Sociology studies the behavior of people as members of groups, rather than as individuals. As such, it examines the processes through which we as people express our social being: cooperation, exchange, conflict, domination, morality, dependency, violence, crime, social control, and symbolism. Sociology also examines the forces to which these processes give rise: social networks, small groups, families, subcultures, professional affiliations, social classes, gender divisions, structures of race and ethnicity, bureaucracies, social movements, the state, religion, and popular and ‘high' culture.

Those who are fascinated by the behavior of people as social beings will experience sociology at Vanderbilt as a most rewarding field of study. Students are able to choose from some 40 sociology courses taught by faculty who are highly skilled in both their subject areas as well as in the craft of teaching. Those who major or minor in our department generally find that sociology provides them with an excellent foundation for a multitude of career paths, including many of those in the criminal justice system, community and social services, the government, education, and business and industry.

Importantly, also, our majors can point to one competitive advantage in today's information society, an advantage often denied to majors in other disciplines. The training our majors receive in research design, statistics, data analysis, and sociological concepts and theory enables them to compete for positions in research, policy analysis, and program evaluation.

Students in our department discover very quickly that they belong to a community of learners and that learning is fun. Small class size allows students to be recognized as individuals. Sociology majors may take advantage of an honors program designed to provide opportunities to conduct their own in-depth original research under a professor's supervision.

The faculty has a genuine commitment toward making each course of study relevant to the lives of their students. Faculty members believe that learning is an interactive process. They routinely seek and value student participation and viewpoints. Sociology students find faculty members very accessible and enjoy a close working relationship with them. It is not uncommon for the faculty to spend as much or more time counseling students than delivering instruction.

The outcome of this nurturing environment manifests itself in student success and achievement. As one indication, a number of our students have had papers accepted for presentation at sociological conferences. Also, a sizeable number of our graduating majors and minors go on to graduate school. Among the most popular areas of study are sociology, the other social sciences, management, journalism, and law. As a measure of our success in fostering a close working relationship, many of our former students stay in contact and keep us informed of their continuing career plans and their latest achievements.



REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR

 From the Undergraduate Catalog: Students majoring in sociology are required to complete 30 hours of work in sociology. The major consists of five types of courses: introduction to sociology; a course in theory; courses that emphasize research skills; courses that familiarize students with core areas of the field; and electives. In addition to these sociology courses, students must take a statistics course as part of their training in research skills. The statistics course does not count toward the 30 hours in sociology.

Course work for the major is distributed as follows:
  Introduction: Sociology 101 or 102 (3 hours)
    Sociology 201 (3 hours)
    Research Skills:
  A.  Sociology 211 (3 hours)
  B.  Sociology 212 (or Independent Research 295a, 295b, or 299) (3 hours)
  C.  Sociology 127 (or Math 127b, 180, or 218; or Economics 150; or Psychology 209 or Peabody Psychology and Human Development Statistics 2101 for those students who double major in sociology and one of these two programs) (3 hours, not included in the 30 hours)
    Core Areas: Students must take at least one course in three of the four core areas (9 hours)
  A.  Crime, Law, and Deviance
Sociology 222, 224, 231, 232, 233, 234, 240, 263
  B.  Organizations, Politics, and Inequality
Sociology 223, 226, 235, 239, 243, 244, 247, 249, 250, 251, 254, 255, 268, 272, 279
  C.  Family, Medicine, and Mental Health
Sociology 220, 230, 237, 261, 264, Anthropology 265, 267, Psychology 266
  D.  Culture and Social Change
Jewish Studies 155, Sociology 203, 204, 215, 217, 218, 227, 228, 229, 241, 242, 245, 246, 248, 257, 258, 269, 270, 275, 276, 277, 278, 281, Women's and Gender Studies 243
    Electives: Any 3 sociology courses not used to satisfy the above requirements (9 hours)

30 total hours
(plus 3 hours for Statistics)



 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR

 Students majoring in other disciplines may choose to minor in Sociology, although a minor is not required for the B.A. or B.S. from the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt.

From the Undergraduate Catalog: The minor in sociology is intended for those students who want to gain an overview of the discipline and to sample some of the special lines of study in it. Students are required to complete 18 hours of course work inside the department, distributed as follows:

 Sociology 101 or 102 (3 hours)
 Sociology 201 (3 hours)
 Four courses, including at least one from three of the four core areas listed above in the major requirements (12 hours) [See major requirements for details on core areas.]

18 total hours



 INFO ON HOW TO DECLARE A MAJOR/MINOR IN SOCIOLOGY

 Students seeking to declare a major or minor in sociology should contact Deanne Casanova (in GA 201A). Students will be asked to complete a short form that provides the opportunity to indicate any faculty advisor preference(s) they may have. Every effort will be made to pair a given student with his/her preference.

A few days following completion of the form, the student will be provided with the name, e-mail, phone number, and office location of his/her advisor. It is the student's responsibility to contact the advisor in order to set up an orientation meeting. This meeting allows the student to gain information on a variety of topics ranging from the major/minor requirements, to the honors program in sociology, the sociology Honors Society, internships in sociology, and career opportunities.

For a student to be formally admitted into the major/minor program, the student must complete a Declaration of Major/Minor form (provided by the advisor), get the advisor's signature, and submit the form to the Registrar's office of the College at which the student is enrolled.



 THE SOCIOLOGY MAJORS & MINORS ASSOCIATION (SMMA)

 The Sociology Majors & Minors Association is Vanderbilt's undergraduate club for students interested in Sociology. We hold a number of events throughout the school year including several Pub Hours each semester. Look for flyers around campus announcing Friday Pub Hours and then come kick it at the Pub with your professors, who are all much cooler outside of class.

Other events sponsored by the SMMA include movie screening, "What can you do with a Sociology degree" panels and a party at the end of each semester.

Additionally, we have taken the undergraduate Sociology newsletter The Perspective online this year. The Perspective was started by last year's SMMA and is now in its second year. In the newsletter professors are profiled, upcoming events and opportunities for undergraduates are announced and recent SMMA happenings are reported. All declared Sociology majors and minors should receive an email with a link to the latest SMMA newsletter. Of course SMMA events are open to all, not just majors and minors.