Sociology examines stability and change in social life by addressing the underlying patterns of social relations in formal organizations, in legal institutions, and in the family, economy, and political arena.
Coursework focuses on the criminal justice system and criminal behavior, mental health, families and close relationships, education, urban and rural communities, politics and policy formation, social movements and social change, diverse racial and ethnic groups, and social psychology. Faculty interests in the comparative study of social relations and institutions in various countries add an international emphasis to these areas of study. All sociology courses emphasize the skills of social inquiry necessary for analyzing patterns of social relationships.
The Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance is for students interested in developing a rigorous mathematical concentration in research methodologies. This option builds on course requirements for the Sociology B.A. program by featuring 12-16 additional credits of upper-division coursework in one of four clusters: (1) Organizations, Business, or Non-Profits, (2) Health Care and Careers, (3) Policy Analysis, or (4) Quantitative Emphasis.
The College of Liberal Arts Advantage: More Than a Major
When you study Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance at the University of Minnesota, you gain the added advantage of a College of Liberal Arts education. At CLA, the liberal arts mean you get more than just a degree in one major or another; it means you will be exposed to different areas of study, to different ways of thinking and learning. In fact, the liberal arts teach you how to learn—how to ask the right questions, how to problem solve, and how to innovate. The liberal arts prepare students for the complexities of our world, because here at CLA you will study not just, say, politics or art but also where politics and art intersect, where science and ethics intersect, where economics and the environment intersect.
