Sociology, B.A.

Are you looking for a major that will help you understand the social forces shaping our lives: our friendships, family relationships, workplaces, religious institutions, political systems, and much more? Do you want to gain the communication, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, research, and interpersonal skills that employers and graduate schools are looking for? As a Sociology major, you’ll learn how and why humans interact as they do, examine your own relationship to the broader social world, and apply that knowledge to today’s most pressing social issues. You will graduate with the preparation to achieve a wide range of educational, career, civic, and personal goals.

Required Courses

In order to graduate, you will also need to complete your General Education and University Requirements.

Complete all of the following courses:
SOC 100 - Introduction to Sociology Units: 3
STAT 100 - Introduction to Statistics Units: 3
SOC 201 - Social Problems Units: 3
SOC 300 - Sociology Major Proseminar Units: 1
SOC 302 - Sociological Theory Units: 3
SBS 321 - Survey Research in the Social Sciences Units: 3
SBS 362 - Research Methods: Qualitative Emphasis Units: 4
SBS 377 - Academic Publishing in the Social Sciences Units: 3
SOC 400 - Capstone Proposal Units: 3
SOC 402 - Capstone Seminar Units: 3
Complete one of the following courses:
SOC 312 - Sociology of Gender Units: 3
SOC 317 - Social Movements Units: 3
SOC 320 - Labor and Labor Movements Units: 3
SOC 399 - Contemporary Immigration in Global Perspective Units: 3
Complete at least 15 units from any of the following courses not previously taken:
SOC 312 Sociology of Gender Units: 3
SOC 315 - Marriage and Family Units: 3
SOC 317 Social Movements Units: 3
SOC 320 Labor and Labor Movements Units: 3
SOC 325 - Sociology of Latinos Units: 4
SOC 330 - Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Units: 3
SOC 360 - Population and Contemporary Issues Units: 3
SOC 365 - Technology and Society Units: 4
SOC 399 Contemporary Immigration in Global Perspective Units: 3

Learning Outcomes

MLO 1: Sociological Foundations (Aligned with ULO 2 and ULO 3)

Students will be able to use their “sociological imaginations” to describe and analyze the social world, and their own relationship to it.

MLO 2: Sociological Theory (Aligned with ULO 3 and ULO 4)

Students will be able to explain key classical and contemporary sociological theories, and apply theories to analyze social problems or issues.

MLO 3: Sociological Methods (Aligned with ULO 1 and ULO 2)

Students will be able to use qualitative and quantitative methods to conduct original sociological research.

MLO 4: Professional Reading and Writing (Aligned with ULO 1)

Students will be able to comprehend scholarly sociological texts, and communicate sociological concepts in written formats appropriate for a given rhetorical situation.

MLO 5: Sociological Specialization (Aligned with ULO 3 and ULO 4)

Students will be able to apply sociological theories and methods to the study of multiple subfields within the discipline.