Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2011-2012 > Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts > Sociology

Sociology

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Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts

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Sociology Model Four-Year Plan

Faculty

Chairperson: Stacy Lee Burns

Professor: James Faught

Associate Professors: Stacy Lee Burns, Peter Hoffman, Eric Magnuson

Assistant Professors: Nadia Kim, Stephanie Limoncelli, David Marple, Anna Muraco, Rebecca Sager, Rachel Washburn

Objectives

As a department, our objectives are to foster the intellectual development of students and to promote lifetime learning experiences. We do this through teaching and applying the insights of sociological perspectives to achieve a critical understanding of social reality and the human condition.

Our curriculum is designed to explore relationships within society, the social and cultural influences on human behavior, dynamics of interaction, and social institutions and social change in a global context.

Sociology Student Learning Outcomes

Students majoring in Sociology should know:

The processes and structures that establish the underlying regularities of social life
How social life is continually reconstructed through opposition and deviance
The significance of cultural differences in traditional and modern societies
The origin and development of principal theoretical ideas that inform contemporary sociological inquiries
The basic methodological and statistical strategies used in contemporary sociology;

Students majoring in Sociology should be able to:

Recognize how social life is structured in ways that influence choices, opportunities, and action
Demonstrate an ability to write and speak effectively about contemporary social issues
Read, assess, and interpret the results of sociological research
Successfully complete an independent research project that competently draws from current theoretical, methodological, and empirical research;

Students majoring in Sociology should value:

A knowledge of the range of interests and goals expressed by groups and organizations in society
The ways in which sociological research may be effectively employed by organizations and institutions
The application of sociological knowledge in order to enhance the quality of life
A reasoned participation in community life that is informed by grounded sociological knowledge.

Major Requirements

Lower Division Requirements (12 semester hours):

SOCL 100, 105, 109, 210. A grade of at least C (2.0) will be required in all lower division courses.

Upper Division Requirements:

27 semester hours in upper division courses in sociology which must include SOCL 301, 401, and 495. An average grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in courses included in the major.

SOCL 495 should be taken in the senior year. The remaining 18 semester hours are to be chosen from the six theme areas into which upper division sociology courses are grouped: I. Deviance and Control; II. Social Inequality; III. Urban, Population, and Demographic Processes; IV. Social Structure, Culture, and Process; V. Family and Life Cycle; and VI. Globalization. Students must take at least one course from four of the theme areas. The remaining courses may be taken from any of the upper division offerings.

At least two 300- or 400-level sociology courses must be taken in the senior year.

Minor Requirements

18 semester hours, including SOCL 100 or 105, 109, 301 or 401, and 9 semester hours in upper division courses. An average grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in courses included in the minor. At least one 300- or 400-level sociology course must be taken in the senior year.