BA in Sociology

Program Learning Outcomes for BA in Sociology Students graduating from this program will: Understand the functions of theory and its use in the social sciences. Students will be familiar with key social theorists in the field. Students will understand key theoretical concepts and be comfortable using them beyond the classroom. Gain richer understanding of the social world, including class, race, gender, ethnicity, education, family, occupation, deviancy, health, and global citizenship as well as how the human social world impacts its environment. Apply sociological knowledge and training to understand theory and policy oriented around issues of human well-being in the US and globally, including how to understand the relationship between inequality and factors like race, class, gender, and education. Apply methodological, theoretical, and research skills to carry out empirical research projects. Degree Requirements for BA in Sociology Eleven courses are required for the major in sociology (at least 33 semester hours). Ordinarily, these courses will be distributed as follows. Any exceptions to these requirements must be approved by the Major/Minor Advisor and/or chair of the Undergraduate Advising Committee Chair. A SURVEY OF THE FIELD SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology THEORETICAL APPROACHES Students are required to take at least one course that offers a systemic analysis of alternative theoretical perspectives. SOCI 380 Social Theory RESEARCH METHODS A) This course is highly recommended, and must be taken to meet the requirements of the major. SOCI 381 Research Methods: This course provides hands-on experience with both the quantitative and qualitative methods of sociological research. Sociology majors who are thinking about doing Honors research are urged to take this course no later than the fall semester of their junior year. B) Students are required to take this course: SOCI 382 Social Statistics: This course provides students with the skills they need to analyze quantitative data in order to answer sociological research questions and to test hypotheses. Students learn sample description, sampling and probability, sampling theory, and how to make inferences from samples to populations. They learn to apply common univariate statistics for description, and bivariate and multi-variate statistics for testing relationships. Because most statistical analysis is done with the aid of computers, this course also focuses on common statistical packages.