General Sociology Major

No more than two (2) courses toward the major may be taken at other institutions.

Liberal Learning Quantitative Requirement:

All TCNJ students must take a course in mathematics as part of their general education requirements. We specify that sociology majors choose one of the following options:

• Option 1: Statistics (STA 115, C minimum)
• Option 2: Statistical Inference (STA 215, C minimum)

Department Core Requirements (4 units)

Students must earn the grade minimum in prerequisite courses (as noted below) before they may register for department core courses. With the exception of SOC 101, all other core courses (301, 302, 398/499) must be taken at TCNJ and are offered both fall and spring semesters.

 

SOC 101 – Introduction to Sociology (or HON216 – The Sociological Perspective)

Sociology explores the intersection of biography and history. Students learn the basic foundations of sociology, including its development as a field of inquiry, early sociological theory, and methodology. The course also analyzes social organization, addressing culture, structure, socialization, and social control. Because Sociology emphasizes social stratification and social inequality, students investigate how culture, class, race, sex, family, medicine, business, religion, education, and government affect our lives. Special attention is paid to the impact of society on self and understanding social structure.

Grade Minimum: C

SOC 301 – Development of Socio-Cultural Theory

Prerequisites: SOC101 or HON216

(Must be taken at The College of New Jersey)
The response of social theorists to the consequences of the industrial revolution and the issues of capitalism, secularism, industrialism, modern consciousness, and the socio-critical enterprise, seen through the work of such theorists as Marx, Durkheim, and Weber. Contemporary development of these theories will also be discussed.

Grade Minimum: C

SOC 302 – Quantitative Research Methods

Prerequisites: SOC 101 or HON 216 and STA 115 or STA 215

(Must be taken at The College of New Jersey)
The course is designed to familiarize students with quantitative research methodology, methods of quantitative data collection, and analysis of quantitative data used in sociology. Students will learn one of the most widely used statistical software packages in the social sciences (SPSS) and conduct independent research using one of the most widely used sources of quantitative social data, the General Social Survey (GSS).

Grade Minimum: C

SOC 398/499 – Senior Capstone Seminar and Internship in Sociology

Prerequisites: SOC301, SOC302

(Must be taken at The College of New Jersey)
Taken together, SOC 398 and SOC 499 (.5 units each) represent the culminating experience for sociology majors. Course draws on skills and knowledge of sociology courses as well as knowledge gained from the liberal arts broadly construed. With departmental approval only, exceptional students may substitute two semesters of SOC 393/493: Senior Capstone Research in Sociology for SOC 398/499.

Grade Minimum: C-

General Sociology Electives (6 units)

Sociology majors select 6 additional course from out department offerings, with at least 4 selected from the 300 or 400 course levels. Additional courses can be approved in consultation with the department chair. Present course offerings include:

• Social Work & Human Service Professions (SOC 205)
• Social Deviance (SOC 210)
• Sociology of Race in the US (SOC 281)
• Gender and Activism in Global Perspective (SOC 303)
• Qualitative Social Science Research Methods & Ethnography (SOC 306)
• Urban Youth Deviance (SOC 310)
• Food, Culture, and Society (SOC 314)
• Racism, Power, Privilege (SOC 315)
• Community Based Research (SOC 316)
• Organizations in Modern Society (SOC 317)
• Urban Sociology: Community, Cities, and Suburbs (SOC 320)
• Demography and Population Dynamics (SOC 330)
• Body Image, Culture, and Society (SOC 333)
• Gender in U.S. Society (SOC 334)
• Love, Relationships, and Family (SOC 335)
• Cultural and Social Change (SOC 336)
• Class, Status, and Power (SOC 340)
• Social Change in Latin America (SOC 342)
• Environmental Sociology: Inequality, Pollution, and Environment (SOC 345)
• Climate Justice and Social Action (SOC 346)
• Work, Occupation, and Professions (SOC 350)
• Introduction to Urban Planning (SOC 355)
• Self and Society (SOC 356)
• Social Movements and Community Activism (SOC 360)
• Global Perspectives in Social Gerontology (SOC 362)
• Poverty and Welfare in the U.S. (SOC 365)
• Topics in Sociology (topic varies; SOC 370)
• Culture, Health, and Illness (SOC/ANT 371)
• Global Public Health (SOC 372)
• Public Health & Social Policy (SOC 373)
• Medical Sociology (SOC 374)
• Religion and American Culture (SOC 375)
• Disparities in the US Health System (SOC 377)
• Education and American Culture (SOC 380)
• Economic & Social Development in China (SOC 381)
• Intro. to Applied Sociology (SOC 385)
• Research Course in Sociology (SOC 390)
• Independent Study in Sociology (SOC 391)
• Independent Research in Sociology (SOC 393)
• Internship in Sociology (SOC 399)
• Intro. to Cultural Anthropology (ANT 110)