As a core discipline in the Liberal Arts, Sociology offers courses designed to further the student’s understanding and critical analysis of society. Our curriculum provides students with a sociological understanding of the sources and consequences of social inequality and the impact of race, ethnicity, social class, and gender on social institutions and social behavior. Our courses focus on such questions as-How does our social background influence our attitudes and behavior? What are the chances for full equality between women and men? What can we do to reduce the problems of poverty and crime? What options do people have to change their groups, organizations, and culture? What kind of family forms are emerging in the post-industrial world? Why are rates of physical and mental illness unusually high in some areas of society?
These are just a few of the many questions that Sociology seeks to answer. Sociology explores and challenges common assumptions about the world around us and addresses many of the problems facing us in the present: the growing health care crisis; drug use and abuse; violence and discrimination against women and minorities; divorce; and the growing feminization of poverty.
Sociology faculty seek in all our classes to encourage students to look at society in new ways. We are deeply committed to high-quality undergraduate teaching. We offer a welcoming, student-centered atmosphere, and our students typically tell us how much they appreciate the attention the Sociology faculty and staff show them inside and outside the classroom.
The Department offers two optional concentrations within the major: (1) Crime, Law, and Deviance; and (2) Race, Class, and Gender. We also offer a minor in Sociology.
The Sociology curriculum provide excellent preparation for a variety of careers. Employers are increasingly interested in hiring individuals who know about social interaction and organizational behavior. Sociology provides this knowledge and helps you develop your skills in written and oral communication, critical thinking and problem solving, and research methods and data analysis. Opportunities exist for employment in fields such as: criminal justice, public relations, human resources management, industrial relations, organizational research, marketing, family counseling, community planning, teaching, and health care. The Department also offers a supervised internship providing practical experience in a field setting.
Requirements
- Satisfy general education requirements.
- Core requirements for a Sociology major (18 credits): SOC 101, SOC 301, SOC 302, SOC 390, SOC 460, SOC 499.
- Sociology Electives (18 Credits): Nine of the 18 credits must be 300 or 400- level Sociology courses.
- The following courses must be passed with a grade of “C” or better: ENG 212 or ENG 317; and one of following statistics courses: ANT 462, MAT 215, MAT 232, PAA 315, PSY 241, SOC 310.
- There is no foreign language requirement for Sociology. However, language courses are strongly recommended for those students planning graduate work or planning to work in careers needing some bilingual proficiency (especially Spanish and French).
- All required courses (except SOC 101) must be successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better. The GPA for all courses, required and elective, taken for the Sociology major must be at least 2.0.
- Student Internships: Internships are available for Sociology majors. Those interested in an internship should stop by the department office for guidelines. Students are required to complete an “Intent to Declare an Internship” form. Forms are due March 24 for the fall semester, and October 15 for spring semester.
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