Politics, Psychology and Sociology
UCAS code: L0C8
Subject Requirements
Essential: We typically require candidates to get A*AA at A Level but there are no essential subjects.
Highly Desirable: Essay-based subjects including History and English provide a good foundation for PPS, while Maths is useful for those seeking to do Psychology. However, we accept any A level subjects separately or in combination, except for General Studies, Art (unless History of Art) and PE.
Written Work
Candidates are required to submit one piece of marked, written work before the interview. We do not mind what subject your work comes from but is should ideally be from an essay-based subject. Essays should be written in English. If you have not written any essays in English, please contact the Admissions Office for guidance about what you should submit.
Admissions Tests
Candidates will be asked to take a short (one hour) written test in College to test analytic skills and reasoning. Secondly, the applicant is asked to discuss an unfamiliar and difficult text - handed out prior to interview - in order that interpretation and comprehension skills may be assessed. Thirdly, we ask the applicant to discuss the school essay which they have sent to us in advance of the interview. Finally, the applicant is asked to think about issues which raise questions relating to the core subjects covered in Part I. He or she may be asked to think about and discuss a current political issue, or how psychology experiments are carried out, for example.
Director(s) of Studies
Dr Julie Smith Part 2 Politics and Part 1 (on leave 2011-12)
Dr Deborah Thom Part 2 Sociology and Psychology (on leave Easter Term 2011)
Teaching Fellows in Politics, Psychology and Sociology
Dr Maryon McDonald (Social Anthropology) supervises the Part 1 optional paper in Social Anthropology
Dr Christoph Salvat (History of Political Thought) supervises two Part II papers, Pol 2 and Pol 6
Dr Julie Smith (British and European Politics) is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies. Her research focuses on a wide range of European issues, including: elections to the European Parliament, institutional reform, and the UK's relations within the EU. She is currently working on British political parties and Europe.
Dr Deborah Thom (Sociology; Gender) supervises the first year introductory sociology paper in college and contributes to teaching on the family, oral history and gender in part 2 in the faculty. Her own work is in 20th century British social and cultural history specialising on the family, feminism and childhood as well as the history of psychology.
General Comments
The Politics, Psychology and Sociology Tripos (PPS as it is known) offers a rigorous grounding in the theories and methods of the social and political sciences. The Part I course, consisting of four papers, lasts one year and provides a comprehensive introduction to the three core subjects of the Tripos. Part I students can either take two out of the three core papers (Politics, Psychology and Sociology) together with two optional papers from a selection including International Relations and Social Anthropology or students can take all three core papers and one optional paper. This then enables students to identify areas of particular interest which they can then study in greater depth in Part II.
In Part II, which lasts two years, the variety of papers available ranges from issues of global politics to themes that delve deep into the psyche of the individual. Part II offers an opportunity to either specialise in Sociology, Politics and International Relations, or Social and Developmental Psychology, or to combine Sociology with Psychology or with Politics and International Relations. In the second year (Part IIA) students begin to undertake their own research, whether in the form of extended essays in Politics and International Relations or research projects in other subjects, as well as continuing to lay the basis for specialist study. In the third year (Part IIB) there is a wide choice of options. It is possible to pursue many particular interests, concentrating on the study of politics and international relations, including political philosophy; domestic life and personal relationships; pre-industrial societies; the application of quantitative methods to sociological problems in contemporary economics and political life; the social organisation of personality, values and culture. All PPS students can replace one final year examination by either a dissertation or two long essays.
There are about 300 students reading PPS at Cambridge. Robinson admits approximately 4 students per year, making about 12 students in all.
PPS (information from Cambridge Admissions website)
Updated July 2011