2023-24 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Nov 21, 2024  
2023-24 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Sociology [SOC]


This major in the Sociology/Anthropology Department  provides students with a broad degree of flexibility in choosing a career after graduation, the opportunity to explore careers in the human services, public administration and management, and a general background for graduate work in the social sciences, public policy, law and social work. In a rapidly changing world, students who major in sociology obtain a solid liberal arts education that fosters versatility in the world of work and good citizenship.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

  1. Understand and apply the basic sociological concepts. These include the sociological imagination, social structure, institutions, social stratification, culture, and power.
  2. Understand the role of social structure, culture, and social processes in the causation and amelioration of social problems.
  3. Develop a thorough knowledge of the major sociological theories and theorists.  Important theoretical perspectives include functionalism, the conflict perspective, and symbolic interactionism.  Important social theorists include C. Wright Mills, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and George Herbert Mead.
  4. Collect information necessary to address a research topic or hypothesis through library research, analysis of electronic data sources, and both quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques.
  5. Conduct basic quantitative data analysis employing computers.
  6. Communicate their ideas and the ideas of others clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Total Credit Hours Required for Major: 36


B. Category Courses: 12 credit hours


All sociology majors must have at least one course from each of the four categories (A, B, C, D) from the list that follows. Whether or not more than one course is taken from any single category will depend on the student’s personal preferences or declared concentration. Special courses not listed within a category are occasionally taught with a topics (TP) designation (SOC 129, 229, 329 or 429) and may fulfill one of these categories. Category designations for such courses are posted by the department each semester.

  • Three credit hours from Category A
  • Three credit hours from Category B
  • Three credit hours from Category C
  • Three credit hours from Category D

Category A: Social Institutions


Category C: Social Processes


Category D: Social Problems and Deviance


C. Sociology Electives: 12 credit hours


Select 12 credit hours (four courses) in SOC 200-599. May include one anthropology course at the 300- or 400-level, excluding ANT 300.

Total Credit Hours Required for Graduation: 124


Example of the B.A. in Sociology over four years


 General Education (GE); Foreign Language

First Year Fall


Total credit hours for semester: 17


First Year Spring


Total credit hours for semester: 15


Second Year Fall


SOC elective (3 cr. hr.)
SOC elective (3 cr. hr.)
Foreign language 201 (3 cr. hr.)
GE course (3 cr. hr.)
GE course (3 cr. hr.)

Total credit hours for semester: 15


Second Year Spring


Total credit hours for semester: 15


Third Year Fall


Total credit hours for semester: 15


Third Year Spring


Total credit hours for semester: 18


Fourth Year Fall


SOC elective (3 cr. hr.)
SOC elective (3 cr. hr.)
Elective (3 cr. hr.)
Elective (3 cr. hr.)
Elective (3 cr. hr.)

Total credit hours for semester: 15


Fourth Year Spring


Total credit hours for semester: 15