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
- Sociology/MPA Articulated Program
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
- Areas of Concentration
- Minor in Sociology
- Minor in Animals in Human Society (No new students are being accepted into the minor or concentration in Animals in Human Society)
- Minor in Community and Criminal Justice
- Certificate in Inner City Studies
- Course Descriptions
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)
