The Major

The Sociology major is extremely flexible and caters to a student's individual interests.  It consists of at least 36 credits including:

• Introduction to Sociology 3 cr
• Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology 3 cr
  OR Peoples of the World 3 cr
• Methods of Social Research 3 cr
• Three Sociology electives 9 cr (2 must be upper division)
• Six departmental electives 18 cr 

Minors

The Department offers minors in:

• Anthropology
• Child and Family Studies
• Criminal Justice
• Health, Aging and Society
• Social Work
• Sociology

Social Work & Criminal Justice Practitioner Series

The Social Work & Criminal Justice Practitioner Series are designed to utilize the rich experience of area social work and justice system professionals to inform upper level MCLA students about contemporary issues and methods in the field.  Practitioners present courses in specialty areas of social work and criminal justice which are not extensively covered in other courses.  The practitioner provides a mix of theory and practice wisdom that they have developed over years of experience in a particular professional area such as child welfare or the court system.  Sample course titles include School Social Work, Juvenile Court, Correctional Social Work and Substance Abuse Treatment Services.

Service Learning

Service learning is part of many courses in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work.  It is a method of instruction where students learn course material by actively participating in service to the community.  The academic learning generated by the community service experience is made clear by various methods of reflection (e.g. a writing or reading assignment, a log or journal, and/or class discussion).  The community service makes use of the student's leadership abilities and civic interest to help solve real community social problems.  Service learning addresses genuine needs in the community and the instructor ties the project to specific learning goals and objectives.

Some examples of service learning:

• A student in a social work course organized a street hockey program at a local youth center
• Students in anthropology courses teamed up to present a 'Hunger Banquet' to the college community to show how food is unequally distributed throughout the world
• A student in a course on juvenile delinquency helped youth on probation assigned to a social skills program in the community
• A group of students developed a support program for foster parents and the children in their care
• Students in a community organizing course created a sociology club to sponsor speakers and programs.