Department of Sociology

Chair and Associate Professor: J. Toth (PhD), 450-5665
Professor: R. Shepherd (PhD), J. Wilson (PhD)
Associate Professor: R. Akhter (PhD), D. George (PhD), E. Powers (PhD)
Assistant Professor: S. Lom (PhD), S. Skaggs (PhD), S. Rich (PhD)
Lecturer: D. McKinnon (PhD)

[1] Purpose

The department’s programs offer students the conceptual perspectives and analytical skills for understanding the structure, culture and variations of social interaction in human societies, past, present, and in comparative perspective. The cultivation of students’ abilities to apply what they learn to the practical resolution of social concerns in daily life, as well as the development of their theoretical knowledge and capacity for scholarly objectivity are all department goals.

[2] Honors in Sociology, Criminology, Anthropology

[Jump to Recognition of Academic Achievement for general information about Honors in the Majors.]

The department offers students the option of completing an undergraduate honors project (or senior thesis) based on original research. Junior or senior students may, at the invitation of department faculty, be permitted to participate in the program. Successful completion of the program allows the student to graduate with Honors in Sociology, Criminology, or Anthropology. To be eligible, a student must have an overall grade point average of 3.25 and a 3.50 grade point in the major. Honors students enroll in SOC 4390, CRIM 4390, or ANTH 4390, taken in consultation with the thesis advisor, during which time the student completes the research and writes a formal paper. The paper is submitted to the thesis committee upon completion of the course, at which time the committee will schedule and conduct an oral defense of the work. If necessary, the student will revise the thesis before its final acceptance and/or the assignment of a letter grade.

[3] Baccalaureate Degrees: Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science

Majors in Sociology, Criminology, or Anthropology may declare either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree option. The degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science requires successful completion of 120 hours, including (1) the UCA Core: complete 38 hours to meet lower-division UCA Core requirements and complete upper-division UCA Core requirements using courses designated below in each major program section; (2) degree requirements; (3) major requirements listed below; and (4) a minor as worked out with the student’s minor advisor. Designated courses are used to satisfy the lower-division UCA Core requirement in Critical Inquiry (I) and the required upper-division UCA Core courses in Diversity (D), Critical Inquiry (I), Communication (C), and Responsible Living (R), in addition to the required UCA Core capstone (Z) course.

[3.1] Major in Sociology (33 hours)

Students who major in sociology should complete SOC 1300 [LD UCA Core: I] [ACTS: SOCI1013] with a grade of C or better. All sociology majors are required to take SOC 1300 [LD UCA Core: I], 2321, 3320 [UD UCA Core: I, C], 4330, and 4360 [UD UCA Core: Z]. In addition, students are required to take 18 hours as determined by their area of study.

[3.1.1] General Sociology

Sociology electives (18 hours), selected from the remaining sociology courses. The department recommends taking either SOC 3310 [UD UCA Core: D, R] or SOC 3361 [UD UCA Core: D, R] to satisfy the required upper-division UCA Core courses in Diversity (D) and Responsible Living (R).

Students may choose up to two courses (6 hours) from the ANTH list to count as electives for the general sociology concentration.

[3.1.2.] Minor in Sociology (18 hours)

Eighteen hours of sociology (including SOC 1300), 9 hours of which must be upper-division.

Students may choose up to two courses (6 hours) from the ANTH list to count as electives for the sociology minor.

[3.2] Major in Criminology (39 hours)

Students who major in criminology should complete SOC 1300 [LD UCA Core: I] with a grade of C or better. All criminology majors are required to take SOC 1300 [LD UCA Core: I], CRIM 2300, SOC 2321, SOC 3320 [UD UCA Core: I,C ], CRIM 3370, and CRIM 4360 [UD UCA Core: Z]. In addition to 18 hours of required core courses, students are required to complete 21 hours of credits divided into elective major courses and optional elective courses.
Elective major courses (15-21 hours):

Optional elective courses (0-6 hours):

Among the optional elective courses in criminology, the department recommends taking either SOC 3310 [UD UCA Core: D, R] or SOC 3361 [UD UCA Core: D, R] to satisfy the required upper-division UCA Core courses in Diversity (D) and Responsible Living (R).

[3.2.1] Minor in Criminology (21 hours)

The minor in criminology requires 21 hours. All minors are required to take SOC 1300 and CRIM 2300. Criminology minors choose five additional courses (15 hours) from among elective courses that include SOC 2361, CRIM 3370, CRIM 3371, CRIM 4355, CRIM 4370, CRIM 4395, and PSCI 3375 [Note: Several criminology courses are pending approval and will be added to this list at a later date].

[3.3] Major in Anthropology (33 hours)

Students who major in anthropology should complete ANTH 1302 [LD UCA Core: R] with a grade of C or better. All anthropology majors are required to take ANTH 1302 [LD UCA Core: R], SOC 2321, ANTH 3321, ANTH 4380, and ANTH 4360 [UD UCA Core: Z]. In addition to 15 hours of required core courses, students are required to complete 18 hours of credits divided into elective major courses and optional elective courses.
Elective major courses:

Optional elective courses:

Among the optional elective courses in anthropology, the department recommends taking either SOC 3310 [UD UCA Core: D, R] or SOC 3361 [UD UCA Core: D,R] to satisfy the required upper-division UCA Core courses in Diversity (D) and Responsible Living (R).

[3.3.1] Minor in Anthropology (18 hours)

There are six required courses for the Minor in Anthropology, totaling 18 hours (9 hours have to be upper division). All Anthropology minors are required to take ANTH 1302, then choose and complete two courses from the Anthropology Core to include ANTH 2300, 3300, 3310, LING 2350, 4325, ANTH 2325, 3315, 3340, 3350, and complete three additional courses from the Anthropology Core or from the designated electives GEOG 1320, 3315, RELG 3315, 3325, PHIL 3352, ENGL 1330, 3315, PSCI 3382, WLAN 2325, SOC 3310, 3361, 3398, 4301, ANTH 3360, 4V90, 4370, 4380, 4395.

Course Links

[4.1] Courses in Anthropology (ANTH)

Follow this link for ANTH course descriptions: course link.

[4.2] Courses in Criminology (CRIM)

Follow this link for CRIM course descriptions: course link.

[4.3] Courses in Sociology (SOC)

Follow this link for SOC course descriptions: course link.