Goals and Objectives

To assist students in learning to “think sociologically” and to “think scientifically” in the process of defining, analyzing and understanding human behavior. In doing this the department contributes to the complete education of the student, educates the student for world citizenship, provides education for a productive life and educates for a love of learning.

Program

The department offers the major in sociology and minors in sociology, anthropology, and criminal justice. A student may major in sociology and minor in anthropology or criminal justice as well.

Faculty

The sociology faculty consists of seven full-time professors who teach within the academic program. All faculty are actively engaged in advising students and teaching in various areas of interest.

Why Major in Sociology?

The study of sociology offers us a different way of thinking which better enables us to understand and solve the problems of our world. It provides a shift in thinking that is possible because the domain of sociology is the study of why people relate to one another as they do. It involves the study of our rules for living together. It studies how these rules are created, organized, and perpetuated; how they are broken or changed; and the meaning we give to them.
For those majoring in sociology, sociology will provide five important benefits:

• we learn more about ourselves and our motivations.
  
• we learn how other people affect us.
  
• it helps us understand our culture and how to cope with an often difficult society.
  
• it helps us become multicultural and global in our understanding and our own relationships.
  
• we can learn how to get through each day successfully by developing a sociological
  imagination which allows us to see, understand and deal with the forces affecting us.

What Do Sociology Majors Do?

Students majoring in sociology generally follow one of three career orientations relating to their eventual career:

1. Professional Orientation: for those seeking a sociology major as preparation for attending professional graduate schools in such fields as law, medicine, architecture, business, clergy, or public administration.
   
2. Graduate Sociology Orientation: for students planning to pursue graduate study in sociology as preparation for a career in teaching, pure or applied research, or clinical practice in sociology.
   
3. Immediate Career Orientation: for those expecting to seek employment immediately upon graduation. Several career paths are available:

• criminal justice with jobs in probation and parole, police and corrections, FBI, private investigations, IRS; security, etc.;
  
• international/cross cultural with jobs in the Peace Corps, international relations or foreign affairs, international assistance organizations or international business, etc.;
  
• sociological practice/human services with jobs in vocational counseling, rehabilitation, recreation, health services, etc.;
  
• business/industry with jobs in management, human resources, personnel, marketing, etc.;
  
• social action/social change with jobs in community organization, religious work, political advocacy, etc.