Catalog

Sociology

Dr. Gretchen Wehrle
Chair
(650) 508-3659
gwehrle@ndnu.edu

The Psychology and Sociology Department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, a minor in Sociology, and a certificate in Inner City Studies.

Bachelor of Arts students may choose one of two paths to their degree:

  • General Sociology
  • Community and Criminal Justice concentration 

Sociology begins with the premise that human beings are social animals whose individual behaviors are shaped by the interaction that takes place in the groups to which they belong.  This perspective allows us to view the world beyond our immediate experiences and to recognize the relationship between our private lives and world events. Sociologists contend that social environments shape human behavior and that alternately human beings are capable of changing social environments. As such, the Sociology major encourages direct involvement in communities of all kinds and ensures that ample opportunities to use sociology in community-based programs exist in our curriculum.

Students who major in Sociology at NDNU are prepared with the background to work with diverse populations in a variety of environments, including nonprofits, business, government, criminal justice, education, law and international relations. A degree in Sociology also can lead directly to graduate study in numerous disciplines and professions.

Learning Outcomes

Through their studies in the NDNU Sociology department, students will be able to:

  • Understand and utilize the network of relationships that produce values, beliefs, and actions
  • Identify and create connections between the individual (private issues), global events (public issues), and social justice
  • Utilize a systemic approach to analyze contemporary social problems and issues
  • Critique the functions of social services, social systems, and social institutions
  • Demonstrate the ability to question the obvious, to remove the blinders of the familiar, and to examine personal experiences and observations critically
  • Identify social needs and responses in the local communities. Students will identify the historical, economic, political, and cultural contexts in which these needs and responses arose.

Sociology/MPA Articulated Program

The Sociology/Community and Criminal Justice concentration articulates with NDNU’s graduate program in Public Administration (MPA). The qualified student applies in advance of the last semester of undergraduate work to begin study for a master’s degree while completing the bachelor’s degree. The student is allowed to enroll in up to 6 units in selected graduate courses that fulfill undergraduate major requirements while also counting toward the master’s degree.

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

In addition to major requirements, students must meet Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements.

Prerequisites  Units
   
PSY1001  Introduction to Psychology   (3)
(required for Animals in Human Society concentration)     
SOC1001                   Introduction to Sociology     3
SOC1009/2009         Cultural Anthropology                    3
   
Total Prerequisites   6-9 
   
Major Requirements     Units  
   
PSY2133                    Social Psychology          3
One of the following courses:    3
     SOC2101              Classical Sociological Theory              
     SOC2105                   Contemporary Sociological Theory      
SOC2117                   Analyzing Social Settings (Capstone)     4
   
Community Engagement Option 1 or 2      6-8
   
Option 1 – two courses:  
SOC2201         Social Change through Social Service I     
SOC2205         Social Change through Social Service II         
Option 2 – two courses from the following:        
     SOC2502         Exploring the Inner World of the Inner City (CDiv) (CE) (4)
     SOC2504               The Promise of the Inner City (CDiv) (CE) (4)  
     SOC2519               Streetwise Sociology (CDiv) (CE) (4)  
     SOC2527              Urban Sociology (CDiv) (4)  
Other approved community engagements courses in sociology.   
   
Total Major Core Course Requirements Units                                           16-18
Total Concentration Units (depending on concentration chosen) 15-18
Total Major Requirements 31-36
   
Other Degree Requirements* and General Electives 88-93
*Other degree requirements include Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements (e.g. U.S. History).       
   
Total Unit Requirement                124

Areas of Concentration

Students will select one cluster of courses as their concentration:

  • General Sociology (GEN)
  • Community and Criminal Justice (CCJ)

General Sociology (GEN)
In addition to the Prerequisites and Major Requirements, students must take the following:

Requirements        Units      
   
SOC2317          Deviant Behavior       3
SOC2401/W     Race and Ethnicity in Cross-cultural Perspective 3-4
SOC2741          Social Class and Social Inequality (Stratification)    3
A minimum of six upper-division electives from the following: 6-8
     Any SOC course(s)  
     PSY2217       Conflict Resolution  
     PSY2309       Community Psychology (4)  
     PSY2409       Building Community through Diversity (CDiv) (1)     
   
Total Concentration Units         15 -18
   
Animals in Human Society (AHS) (No new students are being accepted into the minor or concentration in Animals in Human Society)
In addition to the Prerequisites and Major Core Requirements, students must take the following:
   
Requirements    Units      
   
SOC2601         Animals in Society               1
SOC2609         The Animal-Human Bond     3
SOC2617         Teaching, Learning, and Healing through Animals    3
SOC2625         Animals, People, and the Environment    4
SOC2692         Animals, People, and the Environment—Fieldwork 1
Three upper-division elective units from the following:  3
     BIO2108      Contemporary Environmental Issues*  
     BIO2132      General Ecology*  
     BIO2148      Vertebrate Zoology*  
     SOC2633     Animals in Literature  
     *Lab is optional          (1)

Note: with the approval of the advisor, SOC2886 Special Topics in Animals in Human Society, or SOC2999 Independent Study (specific to the concentration) may be selected as AHS electives.         

Total Units    15-16

Community and Criminal Justice (CCJ)
In addition to the Prerequisites and Major Core Requirements, students must take the following:

Requirements    Units     
   
SOC2309         Criminology   3
SOC2317         Deviant Behavior    3
SOC2349         Youth, Crime, and Society              3
SOC2345         The Color of Crime: Race and Criminal Justice 3
A minimum of three upper-division elective units from the following:   3-4
     BIO2124      Forensic Science (4)  
     PSC2320    The Constitution  
     SOC2333    Social Issues in the Community  
     SOC2357    Careers in Community and Criminal Justice (0.5)  
     SOC2425    Cultures, Communities, and Criminality (CDiv)  
     SOC2725    Social Problems (CDiv) (4)  
Note: with the approval of the advisor, SOC2886 Special Topics in CCJ or SOC2999 Independent Study (specific to the concentration) may be selected as CCJ electives.
   
Total Units       15-16

Minor in Sociology

Minor Requirements  Units 
   
SOC1001                Introduction to Sociology            3
SOC2317                Deviant Behavior    3
SOC2401/W           Race and Ethnicity in Cross-cultural Perspective      3-4
SOC2741                Social Class and Social Inequality (Stratification)   3
A minimum of 3 upper-division elective units from the following: 3-4
     Any SOC course(s)  
     PSY2133     Social Psychology  
     PSY2217     Conflict Resolution  
     PSY2309     Community Psychology (CE) (4)  
     PSY2409     Building Community through Diversity (CDiv) (1)  
   
Total Minor Units     15 -17

Minor in Animals in Human Society (No new students are being accepted into the minor or concentration in Animals in Human Society)

Minor Requirements  Units
   
SOC1001               Introduction to Sociology         3
SOC2609               The Animal-Human Bond   3
A minimum of nine upper-division elective units from the following:  9-10
     SOC2601          Animals in Society (1)  
     SOC2617          Teaching, Learning, and Healing through Animals  
     SOC2625          Animals, People, and the Environment (4)  
     SOC2633          Animals in Literature  
     SOC2692          Animals, People, and the Environment—Fieldwork (1)  

Note: with the approval of the minor advisor, SOC2886 Special Topics in Animals in Human Society, or SOC2999 Independent Study (specific to the minor) may be selected as AHS electives.       

Total Minor Units      15-16

Minor in Community and Criminal Justice

Minor Requirements    Units     
   
SOC1001               Introduction to Sociology   3
SOC2309               Criminology           3
SOC2317               Deviant Behavior 3
SOC2345               The Color of Crime: Race and Criminal Justice 3
SOC2349               Youth, Crime, and Society 3
A minimum of 3 upper-division elective units from the following:  3-4
     BIO2124            Forensic Science (4)  
     PSC2320          The Constitution  
     SOC2333          Social Issues in the Community  
     SOC2357          Careers in Community and Criminal Justice (0.5)  
     SOC2425          Cultures, Communities, and Criminality (CDiv)  
     SOC2725          Social Problems (CDiv) (4)  

Note: with the approval of the advisor, Community Engagement or Internship sociology courses, SOC2886, Special Topics in CCJ, or SOC2999 Independent Study (specific to the concentration) may be selected as CCJ electives.    

Total Minor Units      18-19

 Certificate in Inner City Studies

The Sociology major offers a Certificate in Inner City Studies. The required classes include Tenderloin residents as regularly enrolled students and utilize inner city resources and the expertise of community leaders.

Students wishing to earn this recognition are required to take a 16-unit course of study to include:

SOC2502   Exploring the Inner World of the Inner City (4)
SOC 2504  Promise of the Inner City (4)
Plus eight elective units from the following, or other inner city community-based courses , approved by the Inner City Program Advisor:
     PSY2309           Community Psychology (CE) (4)
     SOC2117          Analyzing Social Settings (CE) (4)
     SOC2519          Streetwise Sociology (CDiv) (CE) (4)
     SOC2527          Urban Sociology (CDiv) (4)
     SOC2725          Social Problems (CDiv) (4)