Sociology Curriculum

The discipline of sociology trains students in sociological imagination, the ability to understand one's self and others in the context of social conditions. A sociological perspective identifies social forces, including culture, economics, history, law, politics, and religion, and understands how these forces shape the lives of individuals and groups. Sociology majors learn that humans are both “islands unto themselves” and beings who are shaped through participation in social groups.

Students benefit from the study of sociology in these ways:

• awareness of how one’s actions can perpetuate or change current social conditions
• understanding of the issues surrounding social justice
• opportunities for empirical research
• ability to engage in reflective acts of citizenship

Students are invited to develop their abilities to apply the sociological perspective to the study of social life. We seek to build a learning environment which will bring each student to a level of understanding and skill needed to apply that knowledge to furthering one’s career and bettering one’s life and society. We help prepare students for careers in human services, for graduate study in sociology, education and law. Internships match theory with practice by providing opportunities for on-the-job training.
We strive to help students make sense of their own lives and the world in which they live. We also want to empower them to see the possibilities and limits of social change and of service to others.

Bachelor of Arts

Majors Offered

• Sociology
• Sociology with Departmental Honors

Minor Offered

• Sociology

Bachelor of Arts: Major in Sociology

In order to earn the bachelor of arts degree with a major in sociology, students must complete a minimum of 180 credits with a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 2.00, including the following:

Core Curriculum Requirements
ENGL 110    College Writing: Inquiry and Argument: 5 cr.
PHIL 110    Introduction to Philosophy and Critical Thinking: 5 cr.
HIST 120    Origins of Western Civilization: 5 cr.
ENGL 120    Introduction to Literature: 5 cr.
MATH 107 or 110 or above: 5 cr.
Lab Science: 5 cr.
Fine Arts (one approved 5 credit course) 5 cr.
PHIL 220    Philosophy of the Human Person: 5 cr.
Social Science I (not sociology): 5 cr.
Social Science II (not sociology and different discipline from Social Science I): 5 cr.
Theology and Religious Studies Phase II (200-299): 5 cr.
Ethics (upper division): 5 cr.
Theology and Religious Studies Phase III (300-399): 5 cr.
Interdisciplinary: 3 to 5 cr.
Senior Synthesis: 3 cr.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements
Modern Language 115, 125, 135, or equivalent: 15 cr.
Note: All students with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences must demonstrate competency through the level of 135 in a language other than English. This competency is ordinarily achieved by successful completion of the three-course sequence: 115, 125, and 135. Because these courses are a college requirement, no course in the sequence may be taken on a pass/fail, correspondence, or audit basis. Placement into other than the beginning course of the sequence is achieved by acceptable performance on the Modern Language Competency Examination. See the Modern Languages Department for details on the examinations. Courses used to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences modern language requirement may not be used to fulfill sociology major requirements.

Choose one of the following two courses: 5 cr.
HIST 121    Studies in Modern Civilization
HIST 231    Survey of the United States

Major Requirements
55 credits in sociology, social work, and anthropology, including:
SOCL 301    Approaches to Sociological Reasoning: 5 cr.
SOCL 302    Sociological Methods (Prerequisite SOCL 301: 5 cr.
SOCL 402    Sociological Theory (Prerequisites SOCL 301, SOCL 302): 5 cr.

Area I: Power and Stratification
Choose one from the following three courses: 5 cr.
SOCL 316     Class and Inequality
SOCL 317     Race and Ethnicity
SOCL 318     Gender Roles and Sexuality

Area II: Self and Society
Choose one from the following two courses: 5 cr.
SOCL 222     Society and Behavior
ANTH 323     Culture and Personality
Choose electives from ANTH, SOCL and SOCW courses: 30 cr.

Note: 1. A minimum of 30 upper-division credits in sociology, social work, and anthropology will be required for graduation. 2. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 25 credits in sociology, social work, and/or anthropology at Seattle University. 3. Several courses in the sociology major have been identified as satisfying the senior synthesis and the core interdisciplinary requirements. Those courses may be used to fill major requirements or major electives while also fulfilling university core requirements. The credit for each course completed is included in totals only once.

Bachelor of Arts: Major in Sociology with Departmental Honors

The honors major in sociology offers an opportunity for motivated and capable students to engage in more extensive interaction with faculty and to complete challenging individual research projects that will further their personal and professional goals.

Application to the major: To be accepted to the program, students must have both a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 3.50 and must have completed SOCL 302 and SOCL 402. Interested students should apply in spring quarter of the junior year or fall quarter of the senior year.

Completion of the major: During senior year, sociology honors students will take the sociology honors sequence (SOCL 477 for 3 credits in fall quarter, SOCL 478 for 3 credits in winter quarter, and SOCL 479 for 4 credits in spring quarter). Students in the sociology honors major complete 10 credits of course work above the norm for sociology majors (for a total of 65 credits in sociology), and also complete a substantial thesis under the direction of a faculty member. The thesis will be subject to approval by department faculty and will be presented in an oral defense. In order to complete the requirements for sociology honors and receive a notation to that effect on their transcripts, students must also maintain a cumulative and major/program grade point average of 3.50. In addition, the grade received for SOCL 479 Sociology Honors Thesis Supervision must be an A or A-. In addition to the bachelor of arts in sociology major requirements, the honors major includes:

Ten credits in sociology honors, including:
SOCL 477    Sociology Honors Directed Reading: 3 cr.
SOCL 478    Sociology Honors Directed Study: 3 cr.
SOCL 479     Sociology Honors Thesis Supervision: 4 cr.

Minor in Sociology

In order to earn a minor in sociology, students must complete 30 credits in sociology, social work, and anthropology including:
SOCL 301    Approaches to Sociological Reasoning: 5 cr.
Choose one of the following two courses: 5 cr.
SOCL 302     Sociological Methods
SOCL 402     Sociological Theory

Area I: Power and Stratification
Choose one from the following three courses: 5 cr.
SOCL 316     Class and Inequality
SOCL 317     Race and Ethnicity
SOCL 318     Gender Roles and Sexuality

Area II: Self and Society
Choose one from the following two courses: 5 cr.
SOCL 222     Society and Behavior
ANTH 323     Culture and Personality
Choose electives from SOCL, SOCW and ANTH courses: 10 cr.

Note: 1. Transfer students must take at least 15 upper-division ANTH, SOCL, or SOCW credits at Seattle University for the minor. See policy for minors (84-1) for more information. 2. Several courses in the sociology major have been identified as satisfying the senior synthesis and the core interdisciplinary requirements. Those courses may be used to fill major requirements or major electives while also fulfilling university core requirements. The credit for each course completed is included in totals only once.

For complete course descriptions download this pdf: Sociology Undergraduate Bulletin

To view a typical two-year program of study for the BA Sociology major download this pdf: Sociology 2-year Program of Study