Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Sociologists study how societies are created, maintained, and challenged. They think about the ways in which individuals and social structures interact. The department’s undergraduate program is designed to give students an understanding of these processes throughout the world and of the major patterns of social behavior and organization in the United States. Courses deal with a range of topics including the basic institutions of society such as the economy and industry, education, family, health care and medicine, politics, sciences, mass media, the arts, and technology. Students examine how change occurs in rural and urban communities, in the environment, and in bureaucracies. They consider how knowledge may be used to bring about change. Courses on international development, sex and gender, racial and ethnic inequality, and changes in the lifecycle focus on the rich cultural and social diversity of individual and group behavior. Courses in social psychology and personality enable students to understand how individual behavior is affected by group life. Courses that focus on fundamental methods and techniques of research are important for understanding how to collect and interpret data on individual and group behavior. Opportunities are also available for participation in faculty research projects where the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom can be applied to real world situations. Some students have used their bachelor’s degrees in sociology as a foundation for graduate and professional study in medicine, law, business, urban planning, social work, labor and industrial relations, and public health, or for advanced graduate study in preparation for careers as college teachers and researchers. Others may pursue positions in business, public service, sales research, teaching, public relations, and administration.