Sociology, BA
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Sociology
Program Overview
Sociology is a dynamic and exciting discipline with opportunities for a variety of career pathways. A major in sociology provides a strong background for students considering careers in health and social service professions, criminal and juvenile justice agencies, social research, public administration and program development, journalism, market research, social work, communications, teaching, or business. A sociology major also provides excellent preparation for law school, medical school, or graduate study in sociology, social work, education, and many other fields.
Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be able to (1) articulate the sociological perspective and how it differs from other social and behavioral science perspectives; (2) express the contribution of sociology to understanding human behavior and the social construction of reality; and (3) demonstrate an understanding of the connection between personal troubles and public issues, and the organization of individual agency by social structure.
- Students will be able to analyze how race/ethnicity, class, gender, age, sexuality and disability are embedded in power relations at the macro level (institutions), meso level (organizations), and micro level (interpersonal relations).
- Students will be able to describe explanations for and consequences of local, national, and global social inequalities.
- Students will be able to (1) describe the role of theory in building sociological knowledge; (2) compare and contrast key theoretical paradigms in sociology (e.g., functionalism, symbolic interactionism, constructivism, critical theory); and (3) apply sociological theories and concepts to explain the social world.
- Students will be able to (1) describe the role of research methods in building sociological knowledge; (2) develop conceptual models to address research questions; (3.) compare and contrast methodologies and data analytic techniques.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Combined Bachelor's/Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.
The major in sociology has been designed to serve a range of educational goals, including pre-professional training, postgraduate employment, and preparation for graduate school. The major requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework. All majors complete the four following common core requirements, plus a minimum of six electives:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| SOCI 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOCI 300 | Modern Sociological Thought | 3 |
| SOCI 306 | Logic of Social Inquiry | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Social Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences | ||
| Quantitative Methods in Psychology | ||
| Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences | ||
| Concentration Electives | 12 | |
| SOCI Electives a | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
- a
SOCI 375 is available to selected majors in their junior or senior year.
Concentration Requirements
Students may choose four electives within any of the following concentrations:
- General Sociology
- Policy, Law, and Crime
- Gender, Work, and Family
- Health, Medicine, and Aging
- Social Inequality
General Sociology
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose four of the following: | ||
| SOCI 201 | Introduction to Gender Studies | 3 |
| SOCI 202 | Race and Ethnic Minorities in The United States | 3 |
| SOCI 203 | Human Development: Medical and Social | 3 |
| SOCI 204 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOCI 208 | Family in the 21st Century | 3 |
| SOCI 213 | Critical Problems in Modern Society | 3 |
| SOCI 228 | Sociology of Sexuality | 3 |
| SOCI 232 | Social Policy and Global Issues | 3 |
| SOCI 237 | Sociology of Migration | 3 |
| SOCI 250 | Law & Society: Law, Rights and Policy | 3 |
| SOCI 255 | Special Topics | 3 |
| SOCI 264 | Body, Culture and Disability | 3 |
| SOCI 267 | Genes, Biology & Social Change | 3 |
| SOCI 275 | Lives in Medicine: Becoming and Being a Physician | 3 |
| SOCI 311 | Health, Illness, and Social Behavior | 3 |
| SOCI 313 | Sociology of Stress and Coping | 3 |
| SOCI 320 | Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| SOCI 325 | Great Books in Sociology | 3 |
| SOCI 326 | Gender, Inequality, and Globalization | 3 |
| SOCI 327 | Narrative Methods: Life Stories, Oral History, and Sociological Storytelling | 3 |
| SOCI 328 | Capitalism, Cities, and Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 344 | Health Disparities | 3 |
| SOCI 345 | Sociology of Mental Illness | 3 |
| SOCI 349 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 355 | Special Topics | 3 |
| SOCI 356 | Economic Sociology: Money, Markets, Morals, and Social Life | 3 |
| SOCI 357 | Sociology of Human Rights | 3 |
| SOCI 360 | The Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SOCI 361 | The Life Course | 3 |
| SOCI 364 | Disability and Society | 3 |
| SOCI 365 | Health Care Delivery | 3 |
| SOCI 366 | Racial Inequality and Mass Imprisonment in the US | 3 |
| SOCI 369 | Age, Society, and Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 370 | Sociology of Families, Globally | 3 |
| SOCI 372 | Work and Family: U.S. and Abroad | 3 |
| SOCI 375 | Independent Study | 3 |
| SOCI 377 | Sociology of Population | 3 |
| SOCI 380 | Social Movements and Social Change | 3 |
| SOCI 384 | Sociology of Sex(es), Gender(s) and Sexuality(ies) | 3 |
| SOCI 385 | Ethnography | 3 |
| SOCI 386 | Race and Racism | 3 |
Policy, Law, and Crime Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose four of the following: | ||
| SOCI 204 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOCI 232 | Social Policy and Global Issues | 3 |
| SOCI 237 | Sociology of Migration | 3 |
| SOCI 250 | Law & Society: Law, Rights and Policy | 3 |
| SOCI 320 | Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| SOCI 349 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 357 | Sociology of Human Rights | 3 |
| SOCI 360 | The Sociology of Law | 3 |
| SOCI 366 | Racial Inequality and Mass Imprisonment in the US | 3 |
| SOCI 380 | Social Movements and Social Change | 3 |
Gender, Work, and Family Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose four of the following: | ||
| SOCI 201 | Introduction to Gender Studies | 3 |
| SOCI 208 | Family in the 21st Century | 3 |
| SOCI 228 | Sociology of Sexuality | 3 |
| SOCI 264 | Body, Culture and Disability | 3 |
| SOCI 275 | Lives in Medicine: Becoming and Being a Physician | 3 |
| SOCI 326 | Gender, Inequality, and Globalization | 3 |
| SOCI 349 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 356 | Economic Sociology: Money, Markets, Morals, and Social Life | 3 |
| SOCI 372 | Work and Family: U.S. and Abroad | 3 |
| SOCI 384 | Sociology of Sex(es), Gender(s) and Sexuality(ies) | 3 |
Health, Medicine, and Aging Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose four of the following: | ||
| SOCI 203 | Human Development: Medical and Social | 3 |
| SOCI 264 | Body, Culture and Disability | 3 |
| SOCI 275 | Lives in Medicine: Becoming and Being a Physician | 3 |
| SOCI 311 | Health, Illness, and Social Behavior | 3 |
| SOCI 313 | Sociology of Stress and Coping | 3 |
| SOCI 344 | Health Disparities | 3 |
| SOCI 345 | Sociology of Mental Illness | 3 |
| SOCI 361 | The Life Course | 3 |
| SOCI 365 | Health Care Delivery | 3 |
| SOCI 364 | Disability and Society | 3 |
| SOCI 369 | Age, Society, and Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 377 | Sociology of Population | 3 |
| SOCI 443 | Medical Sociology | 3 |
Social Inequality Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Choose four of the following: | ||
| SOCI 201 | Introduction to Gender Studies | 3 |
| SOCI 202 | Race and Ethnic Minorities in The United States | 3 |
| SOCI 203 | Human Development: Medical and Social | 3 |
| SOCI 213 | Critical Problems in Modern Society | 3 |
| SOCI 228 | Sociology of Sexuality | 3 |
| SOCI 264 | Body, Culture and Disability | 3 |
| SOCI 320 | Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| SOCI 326 | Gender, Inequality, and Globalization | 3 |
| SOCI 328 | Capitalism, Cities, and Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 344 | Health Disparities | 3 |
| SOCI 349 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI 356 | Economic Sociology: Money, Markets, Morals, and Social Life | 3 |
| SOCI 357 | Sociology of Human Rights | 3 |
| SOCI 361 | The Life Course | 3 |
| SOCI 365 | Health Care Delivery | 3 |
| SOCI 366 | Racial Inequality and Mass Imprisonment in the US | 3 |
| SOCI 372 | Work and Family: U.S. and Abroad | 3 |
| SOCI 380 | Social Movements and Social Change | 3 |
| SOCI 384 | Sociology of Sex(es), Gender(s) and Sexuality(ies) | 3 |
| SOCI 386 | Race and Racism | 3 |
Departmental Honors
Juniors majoring in sociology with a 3.4 overall GPA and a 3.6 GPA in sociology are invited to apply for the department’s honors program, which consists of an intensive, year-long investigation of a research problem under the guidance of a faculty member. Students will earn credit through registration in SOCI 397 and SOCI 398. Admission to honors work is by faculty approval.
The opportunity to join Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the national sociology honors fraternity, is available to junior or senior sociology majors. Membership requires a 3.0 GPA in sociology and a 3.3 GPA overall. In addition, the student must have completed at least four sociology courses.