Sociology, B.A.

Requirements for the Interdepartmental Major:

• SOC 100 - Introduction to Sociology
• SOC 300 - Quantitative Methods of Social Research
• SOC 305 - History of Sociological Thought
• a senior project
• four sociology electives

Requirements for Honors:

The student must fulfill the following requirements: (1) achieve a cumulative index of 3.30 or better; (2) a minimum index of 3.30 in all sociology courses; (3) completion of requirements for the sociology major or an interdepartmental major; (4) three grades of “A” or “A minus” in the major; and (5) at least a grade of “A minus” on the senior thesis. To be eligible for membership in the Alpha Kappa Delta sociology honor society, the student must fulfill all of the above requirements for honors and also have a class standing in the upper third.

Course Selection Guidelines

Common Curriculum (CC): In the Common Curriculum, all sociology courses count towards fulfillment of the social science requirement. Note that Quantitative Social Research Methods does not count toward the Quantitative and Mathematical Reasoning requirement.  

Course Sequencing for Majors: Majors are encouraged to fulfill the methods and theory requirements SOC 300  and SOC 305  prior to beginning their senior thesis. Students should note that these courses are generally offered only in the fall (SOC 300 ) and winter (SOC 305 ) terms each year.

Courses Suitable for Non-Majors: All upper level elective courses are suitable for non-majors who have completed SOC 100 .

Course Numbering: SOC 100  or the permission of the instructor is a prerequisite for all other courses in the sociology department unless otherwise noted. While 200-level courses are not “easier” than 300-level courses in terms of workload, the 300-level courses generally assume a greater working knowledge of sociological theory and methods.

SOC 100  is a prerequisite for all Sociology courses.

Requirements for Secondary School Certification in Social Studies:

PSY 246  and EDS 500A and EDS 500B. Students must also complete at least 12 courses in the department including SOC 100 , ANT 110 , SOC 201 , SOC 300 , SOC 305 , and the senior thesis SOC 498 -SOC 499 , and a minimum of seven courses in the Department of History. In addition, students must complete at least one course from both the Department of Economics and the Department of Political Science.

Interdepartmental Majors Seeking Secondary School Certification:

Students must be interdepartmental majors in sociology, anthropology, and history. In addition, students must take at least one course from each of the remaining social science departments (economics, political science) and an interdisciplinary social science topics course.