Sociology

Learn more about how you can double major in sociology and criminology in just 18 courses.

Course Information

Program Overview

 

Assumption's sociology program helps students better understand the richness and diversity of social life in an increasingly interconnected, complex, and multicultural world. Through both courses and co-curricular activities, faculty help students learn to thoughtfully consider their world, their society, and themselves.

Learn about Assumption's accelerated double major in sociology and criminology.

The Sociology, Criminology & Anthropology program provides the foundation for a wide range of occupations in which knowledge of human behavior, social relationships and institutional practices is important.

Major in Sociology

Sociology majors take 12 courses: six required and six electives. This breadth of coursework prepares students for a variety of engaging career paths. View course requirements.

Minor in Sociology

Students who wish to minor in Sociology take 6 courses (18 credits) in the field. Students majoring in psychology, human services and rehabilitation studies, history, political science, economics, Spanish, pre-medicine, and global studies may find this minor particularly useful.

The major in sociology engages students in critical analyses of social structures, social interactions, and the linkages between the two. Through courses and extracurricular activities, department faculty provide students with ways to think critically about their world, their society, and themselves. Students acquire new and different ways of looking at the human community, including: an appreciation of the social patterning of behavior; an understanding of the development of communities; an awareness of the functions and dysfunctions of societal institutions; and a deeper comprehension of the diverse ways of being human.

Assumption’s sociology program puts an emphasis on public sociology, where students receive detailed knowledge on how the discipline helps the greater good, whether that be in raising awareness, developing solutions to social problems, or in nonprofit and private enterprise employment. The program is designed to allow students to explore sociological contributions to understanding social change and to solving social problems. A wide variety of internship opportunities are available to students. Through these internship placements and the department’s course offerings, students may discover a variety of options for future careers. A major in sociology prepares students for graduate study in the field of sociology, as well as for graduate study in related fields such as social work, urban planning and policy analysis, gerontology, education, law, journalism, and criminal justice. The sociology major also provides an important background for a wide range of occupations in which knowledge of human behavior, social relationships, and institutional practices is important.

In acquiring competencies in the methodological and theoretical approaches of sociology, students have the opportunity to explore human relations in their most fundamental as well as their broadest scope, from the dynamic intimacy of small groups to the structures of entire societies.

The Department of Sociology and Criminology has identified the following specific learning goals for our students:

  1. To develop an understanding of sociological and criminological approaches to analyzing and addressing the complex interactions between individuals and societal, historical and cultural forces;
  2. To appreciate the diverse ways of being human and understand the need for multicultural awareness; 3) To better understand how social inequality is based upon divisions of class, race, ethnicity, gender, age and sexual orientation;
  3. To gain awareness of how concerns for social justice guide movements and policies for social change; 5) To develop critical thinking skills, and to acquire the written and oral communication skills necessary for successful careers and post-graduate education;
  4. To gain specific competencies in theory, research methodology and analysis;
  5. To engage in learning outside the classroom through community service learning and internship opportunities and extracurricular activities such as lectures, workshops, and “teach-ins.”