Chair

Merril Silverstein
302 Maxwell Hall
315-443-2347

Undergraduate Director

Edwin Ackerman
329 Eggers Hall
315-443-4030

Faculty

Edwin Ackerman, Sean Drake, Jennifer Flad, Selina Gallo-Cruz, Marc Garcia, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Gabriela Kirk-Werner, Prema Kurien, Scott Landes, Andrew London, Amy Lutz, Yingyi Ma, Elizabeth Martin, Shannon Monnat, Jennifer Karas Montez, William Oliver, Arthur Paris, Gretchen Purser, Kaitlyn Quinn, Rebecca Schewe, Merril Silverstein, Hao-wei Wang, Rick Welsh, Janet Wilmoth

Affiliated Faculty

Peter Blanck, Linda Carty, Catherine Garcia, Chandra Mohanty, Theresa Selfa, Danielle Smith, David Sonnenfeld

Program Description

The undergraduate major in Sociology is designed to provide students with both a broad introduction to the field and an opportunity for concentration within the specialty areas of the department. In addition to required courses in sociological theory and qualitative and quantitative research methods, the department offers a variety of substantive courses in inequality studies (e.g., gender, class, race / ethnicity, sexuality, and disability); health; education; immigration; family, aging and the life course; population studies; criminology and criminal justice; and social policy.

In addition to substantive specialization in Sociology, the major emphasizes skill development in the areas of analytic reasoning, analytic writing, computer literacy, elementary qualitative and quantitative research, information retrieval, and report presentation. Opportunities for internship experiences and/or assisting in faculty research projects are available. Eligible majors are encouraged to participate in the senior thesis research culminating in a symposium where they present the results and interpretation of their own research project. The department has a Sociology Club and offers an annual undergraduate paper award that is supported by a generous gift from a donor.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Make connections between social structure and individual experience
2. Distinguish various theoretical perspectives
3. Critically evaluate information
4. Think and write analytically
5. Be able to retrieve, collect, and analyze data
6. Be able to present information and write papers
7. Be able describe and explain social inequality

Major Requirements

Students are required to take 30 credits in Sociology, including

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Major Requirements
Students are required to take 30 credits in Sociology, including
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
SOC 318	Introduction to Research	3
SOC 319	Qualitative Methods in Sociology	3
or WGS 317	Qualitative Methods in Sociology
SOC 406	Sociological Theory	3
Additional Six Courses
The 30 credits include an additional six courses, five of which must be numbered above 299 (one of the additional courses may be taken at the 200 level). Eligible students may choose to complete a senior thesis (SOC 495) to fulfill one of the substantive courses.		18
Recommended for those Planning Graduate Study in the Social Sciences
SOC 513	Statistics for Social Science	3
Before Enrolling in the Other Courses
Students are advised to take
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
Total Credits		36

Additional Information

The required research methods courses should be taken in the sophomore or junior year.

College of Arts and Sciences Requirements 

For all Arts and Sciences|Maxwell students, successful completion of a bachelor’s degree in this major requires a minimum of 120 credits, 96 of which must be Arts and Sciences|Maxwell credits, completion of the Liberal Arts Core requirements, and the requirements for this major (30 credits) that are listed above.

Dual Enrollments:

Students dually enrolled in Newhouse* and Arts and Sciences|Maxwell will complete a minimum of 122 credits, with at least 90 credits in Arts and Sciences|Maxwell coursework and an Arts and Sciences|Maxwell major.

*Students dually enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences|Maxwell as first year students must complete the Liberal Arts Core. Students who transfer to the dual program after their first year as singly enrolled students in the Newhouse School will satisfy general requirements for the dual degree program by completing the Newhouse Core Requirements.

Undergraduate University Requirements

The following requirements and experiences apply to all Syracuse University Undergraduate matriculated degree programs.

• ​IDEA Course Requirement 
• First Year Seminar