Social Policy – Sociology at Work

Sociology of Disaster Recovery

Two Black women face away, looking at a flattened house and debris, beside fallen trees

On 28 October 2025, Hurricane Melissa devastated 90% of homes in the Black River area in Jamaica, with at least 50 people dead. In a recent article, Assistant Professor Wesley Cheek explains why a sociological understanding of emergency planning is necessary for the recovery process.

Sociology Careers in AI Policy

Painting of two smiling people sitting at their desks. An Asian woman is writing with a pen on a book, and a Black man with earrings, glasses and an earring watches her

Explore emerging careers for applied sociologists seeking to address ethical use of AI, as well as policy inequalities flowing from the proliferation of AI.

Benefits of Studying Sociology

Mural with street art. Shows a Black person's hand changing the letter 'C' in the word 'Chance,' with a 'g,' so it reads 'Change.

Here are some of the ways in which taking sociology as a major or minor subject helps students build careers in health, business, and communication, as well as developing other vital professional skills.

Visual Sociology of Housing Crisis

Three sets of tall, crowded buildings in Hong Kong with little sunlight, with hundreds of balconies

A new exhibition uses visual sociology to tackle the social stigma of living in subdivided units, bedspace and ‘coffin home’ apartments in Hong Kong.

The Sociology of Doing Nothing, Probation and COVID-19

Image of Bucharest, Romania. A large white bus drives past in a whirl and large buildings are in the background. The street in the foreground are empty, and one man looks transparent and diminutive in the background

Dr Marian Badea works as a Probation Inspector in the social policy sector, in Bucharest, Romania. Marian analyses reports and coordinates activities of probation officers in 42 regions. COVID-19 social distancing laws have radically altered how probation officers carry out their work.

Building Sustainable Cities for the Future

Older people, singles, and a monther with a child cycle through a leafy park

Overview of the major findings from the United Nations’s recent report, World Economic and Social Survey 2013: Sustainable Development Challenges. We cover some sociological resources that speak to the theme of green planning.

Social Acts

Close up of an elderly man's ear. He has grey hair and we see the side of his glasses. He points to his hearing aid, which is a thin cord that wraps from the inside of his ear around his ear

Anthony Hogan looks back over his career across academia and applied research roles in social policy. By Anthony Hogan I am a sociologist by trade, having completed my undergraduate work at University of Western Sydney (UWS), a PhD with the amazingly wonderful Gary Dowsett at Macquarie and then a Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Sciences atContinueContinue reading “Social Acts”

Using Sociology to Support Domestic Violence Victims

We explore the experience delivering care in domestic violence shelters, and how this differs from the academic theories of domestic violence survivors.