Mission/Vision Statement

The Sociology Department is a student-centered community engaged in active learning. We strive to create an environment in which students gain an understanding of human social behavior by cultivating the sociological imagination. The sociological imagination involves the ability to understand how individual lives and personal problems are connected to public issues and the structure of society, Students are also encouraged to explore their own position in and relationship to society, and especially how it’s shaped by race, class and gender. At its core, the sociological mission is rooted in social theory and the scientific method and how these can be applied to improve social conditions.

Student Learning Goals

1: Sociology students should demonstrate a working knowledge (by defining, mastering the characteristics of, and being able to apply the concept to an example) of key concepts in sociology.

2: Sociology students should demonstrate a working knowledge of the major theories in sociology, the role of theory in building knowledge, and for a given social phenomena, construct a reasoned argument based on a theoretical perspective.

3: Sociology students should demonstrate a working knowledge of research methods in sociology; including recognizing how the scientific method is used; applying the proper statistical procedure to data; and interpreting the data appropriately.

4: Sociology students should demonstrate a working knowledge of cultural diversity including the significance of race, ethnicity, gender, class and sexuality both within the U.S. society and in the global world.

5: Demonstrate a working knowledge of what it takes to transform from student to professional and how to effectively use that college career to successfully make the shift.