Sociology

The objectives of the sociology minor are to teach the student the nature and functions of the social order and the social process essential to personality development. By studying our complex and changing society in depth, individuals can better accept, modify or oppose social forces in the light of their own values. The sociology minor seeks to:

• prepare the student for a career in areas involving human relations. While some sociology courses can be helpful in any vocation, students planning their life work primarily around interaction with people might consider taking sociology courses or minoring in the field. Vocational possibilities include a wide variety, both public and private, of social service- and social work-related environments from criminal justice to family and child welfare agencies, teaching, vocations related to the church, personnel, probation and parole, human resources, administration in business or government, social research, race relations and other social action. In some of these vocations employment may be found upon graduation from college. For others, more specialized training in graduate school is strongly urged.
• provide information on means of social action for those whose conscience calls them to work for social justice and peaceful resolution of conflict in families and communities - local, national, international. This knowledge is of special value for those interested in civic leadership, voluntary service and church institutions; and
• provide students opportunity to prepare for an academic career in a graduate sociology program.

More info...

Minor (21 hours)

Required: (12 hours)
SOC 152 Introduction to Sociology (3)
SOC 185 Women in Society: Contemporary Issues (3)
SOC 360 Basics of Social Research (3)
SOC 225 Race and Ethnicity in American Society: History and Current Realities (3)

Elective: (9 hours)
Choose 3 from the following:
SOC 208 Sociology of the Family (3)
SOC 275 Criminology (3)
SOC 284 General Statistics (3)
SOC 320 Family Violence (3)
SOC 258 Social Psychology (3)
SOC 340 Special Topics in Sociology (3)
CRJ 180 Law, Justice, Society (3)
CRJ 200 Introduction to Criminal Justice System (3)

 Courses

SOC 152 Introduction to Sociology   (3)
What sociologists do and how they think; the study of the interaction of individuals and groups with their physical and social environment; consideration of basic concepts, theories and major principles of explanation used by sociologists.

SOC 162 Anthropology   (3)
The comparative study of culture and the development of human beings with an emphasis on primitive societies, past and present.

SOC 185 Women in Society: Contemporary Issues   (3)
This course examines the roles, status and contributions of women in social institutions including the family, work place, health system, politics, religion and education. While the course focuses on American society, international perspectives are introduced. The course utilizes guest speakers with expertise in appropriate areas. Examples of topics include the contemporary women's movement (1960-present), the roles of women in changing family structures, the "feminization of poverty," the impact of changing laws regarding domestic violence, the status of women in organized religion and special concerns of women of color. This course is also listed as SWK 185. This course is the core course in the Women's Studies minor.

SOC 208 Sociology of the Family   (3)
A study of modern marriage and family institutions in the context of radical social change; topics include the social regulation of mate selection, kinship relationships and sexual behavior, evaluation of research findings and emerging trends. This course may be taken as part of the Women's Studies minor.

SOC 225 Race and Ethnicity in American Society: History and Current Realities   (3)
A course studying the data, causes and social patterns of differences due to race and minority status as well as the means available to achieve a less-prejudiced social order. Interdisciplinary sources are used.

SOC 258 Social Psychology   (3)
The psychological study of individuals in relation to groups and society. This course offers insight into the dynamic interaction between persons and their social environment and various social problems related to such interaction. Topics include group dynamics, attitude development and attitude change, aggression and violence, and helping behavior. Prerequisite: PSY 110 or permission of instructor. This course is also listed as PSY 258. This course may be taken as part of the Peace and Conflict Studies minor.

SOC 275 Criminology   (3)
A social-scientific, theoretical survey of the nature of crime, including causal factors and theories and procedures in prevention and treatment; evaluation of basic assumptions and philosophies of corrections. Prerequisite: SOC 152. This course is also listed as CRJ 275.

SOC 284 General Statistics (3)
A study of applied statistics for sociology and other social, behavioral or natural sciences. This course covers descriptive statistics and statistical inference for parametric and non-parametric situations (z- and t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation, linear regression and chi-square), including related computer applications. Prerequisites: MAT 050 or placement into MAT 100 or above.
This course is also listed as PSY 284 and BUS 284.

SOC 320 Family Violence   (3)
Violent family life has largely been hidden from public analysis. In this class we critically examine the emergence of intimate violence as a social problem, are exposed to experiences of persons involved with family violence, explore various explanations for violence in families and analyze various prevention and policy measures. In each of these cases, attention is paid to the impact (or non-impact) of demographic factors, such as ethnicity, race and religion, on the occurrence and effect of intimate violence. This course is also listed as CRJ 320. This course may be taken as part of the Women's Studies minor.

SOC 330 Social Justice and Social Change (3)
This course begins with a history of social justice and social change as concepts in the field of sociology and then sees how this foundation influenced contemporary social justice practitioners and theorists. Particular attention is given to social movements, the role of organizing and civil society. Theory is integrated into practical social justice methodologies and community-based learning. Particular attention is paid to issues of power and powerlessness in domestic and/or international contexts. Prerequisite: SOC 152. This course may be taken as part of the Peace and Conflict Studies minor.

SOC 340 Special Topics in Sociology (3)
This course will focus upon significant themes or topics in sociology that will supplement our regularly offered courses. Possible topics could include environmental sociology, sociology of mass media, sociology of sexuality and gender and sociology of community development. Courses will be offered based upon student needs and demand. May be taken more than once with different topics. Prerequisite: SOC 152.

SOC 360 Basics of Social Research  (3)
This course presents the nature of the scientific method and research as applied to the analysis and interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative data. An introduction to the basic techniques of social research as well as data analysis and interpretation will be presented. Students will learn how to use SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) to analyze and interpret quantitative data. Prerequisites:  SOC 152 or PSY 110 or SWK 120.

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