Sociology

Department: Sociology
Department Chair: Brian Fogarty
Program Option: B.A.

Sociology is the study of human social behavior through examination of interpersonal relationships and social structures. It combines scientific and humanistic perspectives to understand culture, deviance, the family, gender roles, bureaucracy — in fact, any facet of life that involves others.

Sociology is an empowering discipline, giving its students useful intellectual tools for their personal, as well as public, lives. As a sociology major, you will graduate with valuable skills in three important areas: communication (especially written), data collection and analysis, and understanding social and organizational structure.

A sociology major prepares you for a variety of careers, such as business, demography, law, human services, urban planning, public health, criminal justice, government service and many other areas. Many students continue their education in graduate school or pursue careers in law or other professions. Recent sociology majors have pursued careers as the director of information and technology, as a legal assistant specializing in immigration law, as a freelance Web site writer and community project coordinator, as a college professor, and as a juvenile correctional worker. If you are interested in teaching sociology in the secondary schools, we recommend you pursue a social studies major.

You are encouraged to investigate career possibilities through internships, and many sociology majors complete an off-campus internship as part of their course work. Internship sites vary greatly, depending on your area of interest. Recent students have interned with the Minnesota AIDS Project, Jane Addams School Neighborhood House, Chrysalis, Hennepin County Juvenile Center, Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Jobs with Peace. Many students interested in pursuing a career in law intern in law offices as undergraduates.

St. Kate’s sociology faculty members are excellent teachers who also have a broad range of expertise and research interests, including specialties in deviance and inequality, the sociology of war and peace and the sociology of medicine.

The Center for Women, Economic Justice and Public Policy is a great resource for sociology majors. It educates students to understand the depth and complexity of justice issues and prepares them to serve as engaged leaders in their communities and professions. The Center empowers women by promoting community collaboration and active learning to advance the creation of just economic policies and systemic change. Through course work, scholarship, events, programs, research and community partnerships the Center strives to shift the emphasis from short-term assistance to sustainable opportunities for justice. The Center invites and encourages student involvement and supports a number of projects, including Carmen Pampas Research, where a team of St. Kate’s students conducted health related research in Bolivia; the Conference on Sexual Trafficking of Women and Girls to pursue action to change public policy for the protection of women and girls and the punishment of traffickers; and Voter Registration and Education Forums.

See also: Education – Social Studies with Grades 5-12 Teaching Licensure (for those interested in teaching sociology in secondary schools).

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Eight courses (32 credits) in sociology, including:
SOCI 1000 Principles and Concepts of Sociology
SOCI 2100 Research Methods in Sociology
SOCI 3700 Social Theory

Required supporting courses:
An approved course in statistics, such as PSYC 2050 Statistical Methods in Psychology, or ECON 2200 Statistical Analysis for the Social Sciences, or ECON 2250 Statistical Analysis for Economics and Business, or MATH 1080 Statistical Analysis

Recommended supplementary course work:
Sociology international study, independent study, internship or research.
Courses in history, political science, psychology and women’s studies.
The sociology department extends departmental honors to those graduating majors who earn a 3.67 grade point average in sociology courses.

Membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honor society, is offered to students who meet the following criteria:
1. completion of at least four courses in sociology
2. minimum 3.5 grade-point average in sociology
3. involvement in the discipline beyond the classroom

Sociology majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing SOCI 3700. You complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with three other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000 and CORE 3990 and another writing-intensive course in another department).

URL: http://minerva.stkate.edu/academiccatalog0709.nsf/pages/sociology
This page was created on 05/03/2007 and last updated on 05/03/2007.
Comments, questions and feedback about this site may be addressed to registrar@stkate.edu.