction

      This section introduces sociological approaches to space and place, explores York as a heritage and tourist city, and invites you to reflect on your own experiences and assumptions about its everyday spaces.

    • Places of Religion and Spirituality

      This section explores religion and spirituality through York Minster. We consider how such spaces reflect changing values, identities, and power, and how they are shaped by heritage, tourism, and public memory.

    • Places of Crime and Punishment

      This section explores places linked to crime and punishment, focusing on the Ouse Bridge in York. We’ll examine how public spaces have been used to display justice, control behaviour, and shape ideas of morality, shame, and power.

    • Places of Health, Deviance and Intimacy

      This section explores North Street as a site of health, deviance, and intimacy – examining John Snow, public health, sex work, and public sex in relation to care, morality, and social control.

    • Closing Thoughts and Test

      In this final section, reflect on what you’ve learned about everyday identities, consumption, and places. Then take a short test to consolidate your learning and consider how you now see the social world around you.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

If you'd like to take part while our educators are leading the course, they'll be joining the discussions, in the comments, between these dates:

  • 23 Jun 2025 - 11 Jul 2025

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain how the sociological imagination provides insight into society
  • Develop an understanding of York as a microcosm of societal divisions and inequalities
  • Explore everyday identity is a route to understand gender, sexuality and class
  • Reflect upon how consumption practices reveal the impact of technology and the legacy of colonialism
  • Investigate how public spaces and landmarks expose societal debates surrounding faith, crime and public health

Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for prospective university students interested in studying sociology, particularly at the University of York. It’s also suitable for anyone with a general interest in people, identity, social issues, or the history of York.

Who will you learn with?

I'm a sociological-criminologist at the University of York. I'm passionate about death studies, crime, popular culture and walking methods.

I'm a Lecturer in Sociology. I ethnographically research how digital tech and algorithms shape mobilities, tourism, and cities, and am passionate about place-based learning and local sociology.

I'm a Lecturer in Sociology. My research expertise centers on the criminalization and regulation of sex and sexualities, with a specific interest in sex work and the sex industry.

Hi! I'm James, a Lecture in Sociology at the University of York.

Who developed the course?

University of York

The University of York combines the pursuit of academic excellence with a culture of inclusion, which encourages everyone – from a variety of backgrounds – to achieve their best.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Buy this course

$54/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Subscribe & save

$349.99 for one year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Start learning today

Free

Try this course - with limits

  • Limited to 3 weeks

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