Requirements
Sociology
Total minimum number of credits required for a major in Sociology leading to the B.A.
degree - 120
Total minimum number of credits required for a minor in Sociology - 18
A unique feature of the program in Sociology is its flexibility. Students have the opportunity to pursue a full range of academic options beyond the major. For example, utilizing existing programs and courses, it is possible for students to achieve a dual major in Sociology and Psychology, Sociology and Criminology, or to finish an M.B.A. in slightly more than one calendar year after completion of their B.A. degree.
Sociology Major
A major in Sociology prepares students for a variety of careers. Students who graduate with a major in Sociology find jobs in social services, criminal justice, business, and education. Students who decide to pursue a graduate education can do so in a variety of fields including sociology, law, social work, business, and psychology, among others.
A major in Sociology consists of 38 hours, including SOC-101, either ANT-101 or ANT-102, SOC-352, SOC-370, SOC-371, SOC-381, SOC-309 (2 credits), SOC-390, and 15 credits of electives. All anthropology courses may be taken for credit toward the major or minor in Sociology. Courses required in the major, such as SOC-101 and ANT-101, may also be used to fulfill distribution requirements in the General Education Curriculum.
The department emphasizes internships in professional settings, which integrate academic studies with work experiences such as SOC-393 (Practicum) and SOC-399 (Cooperative Education). The credit hours earned in SOC-393 and SOC-399 may not, however, be applied toward the 38 hours of course work required for the major.
Recommended Course Sequence
First Semester |
|
|
Distribution Requirements |
6 |
|
ENG-101 Composition or |
4 |
|
Distribution Requirement |
3 |
|
FYF-101 First-Year Foundations |
3 |
|
SOC-101 Introduction to Sociology |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
15-16 |
Second Semester |
|
|
ANT-101 Introduction to Anthropology |
3 |
|
Distribution Requirements |
9 |
|
ENG-101 Composition or |
4 |
|
Distribution Requirement |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
15-16 |
Third Semester |
|
|
Free Electives |
12 |
|
Major Elective |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
15 |
Fourth Semester |
|
|
Free Electives |
12 |
|
Major Elective |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
15 |
Fifth Semester |
|
|
Free Electives |
9 |
|
Major Elective |
3 |
|
SOC-381 Social Theory |
3 |
|
SOC-309 Career Mentoring for the Social Sciences |
2 |
|
Total Credits |
17 |
Sixth Semester |
|
|
Free Electives |
6 |
|
SOC-352 Social Stratification |
3 |
|
Major Electives |
3 |
|
SOC-370 Methods of Research |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
15 |
Seventh Semester |
|
|
Free Electives |
9 |
|
Major Elective |
3 |
|
SOC-371 Quantitative Reasoning in the Social Sciences |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
15 |
Eighth Semester |
|
|
Free Electives |
11 |
|
SOC-390 Senior Capstone |
3 |
|
Total Credits |
14 |
Sociology
SOC-101. Introduction to Sociology
A systematic view of sociology, providing essentials for an approach to questions about man in society; analysis of social processes, structures, and functions.
SOC-201. Introduction to Criminal Justice
This course introduces students to the American criminal justice system, with a focus on the interconnectedness of the major pieces: the police, the courts, and the correctional system. Benefits and limitations of the existing criminal justice system will be explored, along with growing threats to both society and the system itself.
SOC-211. The Family
History and ethnological studies of family. Role of family in the development of the individual. Interrelation of church, state, and family. Social conditions and changes affecting the American family. Family stability and disorganization.
SOC-212. Human Sexuality
A balanced and thoughtful introduction to what is currently known about human sexuality. Research in sexuality comes from a variety of disciplines, including Psychology, Sociology, Biology, Medicine, Physical Education, and Human Education. Without assuming that the student has an extensive background in any of these fields, this course draws liberally on all of them and works hard to show how the biology, psychology, and sociology of sex are interrelated.
SOC-214. Sex Roles
This course deals with the origins of sex roles, the historical changes in sex roles, the consequences of sex roles to the individual and to society, and the outlook for sex roles in the future.
SOC-215. Family Violence
It is customary to think of violence between family members as infrequent and, when it does occur, as being the result of some mental defect or aberration. Research evidence shows that neither of these views is correct. This course examines the prevalence, experience, causes, and prevention of family violence.
SOC-220. Violence In Society
An overview of the causes, correlates, and history of violence in American society. Topics include the relationship between guns and gun control and violence, violence and popular culture, drug-related violence, and the development of organized crime and gangs in the United States.
SOC-222. Criminology
An analysis of the nature and extent of crime and the causes and prevention of criminality. Topic areas include the history of criminology, criminological research methods, the extent and patterns of crime, theories of criminal behavior, and current issues surrounding crime in the U.S. today.
SOC-223. Drugs and Alcohol in American Society
An examination of drugs and alcohol in American society as a major social problem.
SOC-226. Corrections, Probation and Parole
A study of the agencies devoted to the correction and treatment of convicted offenders with a special focus on adult and juvenile probation, parole agencies supervising offenders in the community, as well as residential correction facilities, including jails, prisons, and juvenile institutions.
SOC-228. Deviance and Social Control
This course examines the nature of deviant behavior and the social responses to it. Topics covered include the following: what constitutes deviance; theories of deviance; varieties of deviant behavior; and the types of societal responses to deviant behavior.
SOC-231. Fields of Social Work
A survey of the main problems of social work and of agencies and methods that have developed to cope with them. The nature and requirements of the different fields of social work.
SOC-234. Group Counseling
Students enrolled in this course will learn about different types of group counseling services. Students will acquire knowledge of group practice issues for each phase in the evolution of groups. Students will develop initial competence in beginning work as a group leader or facilitator.
SOC-235. Corrections Counseling
Interviewing and intervention strategies in dealing with the criminal offender population in both prison and community settings, as well as the social services available for this population.
SOC-236. Individual Counseling
Students enrolled in this course will gain knowledge of the counseling process, including values, goals, methods, and limitations. Students will learn about various client characteristics that impact the counseling relationship. Students will develop initial competence in delivering counseling services.
SOC-251. Sociology of Minorities
A theoretical analysis of inter-group tensions and processes of adjustment with special reference to modern racial, national, and religious conflicts, both domestic and abroad.
SOC-252. Race, Class, Gender and Crime
An examination of the relationship between social structure and crime, with an emphasis on developing and applying a critical perspective. Topics include the relationship between immigration and crime, the role of protests both contemporary and historically in shaping our attitudes about crime, the ways that socialization impacts criminality across race/class/gender boundaries, and ways in which the system can be improved.
SOC-261. Sociology of Sport
An examination of sport from a social and cultural perspective. Emphasis is placed on examining how the institution of sport is a microcosm of American society, reflecting society’s major cultural beliefs, and how the organization of sport reflects that of society.
SOC-263. The Urban Environment
Cross-listed with PS-212. See description under the Political Science course listings.
SOC-309. Career Mentoring in the Social Sciences
This course will offer career guidance for students in the Behavioral and Social Sciences. The course will include topics such as mentoring, networking, résumés and interviewing skills.
SOC-325. Juvenile Delinquency
An examination of the nature and extent of juvenile delinquency, its causes, and its prevention. Topics include the similarities and differences between juvenile and adult justice systems, trends in juvenile delinquency, theories of delinquency, gangs, and the roles of family, schools, and legal institutions.
SOC-341. Introduction to Social Psychology
A general survey of the field of social psychology. Social factors in human nature, psychology of individual differences, social interaction, collective behavior, psychology of personality, and social pathology. Cross listed with PSY-341.
SOC-352. Social Stratification
A survey of the structure and dynamics of social inequality in American life. Attention is focused on the institutionalization of power arrangements that perpetuate intergenerational patterns of economic, political, and prestige inequalities among collectivities. A special effort is made to compare the consequences of structured social inequality for the very wealthy and the very poor.
SOC-360. White Collar Crime
A broad introduction to the theoretical and practical concerns that arise in the study of white collar crime and other forms of deviance conducted by the upper class in a capitalist society. Theoretical aspects of governments and organizations are examined to further understand the damage to society caused by white collar crime.
SOC-370. Quantitative Reasoning for the Social Sciences
This course is an introduction to quantitative analysis for the social sciences using SPSS, one of the most frequently and widely used statistical packages in the world. Students will learn how to enter and manipulate data in SPSS, apply and interpret statistics from descriptive through multiple regression, and test hypotheses using statistical methods. Cross listed with PS-265.
SOC-371. Methods of Research In Sociology
Introduction to sociological research; selected problems of research in social relations; interviewing techniques; questionnaire design and case studies.
SOC-375. Advanced Criminological Theory
This course is designed for students currently taking the sociological methods course (SOC371) as part of the sociology and criminology capstone process. This course investigates the most common criminological theories students are likely to utilize for their own research projects. Theories are discussed with a focus on the operationalization of concepts of theory into variables that students may find in social science databases.
SOC-381. Sociological Theory
The aim of the course is provide the student majoring in sociology, or in one of the related fields, with an historical background necessary for understanding of the current trends in sociology as well as for clarification of its distinct subject matter, problems, and methods.
SOC-390. Senior Capstone
This course is intended for senior sociology majors. In this course you will complete an empirical research paper, quantitative or qualitative, and present the results to an audience of faculty and peers.
SOC-399. Cooperative Education
Professional cooperative education placement in a private or public organization related to the student’s academic objectives and career goals. In addition to their work experience, students are required to submit weekly reaction papers and an academic project to a Faculty Coordinator in the student’s discipline. (See the Cooperative Education section of this bulletin for placement procedures.)