Prospective Students

Welcome to GVSU Sociology!

The Reverend Martin Luther King was a sociology major. So was former First Lady, philanthropist, and lawyer, Michelle Obama. Sociology welcomes critical thinkers of all varieties and we are proud to say that our student body is one of the most diverse on campus. If you want to change the world, and you don’t think it is cliché to say so, sociology may very well be the major for you. By developing a “sociological imagination” you will be better able to actively engage the world around you and to do something constructive and useful in it. Sociology students learn about the dynamics of race, class, and gender and about the powerful institutions that we live in and work in everyday. Our graduates have found success in government and non-profit agencies, in large and small private business, and as university professors and researchers. Students choose the sociology major because they are genuinely interested in the concepts and ideas that we teach and because sociology helps them to understand their lives. The world is constantly changing. Why not learn to affect that change? 

Other notable Sociology Majors include:

  • Political Activist, Minister, and Politician, Reverend Jesse Jackson
  • Politician, Activist, and Educator, Shirly Chisolm
  • Politician Maxine Waters
  • Politician Cory Booker
  • Actress Nina Dobrev
  • Actress Gabrielle Union
  • Actor Kal Penn
  • Author Mitch Albom
  • Actor Dan Ackroyd
  • Former Head of NAACP Roy Wilkins
  • Workers' Rights Activist Francis Perkins
  • The Sex Doctor, aka Dr. Ruth Westheimer,
  • Father of Community Organizing, Saul Alinsky
  • Athlete Alonzo Morning
  • Actress Yara Shahidi (in school now for Sociology)
  • NFL Coach Mike Tomlin

Events

Guest Artist Lecture/Recital: "Chopin's Private World" Takeshi Nagayasu, piano

January 9, 2025 4:30 PM

Takeshi Nagayasu is an unusually versatile and multifaceted pianist who has been recognized and won many top prizes in competitions such as the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin, Jacob Flier, Rosamond Haeberle,...

Winter Campus Life Night

January 12, 2025 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

What is Campus Life Night?...

Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy Info Sessions

January 14, 2025 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Are you looking for an opportunity to develop more as a student and leader? The Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy (CLA) is a leadership development program that offers students an opportunity...

Free Play 51: Dan Graser, saxophone

January 15, 2025 7:30 PM

Please join us as GVSU's own professor of all things saxophone presents a solo performance of recent works with and without electronics.

NIARA Financial Goal-Setting + Vision Board Workshop

January 16, 2025 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

( Kick off the Winter Semester with our first special event! Join us for an evening of inspiration, creativity, and empowerment as we set financial goals and bring our visions to life. Featuring:...

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Page last modified January 17, 2022