Sociology (BA)

Students majoring in sociology complete four required courses, four electives, and four to eight credits of capstone activities (internship or thesis). Students work closely with advisors in course selection and planning.

Program Requirements

Required Core Courses (16 credits)

SOCI 101	Principles of Sociology	4
SOCI 239	Introduction to Social Research I	4
SOCI 249/AST 249	Inequalities	4
SOCI 330	Global and Transnational Studies	4

Generally, SOCI 101 should be completed no later than the sophomore year, SOCI 239 and SOCI 249 in the sophomore or junior years, and SOCI 330 in the junior or senior year.

Two Electives in Sociology (8 credits)

Students choose two Sociology electives from the courses listed below. One of these electives must be at the 300-level.

SOCI 220	Working for Social Justice	4
SOCI 225	Social Movements	4
SOCI 232/AST 232/WGSS 232	Race, Gender & Health	4
SOCI 241/PH 241	Health, Illness & Society	4
SOCI 245/PH 245	Global Health	4
SOCI 262	Criminology	4
SOCI 280	Sociology of the Law	4
SOCI 301	Disability and Society	4
PH 321	Food Policy and Culture	4
SOCI 344/AST 344/WGSS 344	Poetry for the People: Black Queer Poets	4
SOCI 350	Independent Study	4
SOCI 355	Thesis	4
SOCI 365/AST 365/WGSS 365	Intimate Family Violence: A Multicultural Perspective	4

Two Electives from SOCI or RGS (8 credits)

Students complete two additional electives from Sociology or other program offerings in the Department of Race, Gender, and Sexuality.

Capstone (4 or 8 credits)

Students may either take a Capstone course when offered by the Department of Race, Gender, & Sexuality OR choose one the following options:

Internship

Students may choose to complete an internship to fulfill the capstone requirement. Internships are completed in the spring semester of the student’s senior year. In the fall semester before the internship, each student works with the internship supervisor to design a 4 or 8-credit internship plan for the following semester. As part of this requirement, students must take HUM 370 (Internship) or comparable course. Students completing double majors who wish to do an internship will complete their internship through one of their departments or programs.

Thesis

Students may choose to do an independent research and writing project that culminates in a 40–50 page thesis written under the supervision of a faculty member in the program.

Students submit a proposal by April of the second semester of their junior year (with the support of a faculty member) and take SOCI 350 in the first semester of their senior year and SOCI 355 in the second semester of their senior year. The thesis writing is completed by April 1st and will be presented at an event organized by the program. An honors designation is granted to meritorious theses.