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Amy Dellinger Page, Chair

The mission of the Department of Sociology is to create a learning environment that promotes a scientific understanding of social life. Through teaching, scholarship, and service, the Department of Sociology provides educational experiences that encourage student to think sociologically about the significance of social structures and processes, multicultural perspectives, and emerging interdependencies among members of the global community. Through a variety of major concentration options, both for undergraduate and graduate students, and both on campus and online, we provide our students with academic programs and varied practical experiences that enhance their understanding and application of sociology and the sociological imagination. The curriculum foci range from local to global, and include recognition and study of the unique social, cultural, and historical features of our geographic region. We encourage and support both basic and applied scholarship by faculty, especially in publishing and presenting scholarly works, and in other activities that enhance professional competence. We endorse research collaboration with our students. We encourage and support faculty participation in service to the university, professional organizations, and local to global communities. As part of a liberal arts education, the Department of Sociology encourages the development of critical thinking, effective communication, responsibilities of community membership, and other transferable skills as part of career preparation. By modeling intellectual curiosity and the resulting acquisition of knowledge, critical thinking, cultivating intercultural competence as part of an overall spirit of inclusion, and engaging ourselves from local to global levels, we endeavor both to become, and help students become, informed and contributing members of society, committed to creating, maintaining and enhancing health, just, and sustainable social structures from micro to macro levels.

Honors Program in Sociology

The Department of Sociology offers an honors program composed of nine semester hours of disciplinary honors work including a three semester hour honors thesis. Disciplinary honors courses will be drawn from designated honors courses offered at the introductory, intermediate and advanced course levels in the department. Enrollment in sociology honors courses is by permission of the departmental honors coordinator. However, to graduate with “honors in sociology,” a student must be a major, have maintained an overall grade-point average of 3.4 and an overall sociology grade-point average of 3.4, have no grade less than “B” in any honors designated course, and have completed a departmental honors thesis.

Programs

• Sociology - Applied Research Methods Concentration, BS
• Sociology - Criminology, Deviance and Law Concentration, BS
• Sociology - Families and Intimate Relationships Concentration, BS
• Sociology - Individually Designed Concentration, BS
• Sociology - Social Inequalities Concentration, BS
• Sociology - Sociology of Health and Aging Concentration, BS

• Sociology, BA

• Gerontology Minor
• Sociology Minor

Courses

• SOC 1000 - The Sociological Perspective (3)
• SOC 1100 - Social Problems in American Society (3)
• SOC 1110 - Sociology of Intimate Relationships (3)
• SOC 1530-1531 - Selected Topics (1-4)
• SOC 2020 - Social Deviance (3)
• SOC 2040 - Popular Culture (3)
• SOC 2050 - Social Diversity and Inequalities (3)
• SOC 2060 - Religion and Society (3)
• SOC 2500 - Independent Study (1-4)
• SOC 2700 - Sociology of Sport (3)
• SOC 2850 - Constructions of Gender (3)
• SOC 3100 - Gerontology (3)
• SOC 3150 - Environmental Sociology (3)
• SOC 3320 - Conflict Resolution, Reconciliation, and Peace (3)
• SOC 3340 - Criminology (3)
• SOC 3350 - Corrections (3)
• SOC 3360 - Juvenile Delinquency (3)
• SOC 3370 - Sexual Deviance and Violence (3)
• SOC 3500 - Independent Study (1-4)
• SOC 3520 - Instructional Assistance (1)
• SOC 3530-3549 - Selected Topics (1-4)
• SOC 3550 - Sociology of Work and Organizations (3)
• SOC 3600 - Medical Sociology (3)
• SOC 3710 - Sociology of Appalachian Communities (3)
• SOC 3750 - Propaganda, Media and Society (3)
• SOC 3800 - Sociology of War (3)
• SOC 3885 - Research Methods I (3)
• SOC 3890 - Research Assistance (1)
• SOC 3895 - Research Methods II (3)
• SOC 3950 - Sociological Theory I (3)
• SOC 3960 - Sociological Theory II (3)
• SOC 4150 - Sociology of Law (3)
• SOC 4250 - Social Movements (3)
• SOC 4340 - Punishment and Social Control (3)
• SOC 4350 - Constructing Bodies and Sexualities (3)
• SOC 4390 - Applied Sociology Seminar (3)
• SOC 4450 - Senior Seminar (3)
• SOC 4510 - Senior Honors Thesis (3)
• SOC 4530-4549 - Selected Topics (1-4)
• SOC 4560 - Race and Ethnicity (3)
• SOC 4600 - Political Sociology (3)
• SOC 4650 - Women, Crime, and the Justice System (3)
• SOC 4750 - Wealth, Power, and Privilege (3)
• SOC 4800 - Sociology of Families (3)
• SOC 4850 - Global Sociology (3)
• SOC 4900 - Internship (3-6)

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