Department of Sociology

The department also participates in and administers the Interdisciplinary minor in Gerontology.

Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with concentrations in General Major; Human Services; Drug and Alcohol Studies; ocial Deviance and Criminology; Social Inequality, and The Body, Culture, and Society

Minor in Gerontology

Minor in Sociology

Liberal Studies degree concentration in Sociology

Social Sciences degree concentration in Sociology

Graduate Certificate in Gerontology*

*See Graduate catalog.

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of human social interaction and institutions. From its origin in nineteenth-century industrializing Europe, sociology developed as a methodologically rigorous, empirically based analysis of social structure.

The study of Sociology provides students with a rewarding academic experience as well as a variety of career possibilities. Recent graduates of the department have applied their training to enter prestigious graduate schools or to obtain entry-level management and administrative positions with such varied organizations as large and small businesses; criminal justice agencies; child welfare organizations; local welfare and mental health departments, the criminal courts, and social service agencies.

The pivotal sociological concept, social structure, rests on the observation that something exists in society more than simply the sum of individuals. As humans interact, they create social structure — a real “thing,” not directly visible but nevertheless observable in its consequences. The concept of social structure denotes interaction networks, social organization, and power relationships. Social structure is essential to understanding human life inasmuch as it shapes humans’ options, actual choices and resultant biographies.

What often appear to, and are taken for granted by, the non-sociological eye simply as personal troubles are in fact the result of social structural tensions. From the sociological perspective, effecting change necessarily involves understanding social structure.

Sociology majors receive a strong grounding in traditional and contemporary social theory, methods of conducting social research, and techniques of analyzing social data. Students can select elective courses from areas including social institutions such as the family, religion, and medicine, and social processes such as social change, social deviance, personality and society, and drug use.

The Human Services concentration applies sociological theory and methods to human services issues, providing a conceptual framework for students considering careers in human service areas and for those planning to enter graduate social work programs. The concentration also allows students to examine institutions such as the family with reference to issues such as current social welfare programs, alcoholism, and mental health.

Requirements

1. Complete University General Education requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree (51 units minimum).
2. Complete the following courses (3 units minimum):
   SOCL 1010 Introduction to Sociology, 3 units
   Note: MATH 1600 (Statistics), 4 units, is recommended.
3. Complete the major of not less than 36 upper-division units in sociology, of which no more than 8 units of CR-graded coursework in courses graded exclusively CR/NC may apply toward the major. Maintain an average grade point average of 2.0 and a grade of C or better in core courses (SOCL 3000, SOCL 3030, SOCL 3310, SOCL 3400, SOCL 4030).
4. Completion of a minor is not required.

The Major (36-38 units)

1. Complete the following courses (20 units):
   SOCL 3000 Classical Theory, 4 units
   SOCL 3030 Research Methods, 4 units
   SOCL 3310 Social Inequalities (WP), 4 units
   SOCL 3400 Contemporary Theory, 4 units
   SOCL 4030 Research Analysis, 4 units
2. Select one of the following concentrations:
   1. a. General Major (18 units)
      1. SOCL 4960 Senior Seminar, 4 unit
      2. Select 14 units of upper-division Sociology electives
   2. Human Services (18 units)
      1. SOCL 4790 Social Welfare Services, 3 units
         SOCL 4800 Formal Organization in Modern Society, 3 units
         SOCL 4940 Sociological Internship, 6 units
      2. Select two courses from the following:
         SOCL 3160 Sociology of Youth, 3 units
         SOCL 4010 Race and Ethnic Relations, 3 units
         SOCL 4700 Medical Sociology, 3 units
         SOCL 4710 Sociology of Aging, 3 units
         SOCL 4720 Sociology of Death, 3 units
         SOCL 4740 Sociology of Mental Health, 3 units
   3. Drug and Alcohol Studies (18-19 units)
      1. SOCL 4700 Medical Sociology, 3 units
         SOCL 4730 Alcohol and Alcoholism, 3 units
         SOCL 4740 Sociology of Mental Health, 3 units
         SOCL 4750 Sociology of Drug Use, 3 units
         SOCL 4940 Sociological Internship, 3 units
      2. Select one course from the following:
         SOCL 3130 Juvenile Delinquency, 3 units
         SOCL 3240 Social Deviance, 3 units
         SOCL 3630 Tenderloin Lifestyles, 4 units
   4. Social Deviance and Criminology (16-18 units)
      1. SOCL 3120 Criminology, 3 units
      2. SOCL 4960 Senior Seminar, 4 units
      3. Select three courses from the following:
         SOCL 3130 Juvenile Delinquency, 3 units
         SOCL 3240 Social Deviance, 3 units
         SOCL 3630 Tenderloin Lifestyles, 4 units
         SOCL 4170 Victimology, 3 units
         SOCL 4190 Treatment of the Offender, 3 units
         SOCL 4920 Nutrition and Criminal Behavior, 4 units
   5. Social Inequality (16-17 units)
      1. SOCL 3600 Gender and Power, 3 units
      2. SOCL 4010 Race and Ethnic Relations, 3 units
      3. SOCL 4940 Sociological Internship, 3 units
      4. SOCL 4960 Senior Seminar, 4 units
      5. Select one course from the following:
         SOCL 3200 Social Change, 3 units
         SOCL 3320 The Sociology of Men and Society, 3 units
         SOCL 3160 Sociology of Youth, 3 units
         SOCL 3530 Self and Social Behavior, 4 units
   6. The Body, Culture, and Society (16-17 units)
      1. SOCL 3810 Body Image and Society, 3 units
      2. SOCL 3820 Food and Culture in a Global Society, 3 units or
         HLTH 3100 Foods and Nutrition, 3 units
      3. SOCL 3830Thin and Fat: The Sociology of Eating Disorders, 3 units
      4. SOCL 4960 Senior Seminar, 4 units
      5. Select one of the following:
         SOCL 3180 Sociology of Film, 3 units
         SOCL 3200 Social Change, 3 units
         SOCL 3320 The Sociology of Men and Society, 3 units
         SOCL 3600 Gender and Power, 4 units
         SOCL 4200 Pornography and Human Sexuality, 3 units

Minor in Gerontology

Walter E. Doraz, Ph.D., Coordinator

Office: Bizzini Hall 213
Phone: (209) 667-3408

The Gerontology Minor is housed in the Department of Sociology. Gerontology is the study of aging with particular focus on the latter part of the life cycle. Housed within the Sociology program, Gerontology is an interdisciplinary minor open to students in any major. The minor’s primary objective is to examine biological-physiological, sociological-psychological, economic-political, and related health and cultural processes as they contribute to understanding human aging. This option is designed to serve individuals majoring in social sciences and health professions, people currently working for organizations serving the aging, and all persons interested in gaining greater insight into the problems and opportunities associated with aging.

Requirements (18 units)

1. Complete the following required courses (12 units):
   COMM 4130 Communication and Aging, 3 units
   PSYC 3340 Human Development III: Adulthood and Aging, 3 units
   SOCL 4000 Introduction to Gerontology, 3 units
   SOCL 4710 Sociology of Aging, 3 units
2. Select one elective course each from areas a and b below (6 units):
   
   1. ETHS 4000 The Mexican American Family, 3 units
      ETHS 4010 The African American Family, 3 units
      SOCL 3150 The Family, 3 units
   2. COMM 4060 Family Communication, 3 units
      COMM 4180 Health Communication, 3 units
      SOCL 4700 Medical Sociology, 3 units
      SOCL 4720 Sociology of Death, 3 units
      SOCL 4730 Alcohol and Alcoholism, 3 units

Note: It is strongly recommended that students complete an internship or immersion program in their major which complements their interest in gerontology.

Minor in Sociology

1. Complete the following (20 units):
   SOCL 1010 Introduction to Sociology, 3 units
   SOCL 3000 Classical Theory, 4 units
   SOCL 3030 Research Methods, 4 units,
2. Select 9 units of upper-division electives approved by the adviser.

Liberal Studies Concentration in Sociology
Please refer to the Liberal Studies section of the catalog.

Social Sciences Concentration in Sociology
Please refer to the Social Sciences program section of the catalog.

Teaching Credentials
Majors in Sociology interested in a Social Sciences Subject Matter Preparation Program credential should review the Social Sciences waiver described in the Social Sciences section of this catalog. Please refer to the Teacher Education section of the Graduate Catalog for a description of other requirements to be completed for the Single Subject Credential.

Learning Objectives

• Achieve knowledge competency in sociology.
• Understand the sociohistorical and theoretical groundings of sociology as a field of study and practice.
• Understand the reasoning process involved in theoretical construction.
• Develop facility for critical thinking, with the ability to separate fact from fallacy, myth from reality.
• Learn to methodologically analyze the complexity of society and social structure, particularly questions of social control and power relations.
• Learn analytical skills and research methodologies, including statistical computer applications, appropriate to the practice of sociology methodologically.
• Develop and apply a sociological perspective professionally and as an active participant in society.
• Develop the capacity to apply concepts and theories of sociology to relevant social policy.
• Communicate effectively in both written and oral form.
• Develop the ability to apply a sociological imagination to one’s personal life.

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