The Undergraduate Program
THE FIELD
Sociology is the study of groups and societies. Sociologists study such issues as the causes and consequences of social inequality, the impact of groups on individuals, the causes of social and political change, the sources of values and beliefs, and the organization of major institutions.THE PROGRAM
Our undergraduate sociology program consists of introductory 100-level courses, more specialized 200-level courses, and advanced 300-and 400-level courses primarily aimed at majors. The program is designed to enable students to think systematically and critically about their society, and to help students develop analytical, research and writing skills relevant to a variety of careers. We encourage qualified advanced students to enroll in graduate courses. Our courses cover topics such as health and illness, crime and law, sex and gender, culture and religion, social change and economic development. Special educational opportunities include:
- Internship program (Sociology 494RWR)--students gain work experience in settings like Center for Disease Control, CNN, DeKalb Juvenile Court, or various social service agencies; contact Dr.Jeff Mullis for information.
- Honors Program (Sociology 495A/BWR)--eligible seniors engage in their own research and write a thesis to graduate with honors; contact Dr. Jeff Mullis for information.
- Study Abroad (Sociology 390S)--the Health Care and Society Seminar Abroad, held in London each summer, compares British and American health care institutions; contact Dr. Tracy Scott or Dr. Matthew Archibald for information.
- B.A./M.A. Program--superior students may complete the major during their junior year and do graduate work and complete a thesis as seniors. Contact Dr. Irene Browne , Director of Graduate Studies, for more information.
- Sociology/Religion Joint Major --interested students take specific courses in both departments to graduate with a joint major. (click link for more information).
- Program in Social Research and Data Analysis -- interested students take specific courses in sociological methods and perform original sociological research; contact Dr. Matthew Archibald
THE MAJOR
The major requires nine courses (36 hours) in Sociology and a GPA of a 2.0 or higher within the major. All majors must take:
- SOC 355 or SOC 355WR: Social Research I
- SOC 457WR: Development of Sociological Theory
All majors must take two of the five foundation courses:
- SOC 201: Social Organizations
- SOC 214: Class, Status, & Power
- SOC 221: Culture & Society
- SOC 245: Individual & Society
- SOC 266: Global Change
Additionally:
- All majors must take 5 elective courses, only one of which can be in SOC 101-110 series
- You may take one elective S/U. Most students don't do this because it is their major, but it is an option. All other courses must be taken for a letter grade.
- Majors who study abroad can take up to three of their sociology electives abroad.
- No more than one course (4 hours) from the SOC 497-499 series may count as an elective toward the major.
The minor requires five courses (20 hours) in Sociology.
One course must be selected from the following group:
- SOC 201: Social Organizations
- SOC 214: Class, Status, & Power
- SOC 221: Culture & Society
- SOC 245: Individual & Society
- SOC 266: Global Change
- SOC 355 or SOC 355WR: Social Research I
- SOC 457WR: Development of Sociological Theory
Additionally:
- No more than one course in SOC 101-110 series can count toward the minor.
- No more than one course (4 hours) from the SOC 497-499 series may count toward the minor.
- All 5 courses for the minor must be taken for a letter grade.
- Minors who study abroad can take up to two electives abroad.
We have a strong commitment to quality undergraduate instruction and all faculty members teach undergraduates. We aim to provide a wide variety of courses that convey the major findings and insights of the field. Many courses offer opportunities for extended writing and independent research. Our department is very active in research. We have special expertise in the comparative study of economic and political trends, in criminology, in health and illness, in social psychology, in the study of culture, and in theories and methods that are central to the discipline. Some titles of selected recent publications reflect our interests:
- Robert Agnew, Pressured Into Crime: An Overview of General Strain Theory
- Delores Aldridge, Guest Editor, Special Issue of The Journal of Western Black Studies
- Matthew Archibald, Between Isomorphism and Market Partitioning: How Organizational Resources Foster Legitimacy and Promote Survival
- John Boli, World Culture: Origins and Consequences (with Frank Lechner)
- Irene Browne, Opportunities Lost? Race, Industrial Restructuring, and Women's Employment
- Sam Cherribi, The Growing Islamization of Europe
- Dennis Condron, Disparities Within: Unequal Spending and Achievement in an Urban School District
- Timothy Dowd, Editor, The Sociology of Music: Sounds, Songs, and Society. Special Issue of the American Behavioral Scientist.
- Nancy Eiesland, A Particular Place: Exurbanization and Religious Response
- Roberto Franzosi, A Trilogy of Rhetoric: The Rhetorical Foundations of Social Science Quantitative Work
- Elizabeth Griffiths, Communities, Street Guns, and Homicide Trajectories in Chicago, 1980-95
- Karen Hegtvedt, Distributive Justice: Recent Theoretical Developments and Applications
- Alexander Hicks, Social Democracy and Welfare Capitalism: A Century of Income Security Politics
- Cathryn Johnson, Legitimacy Processes in Organizations
- Corey Keyes, Subjective Change and Mental Health
- Frank Lechner, World Culture: Origins and Consequences (with John Boli)
- Richard Levinson, Physician Authority and the Autonomy of Nurses and Patients
- Jeff Mullis, Social Control of Adult-Child Sex
- Richard Rubinson, The Sociology of Educational Expansion
- Kandace Schrimsher, Career Commitments: Women and Men Law School Graduates
- Tracy Scott, Choices, Constraints, and Calling: Protestant Conservative Women and the Meaning of Work in the U.S.
- Steven Tipton, The Good Society
- Regina Werum, The Hunt for a Competitive Advantage: How PISA Has Shaped Discussions Over Educational Policy Reform (with Tomeka Davis)
- Kathryn Yount, Symbolic Gender Politics, Religious Group Identity, and the Decline in Female Genital Cutting in Minya, Egypt.
ADVISING
All newly declared majors must contact Dr. Jeff Mullis, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who also advises all minors. He will review the requirements and opportunities and assign students to a regular faculty adviser, who will serve as their main source of information about the program, course planning, and career options.
RESEARCH
Students who enroll in Sociology 497R, Directed Research, gain research experience by assisting faculty members on their research projects. In the recent past, such projects have focused on the experimental analysis of interaction in small groups, the causes of delinquency, and the trends in transnational corporations. Please see Dr. Mullis for research opportunities in the Department. The Department also strongly encourages students to pursue their own research interests, especially through the Honors program and selected courses. Recent thesis topics include the synergy between the film and recording industries, the relationship between SES, social capital, and parental involvement in education, an analysis of the agent orange movement, a world-system and world-polity analysis of the International Women's movement, the meaning and response of attention deficit disorder in public schools, the upward mobility among women who are raised in female-headed families, and the role of parent-child communication in the prevention of AIDS. Students who complete outstanding research papers are encouraged to present their work at the Southeastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium, held each Spring, alternately at Emory and at UGA. The best preparation for doing research is taking Social Research I and II as a junior.
HONORS
Apart from the regular Honors Program and the B.A./M.A. program, the department offers several honors and awards, including:
- Solomon and Sara Sutker Outstanding Student Award--for the top graduating student
- Membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society--open to majors with at least an overall 3.2 GPA
INFORMATION
For more information contact Dr. Jeff Mullis, Director of Undergraduate Studies, at 404-727-0181 or jmullis@emory.edu. A detailed guide to graduate study in sociology or a related field is available from the department office.
For more information about applying for admission to Emory College, see the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Website.
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