College of Arts and Sciences
Degree BA, Sociology
Department Chair and Program Director Christopher Stevens, PhD
Faculty
TBA
Mission
The Mission of the Sociology program at Misericordia University is to provide students with the knowledge, research, and communication skills necessary to explore, understand, and improve their social worlds. We aim to provide students with a broad sociological education based in the liberal arts, applicable to a variety of career paths, that builds students’ analytical and critical thinking skills through a strong foundation of theory and research. Students will develop the conceptual and methodological skills to understand human behavior in its social and cultural context and to critically analyze a variety of social problems and potential solutions with an emphasis on how social inequalities are created, maintained, and changed. We aim to develop students’ ability to connect their sociological knowledge and skills to their public and private lives as members of families and workplaces and as citizens of local, national, and global communities.
Program and Student Learning Outcomes
The Program Learning Outcomes for the Misericordia Sociology major are informed by the Sociological Literacy Framework developed by the American Sociological Association.
Program Learning Outcome #1: Identify, apply, and critically evaluate sociological concepts and theories to understand social phenomena and human behavior in its social context by building conceptual and methodological reasoning skills.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1 a. Apply core sociological concepts (social structure; culture; socialization; stratification; and social change/reproduction) to real and hypothetical social phenomena and human behavior.
1 b. Utilize sociological theories to analyze human behavior and social life (conceptual reasoning).
1 c. Summarize tables, graphs, and other displays of data.
1 d. Identify variables and interpret types of relationships between variables.
1 e. Critically evaluate empirical and non-empirical claims about the social world and human behavior (methodological reasoning).
Program Learning Outcome #2: Apply scientific principles to understand the social world, evaluate the quality of social scientific methods and data, and analyze quantitative and qualitative social scientific data.
Student Learning Outcomes:
2 a. Explain the process of social science research.
2 b. Compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative approaches to social research.
2 c. Identify ethical issues in social science research.
2 d. Design a research study to address an original research question formulated in light of sociological scholarship.
Program Learning Outcome #3: Explain the impact of human diversity on individuals and communities, including how social inequalities and cultural differences are created, maintained, and changed.
Student Learning Outcomes:
3 a. Compare and contrast diverse cultures from around the globe;
3 b. Critically examine their own cultural practices, values, beliefs and social positions
3 c. Describe the nature and extent of class, gender, and racial/ethnic group inequality in American society and across the globe.
3 d. Explain the social factors that create and perpetuate inequality in the United States and globally.
Program Learning Outcome #4: Evaluate public policies, programs, and social processes for the prevention and amelioration of social problems from a theoretically, empirically, and ethically informed position.
Student Learning Outcomes:
4 a. Define major social problems and explain their root causes within social structures.
4 b. Analyze social problems from various sociological theoretical perspectives (micro and macro).
4 c. Explain how social problems impact different groups within society and demonstrate awareness of at-risk and vulnerable populations.
4 d. Critically evaluate various social endeavors and public policies designed to alleviate social problems using conceptual and methodological reasoning.
Program Learning Outcome #5: Relate their sociological knowledge and skills to their public and private lives as members of families and workplaces and as citizens of local, national, and global communities.
Student Learning Outcomes
5 a. Apply a sociological perspective to social issues, current events, current and potential workplaces, families, and social relationships.
5 b. Explain how social research and theory can be used to evaluate the effectiveness and equity of social policies, programs, and practices and to affect change.
5 c. Illustrate how individual action can reduce social problems and promote social justice on local, national, and global levels.
Sociology majors who wish to further their skills in data analysis are encouraged to consider adding a Data Science Minor to their major program of study.
Requirements
The minimum number of credits, including University Core Curriculum Requirements and Electives, required for graduation with the Sociology major is 120. In addition to the Core curriculum of 48-49 credits, students are required to complete 24 credits of required courses in the Sociology major (12 of which also meet core requirements) and 18 credits of electives in Sociology for a total of at least 42 credits in the major. Depending upon the electives chosen, 12-15 credits will apply to the Core curriculum requirements.
REQUIRED COURSES
SOC 101 Comparative Sociology
MTH 115 Basic Statistics
SOC 122 Social Problems
SOC 221 Cultural Minorities
SOC 232 Research Methods (also SWK 401 & CRM 301 )
SOC 270 Social Stratification
SOC 350 Sociological Theory
SOC 392 Seminar
In addition to the required courses above, students must also complete 18 credits of Sociology electives, selecting from the following courses with the consultation of their advisor:
ELECTIVES:
CRM 101 Introduction to Criminology
SOC 233 Sociology of Health
SOC 321 The Family
POL 100 American National Government
ENV 100 Environment and Society
POL 230 Introduction to Public Policy and Public Administration
PSY 310 Gender Studies
CPS 200 Technology and Society
HIS 431 American Capitalism and the Global Economy
SOC 480 Independent Study (max 3 credits)
SOC 381 Special Topics in Sociology
SOC 413 Sociology Cooperative Education (max 6 credits)
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