Sociology Major

Sociology is the scientific study of the organization and functioning of societies, their major institutions, groups, and values. Sociologists are particularly interested in understanding and explaining social issues and problems, and the sources of stress and change in contemporary and historical societies. Our courses provide students with critical perspectives on a wide range of major social issues, including globalization, immigration, social stratification and inequality, race and ethnic relations, gender and sexuality, age, aging, and ageism, unemployment, crime and deviance, conflict and war, environmental politics, social movements, popular culture, and media and politics. In addition, students take courses on classical and contemporary sociological theory, research design, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. The culmination of our curriculum is the required senior seminar. This course provides an opportunity for students to draw on their substantive and methodological training to complete an independent research project on a topic of their choice.

For more information about the department, honors/high honors, transfer credit, etc., visit the sociology and anthropology department page.

Major Requirements

The major consists of a minimum of 9.50 courses.

The department will accept for major credit no more than two courses taken at another institution and no more than one independent study course in the department, except in special circumstances as approved by the department chair.

Required Courses

SOCI 101 - Introduction to Sociology (completed by the end of the sophomore year with a grade of C or better)
SOCI 201 - Classical Social Theory
SOCI 250 - Sociological Research Design and Methods
Students not meeting the above grade requirement must consult with the department chair before continuing in the major.

Topical Methods

One half-credit (0.50) or one full-credit (1.00) topical methods course chosen from the following courses:

Sociology Electives

Five sociology electives of which three courses must be at the 300 level. (Students may take one 200- or 300-level anthropology (ANTH) course to satisfy one of their five electives, with permission from their adviser.)

It is strongly encouraged that at least one of these five electives be research-intensive or involve community based learning. Research Intensive courses (RI) are built around analysis of quantitative and/or qualitative sociological data to help understand key social institutions and issues. RI courses provide in-depth experience with research methods, and students use those methods to develop class-based research projects on the topic of the course. Community Based courses (CB) combine traditional class-based learning with first-hand experiences engaging with local communities. CB courses incorporate internships and action research opportunities where students may develop research projects and communication strategies to benefit communities in the Central New York region.

Sociology Seminar

One of the following:

GPA Requirement

To qualify for graduation, a minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses counting toward the major.