Sociology

The Department of Sociology offers an A.B. in Sociology and a minor in Sociology.

Major in Sociology

Students seeking to major in Sociology with a grade of C+ or better in the introductory course will normally be accepted as majors in the department. At its discretion, the department may provisionally admit a student who fails to meet this requirement, and then review its decision after the student completes the required theory (SOCI 2902) and research methods (SOCI 2901) classes. The Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS) is the faculty advisor for all department majors. Prospective majors must arrange for an interview with the DUGS. We strongly recommend that students take Introduction to Sociology before enrolling in other sociology courses. Introduction to Sociology is listed as a prerequisite for some upper division courses. Please consult the course descriptions.

Students majoring in Sociology are required to take ten courses in the department: six required courses, two Core Topic Lectures, and two Advanced Seminars. The six required courses are as follows: Introduction to Sociology, Methods of Social Research, Sociological Theory, Statistics for Social Research, and a two-part Senior Seminar: Data Collection/Analysis and Analysis & Writing.

Sociological Theory, Methods of Social Research, and Social Statistics should be taken during the junior year. In the Methods course students write a proposal for the research that will be the basis for their senior thesis, which is completed in the Senior Seminar in the senior year. Majors should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies about studying abroad or any unusual plans for completing the requirements.  

Course Offerings

Courses in the Sociology Department are divided into four categories, including the Required Courses which all majors must take.

Core Topic Lectures introduce students to the main subfields of Sociology, including gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, education, social inequality, social movements, crime and deviance, and demography. The below list is not exhaustive:

Advanced Seminars enable students to develop in-depth knowledge of particular subjects through intensive seminars. Recent advanced seminars include courses about gentrification, poverty in America, the changing American family, public housing, transgender issues, and food justice movements. The below list is not exhaustive:

Special Topics Lectures provide a lecture-style course that covers other special areas within the discipline, including courses on hip hop, death and dying, and transnational crime.  The below list is not exhaustive:

SOCI 1596: Comparative Law Enforcement
SOCI 1325: Death and Dying
SOCI 1595: Sociology of Terrorism
SOCI 1343: Sport and Society

Requirements for the A.B. in Sociology 

• SOCI 1001: Introduction to Sociology (before junior year)
• SOCI 2901: Methods of Social Research (junior year)
• SOCI 2902: Sociological Theory (junior year)
• SOCI 2903: Statistics for Social Research (before senior year)
• SOCI 4961: Thesis Research – Data Collection & Analysis (fall of senior year)
• SOCI 4962: Thesis Research – Analysis & Writing (spring of senior year)
• Two (2) Core Topic Lectures
• Two (2) Advanced Seminars

Integrated Writing Within the Sociology Major

The Department of Sociology offers a wide array of courses which fulfill the integrated writing requirement. After taking a first General Education course focused on writing, the second such course which sociology majors will take must come from among selected sociology offerings.  Our majors get to choose from among those courses we designate as Integrated Writing courses (occasionally abbreviated below as “IW”).  

Sociology Courses with Integrated-Writing (IW) Strategies:  Race,Color, Culture; Sociology of Sexualities; Capitalism: Culture, Markets, and Power; Methods of Social Research; Sociological Theory; and many of the Advanced Seminars.

Minor in Sociology

Requirements for the minor are Introduction to Sociology, either Methods of Sociological Research or Sociological Theory, plus four electives, two of which should be Core Topic Lectures and one of which should be an Advanced Seminar. It is recommended that the four electives be selected from at least two areas of specialization.

Requirements for the Minor

• Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 1001)
• Methods of Sociological Research (SOCI 2901) or Sociological Theory (SOCI 2902)
• 4 electives. Of those four, two should be from the Core Topics Lectures above, and one an Advanced Seminar.

For course listings in Sociology see the Schedule of Classes