Sociology is a behavioral science that emphasizes relationships among people from simple face-to-face relationships through formal organizations to whole societies. Sociology's subject matter ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob, from crime to religion, from divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, from the sociology of work to the sociology of sports. Sociologists seek to understand interaction of individuals with institutions and social organizations and the norms, values, beliefs, and traditions that make social life possible and meaningful. It stresses how behavior is influenced by societal structures and how consensus (agreement) and conflict (disagreement) among groups affects society. Sociology students are expected to be able to think critically and scientifically about human behavior, and to be able to apply the principles of sociology to an understanding of behavior.
The sociology program has two goals. The first goal is to provide basic sociology courses that are foundations for further understanding of other courses in sociology and related fields and to prepare for transfer to baccalaureate institutions for further study. The second goal is to offer courses that may provide additional information regarding sociology of interest to community college students, or that are applications of sociological principles.
Most career options directly related to sociology require graduate level degrees. However, there are several applied and paraprofessional occupations that may not require education beyond the associate degree. The following list includes some of the many career options available with preparation in sociology beyond the associate degree: advertising researcher, community college professor, criminologist, manager, probation officer, social services professional, and university professor.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the program will be able to:
- Apply the sociological imagination and be able to differentiate between sociology and other social sciences.
- Analyze critical inquiry of personal experience, over-generalization, and simplistic understandings of human behavior through the application of various sociological theories.
- Propose critical questions and issues facing our society today, particularly the US role in a globalized world.
- Critically assess how the theoretical underpinnings of sociology explicitly challenge the dominant ideologies in US society and the role of sociology to produce social change.