The sociology major consists of 12 sociology courses, from which six are specifically required. The department also offers an active internship program and encourages all majors to enroll in at least one internship course while in good academic standing at the University. Students might take up to six internship sociology credits.

What do sociologists do?

Course Requirements

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
  • SOC 202: Research Methods
  • SOC 301: Statistical Analysis for Social Science (fulfills foundations of math requirement for sociology/criminology majors ONLY)
  • SOC 352: Sociological Theory OR SOC 351: Inequality
  • SOC 452: Senior Seminar
  • SOC 496: Thesis Guidance OR SOC 498 Comprehensive Exam (please see below)

All majors must complete the above core required curriculum and an additional six elective courses offered by the Department of Sociology* with a grade of "C-" or better. To fulfill the requirements for one of the tracks, students must take at least three courses within the track and pass these courses with a grade of "C-" or better. Majors who complete the course requirements for one or more track will be awarded a certificate of completion upon graduation. We expect all majors to complete our core – SOC 101, SOC 202, SOC 301, and SOC 352 – before the senior year.

Sociology majors are required to pass a senior comprehensive examination or must complete a senior thesis. The senior thesis is under the supervision of one faculty advisor selected by the student pursuing the thesis option.  Any student with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher may opt to complete the thesis as part of her/his capstone experience. Students wishing to write a thesis in lieu of taking comprehensive exams must have identified a topic and a faculty sponsor by the end of their junior year, e.g., 2 semesters before graduating.

Elective Courses

  • SOC 110: Introduction to Africana Studies
  • SOC 208: Sociology of Delinquency
  • SOC 220: Social Interaction
  • SOC 245:  Sociology of Education
  • SOC 311: Victimology
  • SOC 313: Criminal Investigations
  • SOC 318: Domestic Terrorism Investigations: An FBI Perspective
  • SOC 319: Modern Islamic Terrorism
  • SOC 320: Terrorism and Counter Terrorism
  • SOC 327: The Changing Face of War
  • SOC 332: Popular Culture and Crime
  • SOC 335: Surveillance
  • SOC 337: Crime and Corruption in Chinese Society
  • SOC 339: Punishment
  • SOC 341: Border Security
  • SOC 346: Protest to Policy: Social Movements and Criminal Justice Reform
  • SOC 348: Seminar on Prisons: Stories from the Inside
  • SOC 351: Inequality - Race, Class, and Gender
  • SOC 355: National Security in American Film, Television, and Popular Culture Post- 9/11
  • SOC 357: National Security and Civil Liberties
  • SOC 372: Comparative Juvenile Justice
  • SOC 404: Criminal Courts
  • SOC 468: The FBI and Counterintelligence
  • SOC 493: Independent Research
  • SOC 494: Independent Study in Criminology
  • SOC 495: Criminology Internship

Interdisciplinary Electives

  • ANTH 204: Forensic Anthropology
  • ANTH 206: Artifact Studies in Archaeology
  • CHEM 202: Science Under Oath
  • CSC 581 or EE 581: Cryptography and Stenography
  • GS 101: Is this the World we Created? Introduction to Global Studies
  • LSC 324: Actionable Intelligence
  • MDIA 308: Mafia, Politics, and Italian Society in Cinema
  • MDIA 322: Media and Crime
  • POL 260: Intro to American Intelligence
  • POL 300: Ethics and AI Policy
  • POL 412A: Homeland Security
  • POL 437: Countering Terrorists and Radicals 
  • POL 462: Moral Foundations of Intelligence 
  • POL 468: US Counterintelligence: Operations and Controversies
  • POL 471: Issues in Contemporary U.S. Intelligence
  • PSY 302: Forensic Psychology
  • SSS 101: Introduction to Social Work

*Courses outside the department may count as a sociology elective. Please consult your academic advisor.