Sociology, B.A.

Sociology students find an active and supportive departmental culture that surrounds coursework in sociological theory, methods, and current social issues. The program provides students with the necessary tools to analyze social interactions, systems, and structures. Department faculty members have a strong commitment to social justice that shapes course offerings and content. The program examines historical and contemporary understandings of race, class, gender, disability, and sexuality with the stated intent of pushing students to reimagine what they thought they already knew.

Sociology does not seek to produce one form of knowledge; rather, it seeks to understand the social processes through which knowledge is produced. Thus, emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills.

Due to the breadth, adaptability, and practical applications of sociology, students with a B.A. in Sociology choose to work in many different sectors: non-profit, private business, social services, education, health services, public relations, criminal justice, and government. Service learning, capstone internships, and faculty-supervised research are integrated into the curriculum. The Sociology Student Association, and outreach organizations on campus such as YES House, creates additional opportunities for students to connect with each other, faculty, and local community organizations.

We recommend that students who are interested in this major take math, writing and social science courses (history, psychology, sociology) in high school.

Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree requires a total of 120 units. Students must fulfill General Education & All-University Requirements , residency, unit, and GPA requirements as outlined in the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements . This major includes a Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) certified course.

Requirements for the Major (47 Units)

Students must complete all courses for the major with a grade of C- or better.

Lower Division (11 Units)

SOC 104 - Introduction to Sociology Units: 3
STAT 108 - Elementary Statistics Units: 3
or
STAT 108I - Elementary Statistics with Integrated Support Units: 3
SOC 225S - Social Issues and Action Units: 4
SOC 282L - Sociological Statistics Lab Units: 1

Upper Division (17 Units)

SOC 303 - Race and Inequality Units: 3
SOC 303M - Race and Inequality for Majors Units: 1
SOC 310W - Sociological Theory Units: 4
SOC 372 - Proseminar Units: 1
or
SOC 472 - Graduate School Planning Units: 1
SOC 382 - Introduction to Social Research Units: 4
SOC 410 - Contemporary Social Theory Units: 4

Knowledge Based Requirements (16 Units)

Complete four courses with at least one from chosen from each category. Students may request that a sociology course not listed be approved to count in one of the knowledge areas below. No more than 8 units of upper division SOC courses that have GE designations can be counted toward the major.

Capstone (3 Units)

Complete one course from the following

SOC 482 - Internship Units: 3
SOC 492 - Senior Thesis Units: 3

Weekend Workshops:

The Department of Sociology offers 1-2 unit weekend workshops around pressing social issues and popular topics. We encourage our students to enroll in these workshops, but the units may not be counted as part of the required 47-48 unit major requirement. Exception: A student who needs to ”make up” 1-2 units for 3-unit courses transferred from another college or university.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing the sociology program will:

Effectively communicate orally about social science theory and methods.
Effectively communicate in writing about social science theory and methods.
Identify systems of power and privilege and methods for creating diverse, inclusive, and just communities.
Explain the relationships between communities, social systems, institutions, and the natural world.
Evaluate research designs and analytic techniques.