The sociology major requires 34 hours of course work, including the following 13 hours of required courses: 101, 380, 371, 381L. Students must choose 12 hours (4 courses) from the list of upper-division elective courses, available from the department, and select 9 hours (3 courses) drawn from all sociology courses not specifically requires.
The student may select from a number of designated courses that provide a concentration in one of the following subfields of sociology:
Pre-Law. Provides background for careers or further training in police, correctional or legal institutions.Human Services and Social Policy. Appropriate for future work in public and private agencies, as preparation for law school or for graduate study in social work, public administration and business administration.
Concentration in Pre-Law
The concentration in Pre-Law is designed for students interested in law school or other careers in the legal field, and highlights those aspects of law that overlap with crime and criminal justice. The concentration provides students with an introduction to the causes of crime and deviance as well as social and institutional responses to this behavior. Students can choose from courses focusing on the personal and social forces that give rise to crime, as well as courses that examine the role of the legal and criminal justice systems in dealing with criminals and reducing crime rates. To complete this concentration, students must complete 12 hours from the following list (Note: 9 of these hours must be selected from the 300/400 level courses listed below.):
SOC 205
Crime, Public Policy and the Criminal Justice System
SOC 211
Social Problems
SOC 213
Deviance
SOC 312
Causes of Crime and Delinquency
SOC 412
Sociology of Police and Social Control
SOC 414
Sociology of Corrections
SOC 416
Sociology of Law
SOC 423
Gender and Crime
SOC 424
Race, Class, and Crime
SOC 425
From Youthful Misbehavior to Adult Crime
SOC 426
Drugs, Crime, and Social Control
SOC 488
Field Observation and Experience
SOC 491
Directed Study in Criminology
Concentration in Human Services and Social Policy
The concentration is designed for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree or a career in human services, social work, social policy, health care, mental health, or education (K-12 and post-secondary). The concentration aims to provide broad thematic coverage of these fields by drawing upon elective courses that address topics critical to understanding the context within which welfare, health, mental health, and educational institutions operate, including social problems, race/ethnic relations, and socio-economic inequality. Students must complete 12 hours from the courses listed below. (Note: 9 of these hours must be selected from the 300/400 level courses listed below.)
SOC 200
Foundations of Social Welfare
SOC 211
Social Problems
SOC 216
Dynamics of Prejudice
SOC 225
Marriage, Family, and Their Alternatives
SOC 300
Social Welfare: Programs and Policies
SOC 303
Sociology of Political Behavior
SOC 308
Sociology of Gender
SOC 310
Sociology of Aging and the Aged
SOC 340
Sociology of Medical Practice
SOC 342
Social Epidemiology
SOC 345
Youth and Society
SOC 400
The Welfare State
SOC 415
Social Stratification
SOC 420
Race and Cultural Relations
SOC 421
Sociology of Education
SOC 427
Sociology of Madness
SOC 441
Complex Organizations
SOC 445
Sociology of Work
SOC 488
Field Observance and Experience
SOC 490
Directed Study (limited to topics approved for the concentration)
Further details are available on each concentration from the Department of Sociology and undergraduate advisors in the Department.
The Department will accept the grade of C in required and elective Sociology courses as counting toward graduation but requires that the student achieve a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in the Sociology major or minor and a 2.00 overall grade point average. A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 or better in all courses completed is required for regular admission to the sociology major.