2010-2011 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Sociology
Requirements for a Major in Sociology
Students majoring in sociology are required to complete at least 36 credit hours in the department, to satisfy the requirements of the BA or BS cognate and to produce a major portfolio. The 36 credit hours will include 15 hours of core credit and 21 credit hours of electives chosen from four different areas of sociology. The BA cognate is 3rd semester proficiency in a foreign language. The BS cognate consists of CS 150, STA 215, STA 216.
Core Courses: 15 credit hours
- SOC 201 - Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
- SOC 304 - Quantitative Methods in Sociology (3 credits)|
- SOC 305 - Qualitative Methods in Sociology (3 credits)
- SOC 400 - Classic Social Theory (3 credits) OR SOC 401 - Contemporary Sociological Theory (3 credits)
- SOC 495 - Senior Seminar in Sociology (capstone) (3 credits)
Electives: 21 credit hours
21 credit hours (seven courses) at least one from each category. No more than 6 credits at the 200 level. A second theory course (SOC 400 or 401) may count as an elective. SOC 399, SOC 499, and SOC 380 may fulfill an elective requirement.
Micro-Sociology
- SOC 250 - Perspectives on Madness (3 credits)
- SOC 251 - Criminology (3 credits)
- SOC 360 - Social Psychology: Sociology's View (3 credits)
- SOC 387 - Sociology of Childhood (3 credits)
- SOC 388 - Middle Age and Aging (3 credits)
- SOC 389 - Child Maltreatment (3 credits)
- SOC 392 - Social Deviance and Social Control (3 credits)
- SS 381 - Death and Dying (3 credits)
Macro-Sociology
- SOC 280 - Special Topics in Sociology (3 credits)
- SOC 333 - Sociology of The Civil Rights Movement (3 credits)
- SOC 351 - Urban Sociology (3 credits)
- SOC 382 - Race and Ethnicity (3 credits)
- SOC 384 - Sociology of Drug Use and Abuse (3 credits)
- SOC 385 - Social Class Inequality (3 credits)
- SOC 420 - Sociology of Community (3 credits)
Organizations, Institutions, Occupations
- SOC 255 - Sociology of Work and Employment (3 credits)
- SOC 323 - Families in Society (3 credits)
- SOC 356 - Sociology of Health Care (3 credits)
- SOC 377 - Globalization: Structures and Movements (3 credits)
- SOC 490 - Practicum: Career-Service (1 to 9 credits)
- SOC 350 - Family & Gender in the Developing World (3 credits)
Culture
- SOC 288 - Sociology of Food (3 credits)
- SOC 345 - Cultural Sociology (3 credits)
- SOC 346 - Sociology of Art (3 credits)
- SOC 357 - Sociology of Religion (3 credits)
- SOC 366 - Sociology of Media (3 credits)
- SOC 375 - Perspectives on Masculinity (3 credits)
- SOC 379 - Love, Sex, and Gender (3 credits)
- SOC 383 - Sociology of Women (3 credits)
Cognate Degrees
B.A.
- Third-semester language proficiency.
B.S.
- CIS 150 - Introduction to Computing Credits: 3
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics Credits: 3
- STA 216 - Intermediate Applied Statistics Credits: 3
The Major Portfolio
Students majoring in Sociology assemble Portfolios of four papers that demonstrate their sociological understanding and skills at three points in their undergraduate study of Sociology: at the beginning, at about the middle, and at the completion of their major. Sociology faculty members depend on Portfolios to assess whether we, as a Department, are meeting our curricular goals. These goals include student development of the following:
- Sociological imagination and critical thinking skills enabling students to analyze structures and the linkages between macro-structure, micro-structure and individuals;
- Ability to understand and analyze social institutions, processes, and behavior, and to apply sociological theory, concepts and methods;
- Disciplinary-based writing skills; and
- Library, quantitative, and qualitative research skills.
A student begins to assemble his/her Portfolio upon declaring Sociology as a major. The completed Portfolio contains the following papers, each with an appropriate cover letter:
- One paper written for SOC 201 - Introduction to Sociology
- One paper written for SOC 400 or 401 - Sociological Theory
- One paper from a 300 level sociology course
- One paper or report from a methods seminar
- The capstone statement
Each paper will have been submitted in a course and will show instructors comments and assessment. (Exceptions to this list will be made for transfer students so that they may submit papers from courses taken at GVSU.) A 300 word letter will accompany each of the first three papers. In each of these letters, the student explains why he or she picked this piece and what he/she considers to be its strengths and weaknesses in analyzing social life. A 3000 word capstone statement describes and assesses the student's development as a sociologist in relation to the four curricular goals outlined above.
Submit each paper and its cover letter to the Departmental Administrative Assistant, in 2130 AuSable Hall. Inform him or her that you are turning in a paper for your Sociology Portfolio. You should keep your own copies as well. At least every two years, the Sociology faculty reads a random sample of Sociology Portfolios to determine, through the kinds of skills demonstrated, if the Sociology Department is meeting its curricular goals.
Portfolios are not graded. They are, however, a requirement for passing SOC 495 - The Capstone, and performance on the capstone statement is part of your grade in SOC 495. The Sociology Portfolio is important to you in both the short and the long term. In the short term the portfolio gives you the opportunity to take control and responsibility for the shape and direction of your own education as you reflect on your progress at important points in your academic career. The portfolio provides to you a tangible foundation as you prepare for life after graduation whether that be employment in the public or private sector, the pursuit of graduate studies, or some other alternative you have not yet even considered! In the long term the portfolio is your contribution to improving and maintaining the quality of your major program, and to the continued accreditation of the University from which you will receive your Bachelor's Degree. We also hope that you will become more aware of your own development as a sociologist and thus better understand the knowledge and skills you have gained by participating in the portfolio system.
Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Sociology
First Year
- General education courses
- Electives (or foreign language)
- SOC Elective credits: 3
- MTH 110 - Algebra (4 credits)
- SOC 201 - Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits)
*201 and 200-level SOC electives without prerequisites will fulfill major and general education requirements.
Second Year
- General education courses
- Electives (or foreign language)
-
STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
AND - SOC elective (6 credits)
OR - SOC elective (3 credits)
WITH -
SOC 304 - Quantitative Methods in Sociology (3 credits) OR
SOC 305 - Qualitative Methods in Sociology (3 credits)
OR - SOC 400 - Classic Social Theory (3 credits) OR SOC 401 - Contemporary Sociological Theory (3 credits)
Third Year
- General Education Theme Courses
- Electives
- WRT 305 - Writing in the Disciplines (3 credits)
- SOC Electives Credits: 6
AND -
SOC 400 - Classic Social Theory (3 credits) OR
SOC 401 - Contemporary Sociological Theory (3 credits)
OR - SOC 304 - Quantitative Methods in Sociology (3 credits) OR SOC 305 - Qualitative Methods in Sociology (3 credits)
- SOC Electives Credits: 3
Fourth Year
- General Education Theme Courses
- Electives
- SOC Electives Credits: 6
- SOC 495 - Senior Seminar in Sociology (capstone) (3 credits)