Sociology Department
Advising Tips for Prospective Majors
A
thumbnail sketch of sociology major:
10
Sociology courses plus a related minor or concentration.
Required:
Soc 10
(Introduction)
Soc
105 (Research methods)
Soc
107 (Theory)
Soc 150 (Class, Status and Power)
Electives:
6
additional 200-level courses, one of which must be capstone seminar to be taken
in senior year.
Information
relevant for first year students:
The
gateway course in Sociology is Introduction to Sociology (Soc 10). In any given year, approximately ¼ of the first year students taken
Intro to Sociology. At least two sections of Intro are offered each semester. Keep in mind that the size of the intro sections varies depending upon
the number of writing assignments. The smaller sections (25) typically require
more writing, while the larger sections (40) require less writing and a greater
proportion of your grade is based on exams. In the fall semester, at least one
section of intro is open to first year students only. In fall 02, both Ewick’s
section and London’s section are “first year only.” Currently, this course (all sections) is designated as a Comparative
Perspective.
After
taking Soc 10, students who are interested in exploring the field may take a
higher level course, such as Sociology of the Family, or Race and Ethnicity.
Although Intro is not a prerequisite for most of these courses, it is strongly
recommended that students take Intro first.
If a student intends to major or minor in Sociology, Introduction to
Sociology is typically followed by
Soc 105 (Research Process). This course represents the second step in the major
requirements and is offered every semester.
Unlike
some majors, Sociology students usually decide well into their second year to
major or minor. Since most students do not have a clear idea of what Sociology
is, and the vast majority have never taken a Sociology course, this decision
typically follows rather then precedes their election of a Sociology course.
For this reason, the Sociology department encourages students to explore
their PLS requirements early in their education (especially since that
exploration is what lands so many of them in Intro to Sociology!). They are then
free to complete the major in their last two years.
If
a student decides to major in Sociology, he or she must also complete a minor or
concentration in a related field. Programs that qualify as a related field
typically include any social science. In special circumstances, non-social
science minors or concentrations are acceptable. In these cases, or whenever the
student is uncertain, he or she should obtain permission from his or her
advisor.
Students
select their own major advisor based on their fields of interests and
compatibility with the professor. The department is small and informal and with
few, if any, exceptions, a student’s first choice of advisor is met.
Questions
regarding transfer credit, waivers of requirements, or other general information
should be directed to the Chair, Patricia Ewick, 415 Jefferson Academic Center,
ext 7529.
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