Objectives

The Sociology Department aims to foster the intellectual development of students and to promote lifelong learning experiences. Through coursework, we expect our students to develop what C. Wright Mills called the “sociological imagination” or the ability to recognize and assess how social forces shape the lives of individuals in a changing and complex world.

Our curriculum is designed to help students to explore relationships in society, the social and cultural dimensions of human behavior, the dynamics of interaction, social institutions and groups, and social change in a global context. Upon completing the major, students are equipped with the necessary analytical and methodological skills to help solve contemporary and real-world problems and are prepared for graduate study and careers in a range of fields.

Sociology Student Learning Outcomes

I. To enable students to develop a sociological imagination.

• Distinguish sociological explanations of human behavior from those of other disciplines.
• Express sociological ideas in a clear and coherent manner.
• Describe how social structure affects groups and individuals.
• Articulate the relationship between self and society.

II. To enable rigorous analysis of social phenomena using sociological concepts, frameworks, and methodologies.

• Delineate the major theoretical frameworks used in building sociological knowledge.
• Apply sociological theories to social phenomena.
• Explain how social structures are reproduced or changed as a consequence of social forces.
• Transform a problem of interest into a researchable question.
• Evaluate methodologies employed in the social sciences.
• Explain the ethical implications of social science research.

III. To encourage the development of engaged, thoughtful individuals capable of applying a sociological lens to address social problems.

• Use sociological information to critically analyze contemporary social issues.
• Describe patterns of social inequality and their effects for groups and individuals.
• Evaluate different strategies for ameliorating social problems.

Major Requirements

• 40 total semester hours in sociology
• One additional social science course from a discipline other than sociology (economics, political science, psychology, or any course that fulfills an Understanding Human Behavior requirement in the University Core.
• An average grade of C (2.0) in major courses must be obtained in order to graduate.

Sociology Model Four-Year Plan

The normal course load is 16 semester hours (4 classes). By following the model below, a student will complete all lower division core requirements by the end of the sophomore year as well as most major prerequisites. Note that core areas are suggested to provide a distribution of various disciplines every semester. Please be flexible implementing these suggestions, given your own interests and course availability. In four years, this plan meets all common graduation requirements.