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Sociology
235 College Eight
(831) 459-4306
http://sociology.ucsc.edu
Program Description | Faculty
| Course Descriptions
Program Description
Sociology is the study of social interaction, social
groups, institutions, and social structures. Sociologists examine the contexts
of human action, including systems of beliefs and values, patterns of social
relations, and the processes whereby social institutions are created,
maintained, and transformed.
Sociology was born as an intellectual response to
the democratic and industrial revolutions that ushered in the modern era. It
encompasses a search for social order together with a vision of a just, free,
and egalitarian society-a vision that may require fundamental change in the
existing social order. Developing an understanding of both these aspects of the
sociological tradition is one of the teaching goals of sociologists at UCSC. A
related aim is to develop in students an appreciation for the craft of social
science: disciplined inquiry, observation, and research.
Sociology faculty members are engaged in research on
a wide range of topics, such as the study of violence; microanalysis of
conversations; medicine and technology; social inequality; the intersection of
class, race, and gender; revolutions; drugs in society; crime and deviance;
environmental sociology; legal institutions; popular culture; media studies;
political economy; and language and communication. Because of the
interdisciplinary emphasis among sociology faculty, undergraduates find the
department agreeable to double majors and minors; and nonmajors find many
sociology courses of interest. In recent years, students have conducted
independent studies and written senior theses on a variety of subjects
including the social construction of gender, emerging professions in health
care, utopian communities, mass communication, surveys of health care needs,
the social effects of war, gender differences in attitudes and behavior, causes
of and beliefs about family violence, and the history of political struggles.
The sociology major at UCSC is a rigorous program of
study that retains enough flexibility to accommodate students with diverse
career goals and plans. It ensures that all students are trained in the main
theoretical and methodological traditions of sociology, yet permits
considerable variation in students' own areas of specialization. The major
provides the necessary intellectual foundation for students who are considering
graduate studies in sociology and related social sciences. It also can be used
as preparation for careers in fields as diverse as law, social work,
management, environmental planning, public service, teaching, health services,
and counseling. Finally, the sociology major can provide a general liberal
education for undergraduates interested in the study of contemporary society
and social problems.
General Requirements
The Sociology Department administers two
undergraduate majors, one in sociology and a combined major with Latin American
and Latino studies, and a minor in sociology.
Students must take three courses prior to
petitioning for entry to the sociology major: Sociology 1 (Introduction to Sociology), Sociology 10 (Issues and Problems in American Society), and Sociology
15 (World Society). Students with a GPA of 3.0 for
these three courses will be allowed to declare the sociology major.
Students must take two courses (any of the three
courses listed above) prior to petitioning for entry to the sociology/Latin
American and Latino studies major. Students with a GPA of 3.0 for these two
courses will be allowed to declare the combined major. (If a student takes all
three courses, calculation of the GPA will be based on the two highest grades.)
Students must take one course (any of the three
courses listed above) prior to petitioning for entry to the sociology minor.
Students who receive a grade of B or higher in this course will be allowed to
declare the sociology minor. (If a student takes more than one of these three
courses, admission to the minor will be based on the highest grade in the
courses taken.)
Equivalent courses may be taken at other
universities or at community colleges.
Students should take Sociology 1, 10, and 15 for
letter grades. For courses taken on a pass-no record basis, the department will
use the narrative evaluation in its assessment of eligibility for the major.
Courses for which the grade of W is given are not
counted in the computation of the GPA. The department will evaluate grades for
repeated courses following the university's grading policy for repeated
courses.
Students may petition for admission to the major by
filling out the campus' Declaration of Major form, and by supplying evidence of
their performance in Sociology 1, 10, and 15.
Transfer students who cannot complete Sociology 1, 10, and 15 before university policy requires them to declare a major will be
allowed to declare if they have taken at least two of the three courses (or
their equivalent) listed above (at UCSC, at another university, or at a
community college) with an overall GPA of 3.0. Transfer students allowed to
declare under this rule are expected to complete all three courses with an
overall minimum GPA of 3.0. Transfer students will be subject to
disqualification from the major if they subsequently do not achieve an overall
3.0 GPA in courses 1, 10, and 15 or their equivalent.
Students must submit appeals of negative decisions to
the Sociology Department in writing within 30 days of notification of denial of
entrance into the major. Letters of appeal should describe any extenuating
circumstances that might affect the student's record.
Requirements for the Major
For more details, students may consult the sociology
handbook, available online at http://sociology.ucsc.edu,
or at the department office, 235 College Eight.
Sociology majors are required to take a total of 13
courses (three prescribed lower-division courses in preparation for the major,
four prescribed upper-division core courses, and six upper-division electives).
In addition, they must successfully complete one of three comprehensive
requirements prior to graduation.
Lower-division preparation.
All sociology majors are required to take the following three courses or their
equivalents.
Sociology
1, Introduction to Sociology
10, Issues and Problems in
American Society
15, World Society
Upper-division core courses.
The following four sociology courses are required as the foundation of
theoretical and methodological training in the discipline. Students are
encouraged to take these courses early in their academic career.
103A, Statistical Methods
103B, The Logic and Methods
of Social Inquiry
105A, Classical Sociological
Theory
105B, Contemporary
Sociological Theory
Upper-division advanced course
work. Six additional upper-division sociology courses are required,
including at least one in each of three areas of specialization (clusters):
institutional analysis, social psychology, and inequality and social change.
Consult the sociology handbook for a list of courses that can be applied to
each cluster:
. Cluster I: Institutional
Analysis. Courses in this cluster address the issues of how major social
institutions are organized, the relationship between their technologies and
social relations, the subcultures that develop around them, the problems they
both solve and create, and the ways they change over time.
. Cluster II: Social
Psychology. Courses in this cluster deal with the intersection of
sociological and psychological concepts. Social psychologists have
traditionally been concerned with the experience of the individual in a social
context. Topics of classic interest in social psychology include conformity,
deviance, influence, social interaction, interpretive processes, attribution,
sex and gender roles, and prejudice.
. Cluster III: Inequality
and Social Change. Courses in this cluster address the issues raised by
unequal distribution of wealth, power, privilege, and cultural control.
Principal axes of inequality are class, race and ethnicity, and gender.
Consequences of inequality for social organization and personal life are
examined. Also covered in this cluster are courses that examine the momentous
transformation that preoccupied the founders of sociology and ongoing changes
in the contemporary world: the rise and spread of capitalism, the scientific
and technological revolutions, the emergence of mass politics, large-scale
urbanization, shifts in family life, the growing predominance of bureaucracy,
and social movements and revolutions. Specialization in one geographical
area-East, South, or Southwest Asia; the Middle East; Africa; Europe; Latin
America-may be pursued. Courses in this cluster develop the student's ability
to conduct social research and analyze policy issues. Also considered are the
social definition of social problems and the process of policy formation.
Emphasis is on applied research on topics that are currently attracting public
attention.
Comprehensive requirement.
Prior to graduation, all sociology majors are required to complete one of the
following comprehensive requirements.
. Comprehensive
examination. Score of 60 percent or better on the comprehensive examination
consisting of questions written by faculty responsible for the required
sociology core courses.
. Comprehensive
courses. Pass three additional upper-division courses in sociology beyond the
10 upper-division courses required for the major. To ensure comprehensive
breadth in sociology, one course must come from each of the three clusters
beyond the one course from each cluster required for the major. All three
courses must be regularly scheduled courses in sociology taken at UCSC.
. Senior thesis. The
prerequisite for the senior thesis is course 103B. Students who would like to
write a senior thesis must submit to their preferred faculty thesis sponsor a
proposal that includes a one- to three-page abstract and draft research plan or
design, a brief bibliography, and evaluations from relevant courses. The
proposal must be submitted by the second week of the quarter, four quarters
before graduation. Students unsuccessful in obtaining a thesis sponsor through
these means may submit their proposals to the department's undergraduate
education committee (UEC) by the fourth week of spring quarter. UEC members
will review the merits of these proposals and assign the ones they approve to faculty
members who have not yet agreed to serve as thesis advisers for the following
year. Students will be notified of the outcome of the UEC's deliberations by
the end of spring quarter.
Sociology Major Planner One
The following is a recommended academic plan for students to begin the sociology major.
| Year |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
1st
(frsh) |
Socy 1
|
Socy 15
|
Socy 10 |
2nd
(soph) |
Socy 105A |
Socy 103A |
Socy 103B
Socy 105B |
Sociology Major Planner Two
The following is a recommended academic plan for transfer students entering the sociology major as juniors. It is assumed that course 1 and course 10 equivalencies were completed at the previous college.
Students may choose to declare a combined major in
sociology and Latin American and Latino studies. The requirements (listed
below) should be examined carefully before choosing the combined major option.
Both departments must approve a study plan before the major can be declared.
Once the lower-division sociology courses have been completed, students may
petition to declare the combined major. Each department determines major and
thesis honors separately.
Students must demonstrate proficiency in Spanish or
Portuguese equivalent to the completion of Spanish 6 or 56 or Spanish for
Spanish Speakers 63 or Portuguese 65A-B.
For Spanish language instruction information, see
Spanish and Spanish for Spanish Speakers. For Portuguese language
instruction information, the Portuguese program description.
Students are required to take a total of 14 courses
and satisfy a comprehensive requirement. There are four lower-division course
requirements, two each from the sociology and Latin American and Latino studies
(LALS) majors. One of the lower-division LALS classes must be Latin American
and Latino Studies 1 (no substitutions); transfer students may petition to
replace the other lower-division class with an appropriate course from another
institution. Students are assigned a faculty adviser from each discipline.
Upper-division requirements include six core courses: Latin American and Latino
Studies 100A, 100B; Sociology 103A, 103B, 105A, and
105B; and four additional
elective courses, two from sociology and two from Latin American and Latino
studies. At least one of the Latin American and Latino studies upper-division
courses must be taught in Spanish or Portuguese, and at least one course in the
sociology/Latin American and Latino studies combined major must be on
Chicano/Latino issues. Up to three relevant courses taken through study abroad
programs from which credits are transferable to UCSC may be credited toward the
major when the content is deemed appropriate by the faculty advisers of both
sociology and Latin American and Latino studies. Students can satisfy the
comprehensive requirement in one of three ways: (1) writing a senior thesis,
(2) passing an appropriate Latin American and Latino Studies Senior Seminar (194 series), or (3) completing the sociology course option of two additional
sociology upper-division cluster III courses. If the thesis option is selected,
it should be planned in consultation with an adviser from each department,
completed under the supervision of a faculty member from either department, and
read and approved by both advisers; one adviser is sufficient if this faculty
member belongs to both departments.
Requirements for the Minor
Students minoring in sociology are required to take
seven courses: one of courses 1, 10, and 15; at least two of courses 103B, 105A,
and 105B; and at least four other upper-division sociology courses. Students
must pass the lower-division requirement, courses 1, 10, and 15, prior to
declaring the sociology minor. Students must provide evidence of completion in
the lower-division requirement prior to declaring the sociology minor.
Major Disqualification Policy
Students who receive a D, F, NP, or W twice in any of
the upper-division core courses (courses 103A, 103B, 105A, and 105B) will be
disqualified from the major or minor. Students, their college, and the Office
of the Registrar will be notified by the department no later than the first day
of instruction of the quarter following the disqualifying failure. Students who
feel there were extenuating circumstances surrounding their failure of a course
for the second time may appeal their disqualification by submitting a letter to
the chair of the Sociology Undergraduate Education Committee. The appeal must
be filed no later than 15 days after the disqualification notification was
mailed, or the 10th day of classes in the quarter of the disqualification,
whichever is later. For further information regarding the disqualification
process, contact the Sociology Department.
UC Education Abroad Program Students
Academic year programs.
Students must declare the major and pass the three lower-division preparatory
course requirements (1, 10, and 15) and three of the upper-division core
courses (103B, 105A, 105B) prior to study abroad. The student's sociology
faculty adviser must review and approve the courses intended to be taken abroad
prior to departure. Up to three approved courses may be used toward the
sociology major.
Semester
programs. Fall semester: students must declare the major and pass the
three lower-division preparatory course requirements (courses 1, 10, and 15)
and one upper-division core course (105A) prior to fall semester study abroad.
Spring semester: students must declare the major and pass the three
lower-division course requirements (courses 1, 10, and 15) and two
upper-division core courses (103B and 105B) prior to spring semester study
abroad.
Transfer Students
Junior transfer students expressing an interest in
sociology on their UCSC application for admission are admitted as proposed
sociology majors. This status is considered undeclared. Transfer students must
meet with the sociology undergraduate adviser when they arrive on campus to
determine their status and begin the actual declaration of major process, which
must be completed by the end of the second quarter of the junior year for
transfer students. Declaring sociology early in the academic career will give a
student priority for sociology course enrollment in subsequent quarters.
Graduate Program
The graduate program in sociology at UCSC is an
interdisciplinary program that leads to the Ph.D. in sociology. An M.A. degree
may be taken en route to the doctorate, but a master's program per se is not
available. The program is designed to educate students in most major areas of
sociology. It provides a general background in sociological theory and methods
and also stresses independent work. After completing a group of required
courses, students work closely with individual faculty members in designing
their own course of study.
The sociology graduate program is intended to lead
to both academic and nonacademic careers, and the interests of the faculty
reflect this twofold objective. Faculty specialties include comparative and
historical sociology; criminal justice; cultural sociology; development, drug
policy, deviant behavior; economy and society; education; emotions;
environmental sociology; globalization; health; language and social
linguistics; law and society; Marxist sociology; mass communication and public
opinion; medical sociology; policy analysis and political economy; qualitative
methodology; race, class, gender; science and technology; sexuality and
homosexuality; social inequality; sociology of knowledge; and visual sociology.
When asked what they most appreciate about the
sociology graduate program, most students cite the students' and faculty's
activism and commitment to social change in combination with their dedication
to teaching, scholarly research, and understanding of the social forces of our
society. Research concerns cluster around environmental, racial, cultural,
feminist, Latin American, peace, sexuality, and class issues. The Sociology
Department's colloquium series-as well as occasional national and international
conferences on one or another of these concerns held on campus-enhances
scholarship, practice, and collegial networks. The diversity in age, ethnicity,
and work experience of the student body enriches this work.
The core curriculum is divided into two parts, (1)
basic grounding in theory and methods, and (2) exposure to research in three
areas of concentration: (a) economy, development, and environment; (b)
inequality and identity; and (c) culture, knowledge, and power. Beyond the
required series of core courses, students are expected to specialize in a
particular area and to take additional course work offered in that area.
Students use comparative and historical analysis, quantitative techniques, and
interpretive and/or field research methods to study questions of human agency
and social structure and the ways in which these questions are limited by and
dependent upon one another.
Numerous sociology students present papers at
professional conferences and publish articles during the course of their
graduate studies. The sociology master's paper is designed in part to prepare
students to write for professional journals. Ongoing faculty seminars focusing
on concrete research topics and problems are available for advanced graduate
students working on papers and dissertations in related areas.
The program encourages interdisciplinary work. Many
of the faculty in the Sociology Department have additional interests and are
affiliated with other departments on campus. Seminars in the anthropology, environmental
studies, history, history of consciousness, politics, psychology, and feminist
studies programs are open to sociology students. Graduate students in sociology
may obtain a parenthetical notation on the sociology Ph.D. diploma indicating
that they have specialized in feminist studies, Latin American and Latino
studies, environmental studies, or philosophy. Students must meet requirements
spelled out by the relevant department and their committee members. Some
fellowship and grant opportunities are available. Students also participate in
research projects under the auspices of six interdisciplinary social science
research centers: the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems; the
Center for Global, International, and Regional Studies; the Center for Justice,
Tolerance, and Community; the Chicano/Latino Research Center; the Center for
Research on Educational Diversity and Excellence; and the Santa Cruz Center for
International Economics.
The sociology program also emphasizes teaching
experience because the skills required for good teaching-the ability to
articulate ideas, to organize and present materials in logical sequence, and to
listen attentively and discern someone else's comprehension-are fundamental to
many human activities and occupations. Therefore, the sociology program
requires that graduate students serve as teaching assistants for at least three
quarters in the department's core classes of the undergraduate curriculum,
whether or not they plan to pursue an academic career.
Students are required to take at least 12 courses as follows.
. A three-course core
group:
201 The Making of Classical Theory
202 Contemporary Sociological Theory
203 Sociological Methods
. Two methods courses:
204 Methods of Quantitative Analysis
and one of the following
seven courses:
205 Field Research Methods
206 Comparative Historical Methods
209 Analysis of Cultural Form
241 Cross-National and Cross-Cultural Research
242 Feminist Research Seminar
Psychology 248 Survey Methods, or
282 Social Policy Research
. Three area foundation
courses:
220 Global Transformation: Macrosociological Perspectives
240 Inequality and Identity
260 Culture, Knowledge, Power
. At least one writing
course (208 or 250)
. A minimum of three
elective courses approved by the graduate director (excluding sociology 250 and
sociology 293).
Students with no background in statistics are
required to take the undergraduate course, Statistical Methods, before
enrolling in Methods of Quantitative Analysis.
. Beginning at least by the end of the first
year, students initiate work on their master's paper.
. Completion of the
master's paper is expected by the end of the second year.
. Students are expected
to take an oral qualifying exam by the end of the third year, but no later than
the end of the fourth year.
. Graduate students
prepare field statements in two distinct areas of sociology and, in addition,
prepare a detailed course outline and a grant proposal in one or the other of
these areas.
. The qualifying
examination is an oral examination and based on the student's field statements.
. After passing the
qualifying examination, a student is advanced to candidacy and begins work on
the dissertation with the aid of a three-person dissertation committee.
Details of the policies for admission to the
graduate program, the requirements for the Ph.D. degree, and information on
financial support opportunities are available from the Department of Sociology.
For more information, refer to the Graduate Studies section of the catalog.
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