Sociology
Major and minor offered

The sociology curriculum is intended to provide an understanding of the interactions and workings of societies, their institutions, organizations and groups. Through an introduction to the basic concepts, theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches of the discipline, students are familiarized with the sociological imagination, encouraging a deeper understanding of the relationships between personal experience (one’s own and others’) and the social world. The variety of courses in the curriculum not only acquaint students with diverse cultures and social structures but also emphasize the dynamics of power and inequality on local, national and global levels, as they operate through race, ethnicity, class, gender and sexuality. Our curriculum emphasizes the concepts and practice of social justice. Built into courses and the curriculum are opportunities for students to develop agency and a sense of social responsibility by critically engaging the social world outside the classroom. The experiential focus of the curriculum includes participation in international study, community-based service and ­learning and internships.

The department emphasizes the active engagement of our students in sociological inquiry. Toward that end, many courses are designed to teach students the basics of the theory construction and methodological processes. Our courses encourage students to make their own discoveries about human social experiences, and all seniors are required to synthesize and apply what they have learned in the completion of a faculty-mentored senior project.

The department offers a variety of support services for student research including the student-run sociology lab, where advanced majors serve as tutors helping others with course papers and research projects. While the department’s curriculum provides a strong foundation for graduate work in the discipline, our strength is in the development of strong critical and analytical skills as well as our support of writing and oral presentation skills and computer and visual literacy, all of which are essential for success in any chosen life course. In the tradition of a liberal arts education, the sociology curriculum is designed to promote in our students a sense of curiosity about the diverse ways humans create, transform and adapt to their surroundings, self-reflection and appreciation of perspectives and experiences outside their own, and public intellectualism through attentive, creative and articulate engagement with community affairs and social issues.

The department has partnered with community-based learning programs to offer a variety of courses where students engage in organized service activities that address community needs while offering structured opportunities to reflect on those activities in ways that promote active learning and personal development. Our campus-community programs have offered sociology majors the chance to work with children, seniors, persons with disabilities and farmers, as well as participate in programs designed to advocate for the poor, the environment and victims of violence.

Major Requirements

1. 8-12 units of credit.

2. One course at the 100 level. Majors may take additional courses at the 100 level, but a maximum of two such courses can be counted towards the major.

3. SOC 203, Foundations of Social Theory

4. SOC 301, Research Methods (Prerequisite: SOC 203)

5. Completion of the department’s Senior-Year Experience (SYE). There are three options:

A. SOC 489 or SOC 490, SYE Independent Study. This requires completion of an individual research project under the supervision of one of the sociology faculty. This is a one-semester project. Prerequisites: SOC 203, Foundations of Social Theory, and SOC 301, Research Methods.

B. SOC 498/499, SYE Honors Project. This requires completion of an individual research project under the supervision of one of the sociology faculty. The project is undertaken over the course of two semesters. Students need to register for both SOC 498 (fall) and SOC 499 (spring). Pre-                      requisites: SOC 203, Foundations of Social Theory, and SOC 301, Research Methods.                  Registration for the honors project requires a major GPA of 3.5.

C. SOC 407, SYE Seminar: The Logic of Inquiry. Prerequisites: SOC 203, Foundations of Social Theory, and SOC 301, Research Methods.

6. A minimum of four, a maximum of eight, electives.

7. One of the following:
    ·  Participation a University-approved off-campus program (semester or year)
    ·  Completion of a course with a field component. Options currently offered include SOC 309, Internships, any CBL (community-based learning) course, and any SOC course with a CBL component.

Sociology-Environmental Studies Combined Major

In association with the environmental studies program, the sociology department offers a combined major in environmental studies/sociology. The requirements include:

1. One of the following sociology courses:
112. Inequality.
161. Social Problems and Policy.
187. Environment and Society.

2. One departmental course in social theory.

3. One departmental course in research methods.

4. 465. Environmental Sociology.

5. Two socioenvironmental dynamics courses:
235. Earning A Living: Work and Occupations in a Global Economy.
253. Race, Class and Environmental Justice.
261. Technology and Power.
288. Dilemmas of Development.
324. Corporate Takeover.
375. Environmental Movements.
476. Globalization and Sustainability.

5. Two electives in sociology.

All environmental studies combined major programs also require the following environmental studies courses:
101. Introduction to Environmental Studies. 1 unit
Policy/Pollution Courses (PP) 3 units
335. Foundation of Environmental Thought. 1 unit
Electives 2 units
Total: 7 units

Minor Requirements

1. A minimum of five units of credit.
2. Of these courses, one must be at the 100 level, one at the 200 level, and one at the 300 or 400 level.

A minor must be declared by the end of a student’s junior year.

Honors

Honors will be granted to students who complete the major with at least a 3.5 GPA in sociology and who successfully complete and defend an honors thesis before a departmental committee. Students must apply for Honors at the beginning of their senior year and engage in a year-long senior project (SOC 498/499) under the ­direction of a faculty committee.

Alpha Kappa Delta

The department sponsors a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the national honorary society in ­sociology. Membership is open to all students who meet its requirements: a 3.3 overall GPA (exclusive of the first year) and a 3.5 average in four or more sociology courses.

Certification to Teach Social Studies

Students seeking initial certification as a 7-12 social studies teacher in New York can major in sociology. In addition to completing the certification minor in education, students majoring in sociology must also take: History 101 (The Rise of Europe), 102 (The 20th-Century World), 103 (Development of the United States: 1607 to 1877), 104 (Development of the United States: 1878 to Present); Global Studies 102 (Introduction to GS II: Race, Culture and Identity); one economics course (Economics 100, Introduction to Economics is recommended if only one course is taken); one government course (Government 103 Introduction to American Politics is recommended if only one course is taken); and at least one course in the major that illuminates U.S. and/or world history and geography. Students are also encouraged to take courses in other social sciences and area studies to round out their preparation for teaching social studies. Sociology majors intending to complete student teaching after graduation in the University’s Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program must complete the Educational Studies minor (or its equivalent) as undergraduates and all of the social science requirements listed above (or their equivalents).

Consult the education section of this Catalog and/or speak to the coordinator of the teacher education program in the education department as early as possible.

Faculty

Daniel F. Sullivan, B.S., St. Lawrence; Ph.D., Columbia
Professor of Sociology and President of the University

Ronald J. Ortiz Flores, A.B. Fordham; Ph.D., Brown
Associate Professor of Sociology, Director of Community-Based Learning, and Director of Summerterm

Thomas Frederick James, B.A., St. Lawrence; M.A., Ph.D., Vanderbilt
Associate Professor of Sociology

Patrice LeClerc, B.A., Duke; M.E.D., Springfield; Ph.D., Duke
Associate Professor of Sociology

Karen Joan O’Neil, B.A., Liverpool ( England); B.S., Kingston ( England); Ph.D., Kent State
Associate Professor of Sociology and Coordinator of European Studies

Mehretab Abye Assefa, B.A., SUNY Oneonta; M.A., M.A., Ph.D., Binghamton
Assistant Professor of Sociology

Robert J. Torres, B.A., B.S., Pennsylvania State; M.A., Ph.D., Cornell
Assistant Professor of Sociology.