Sociology Programs

The Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work at Angelo State University offers the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in sociology, and a minor in sociology. There are three concentrations available in sociology, or students may choose to pursue the traditional Liberal Arts degree in sociology. The three concentrations include Social and Community Development (SCD), Family and the Life Course (FLC), or Criminology and Deviance (CD). The sociology program as a whole has a strong applied focus, with the opportunity for students to take interesting, challenging courses, and obtain applied experience through an internship, a service learning course, and/or a supervised independent research course. Students may further tailor their degree by carefully selecting their minor and elective coursework. Additionally, the sociology major provides a firm academic foundation that may assist students who desire admission to graduate programs in social work, academic or applied sociology, academic or applied psychology, gerontology, criminal justice, public administration, and other related fields. Some of the interesting specializations in sociology that students could study in graduate school may include (but are certainly not limited to) medical sociology, applied sociology, criminology, social psychology, organizational analysis, community and urban sociology, rural sociology, sex and gender, gerontology, and educational sociology.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY?

Students who graduate with a B.A. or B.S. degree in sociology have a wide range of employment opportunities. However, there may be few opportunities with the title “Sociologist” at the bachelor’s level; usually a Master’s (M.A. or M.S.) or Doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in sociology is required to hold a position with the title “Sociologist”. To get a sense of how this works, see the Position Classification Flysheet for Sociology, published by the United States Office of Personnel Management (1988), at http://www.opm.gov/fedclass/gs0184.pdf.

Sociology graduates on the bachelor’s level have a degree that is grounded in the liberal arts. They have knowledge of current social factors that affect individuals, families, organizations, and communities. They have research, data analysis, and critical thinking skills. They understand cultural diversity, and the many social problems that confront communities, organizations, and society. Such knowledge and skills are applicable to a wide range of employment opportunities. Students who incorporate an internship into their program of study are particularly competitive for employment opportunities.

Some job titles that sociology majors could hold with a Bachelor’s degree include: urban planner, city manager, organizational trainer, case manager for Child Protective Service or Adult Protective Services, case manager for MHMR, juvenile or adult probation officer, juvenile or adult parole officer, correctional officer, mental health technician, substance abuse counselor, crisis interventionist, community relations director, sales person, public administrator, research assistant, market analyst, recruiter, technical writer, quality control manager, consumer relations worker, real estate agent, public health supervisor, community service specialist, labor relations specialist, public relations specialist, human resource specialist, training specialist, officer in the military, and many more.

With a graduate degree in sociology, depending on the specialization, sociology majors can hold applied and academic positions as a criminologist, demographer, organizational consultant or analyst, social psychologist, medical sociologist or social epidemiologist, gerontologist, business consultant, public administrator, evaluation researcher, data analyst, administrator for a social service agency, college or university professor, and many positions in international relations, the state and federal government, criminal justice system, social service agencies, or politics.

For more information about the sociology degree, careers in sociology, and other sociology related material of interest to students, see the American Sociological Association’s Students Page at http://www.asanet.org/cs/root/topnav/students/students_3column.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

The sociology major at Angelo State University requires 31 semester hours of course work in sociology. Of these 31 semester hours, 19 hours must be at the advanced level (3000 or 4000 level courses), and must include SOC 3325, SOC 4161, and SOC 4301 as a part of the 19 advanced hours. Students who opt to have a concentration in sociology are required to take 12 semester hours in the specified concentration area. Any concentration specific course outside of sociology (a GOVT, CRIJ, EPSY, or PSY prefix) will not count toward the 31 hours of course work in sociology. If a concentration is chosen, students have one elective that they are required to take in sociology. Please note that the “Recommended” courses specified below are not required, but are recommended by the American Sociological Association and the sociology faculty at Angelo State University.

Click here for Course Offerings and Descriptions.

Required Courses for all Sociology Majors (10 Hours):

SOC 2301 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 3325 Social Research and Data Analysis
SOC 4161 Integrated Seminar in Sociology (required beginning August 2009)
SOC 4301 Sociological Theory

Recommended Courses for all Sociology Majors (6 Hours):

SOC 1303 Social Problems
SOC 2305 Social Psychology

Course Options for the Traditional Liberal Arts Degree in Sociology (15 Hours beyond the Required and Recommended Courses):

Any 12 hours of advanced sociology course work and an additional course in sociology at any level.

Course Options for the Social and Community Development Concentration (12 Hours; Choose Any 4 Courses; NOTE: Only one of the four courses may be outside sociology.)

SOC 3310 American Political Culture
SOC 3312 Social Change and Development
SOC 3319 Population and Ecology
SOC 3327 Human Diversity and Social Inequality
GOVT 3305 Public Administration
GOVT 4311 Urban Problems and Public Policy

Students who are interested in social and community development may want to see the Community Development Initiatives website.

Course Options for the Family and Life Course Concentration (12 Hours; Choose Any 4 Courses; NOTE: Only one of the four courses may be outside sociology.)

SOC 3315 The Family
SOC 4311 Human Sexuality
SOC 4331 Sociology of Aging
SOC 4332 Death and Dying
EPSY 3301 Child Development
PSY 4335 Health Psychology

Course Options for the Criminology and Deviance Concentration (12 Hours; Choose Any 4 Courses; NOTE: Only one of the four courses may be outside sociology.)

SOC 3341 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 3343 Criminology
SOC 4321 Correctional Case Management
SOC 4341 Social Deviance and Social Control
CRIJ 2313 Correctional Systems and Practices
PSY 4319 Drugs and Behavior

Internship Options in Sociology

SOC 4371 Internship in Sociology (3 semester Hours)
SOC 4671 Internship in Sociology (6 Semester Hours)

Internships in sociology are available to assist students in obtaining applied experience in an area of sociology. Examples of possible internship placements include the Concho Valley Council on Governments, Area Agency on Aging, local parole and probation departments, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley , MHMR, and so forth. Students who have specified a concentration are encouraged to choose an internship within that concentration.

INFORMATION ABOUT LICENSURE

Sociology itself is not a licensed profession (it is a social science discipline); however, education in sociology may assist one in pursuing certification and or licensure in other areas; for example, in the State of Texas one can work to become a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology. If a student is interested in this, they are responsible for, and are strongly encouraged to, review the rules/regulations and statutes/laws governing Chemical Dependency Counseling in Texas at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/lcdc/default.shtm for additional details. For more information about licensure opportunities see Dr. Joel L. Carr.

Honor Societies Relating to Sociology

At Angelo State University

Alpha Mu of Texas is our local chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the International Sociology Honor Society. The faculty sponsor for AKD at Angelo State University is Dr. Joel L. Carr, and the student President is Amy R. Harvey. Please contact the student President for membership details. Membership criteria include:

junior class standing or above;
cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above;
sociology GPA of 3.0 or above; and
at least 12 hours of sociology credit with a major, minor, or a substantive interest in sociology

SOCIOLOGY FACULTY

Core Faculty

Paul F. Love, Ph.D., Sociology Program Director

Kenneth L. Stewart, Ph.D.

Joel L. Carr, Ph.D., LCSW, DCSW

Support Faculty

William Fuller, Ed.D., LCSW, BCD

Sandy Love, M.S.

For questions concerning the sociology major in general, please contact Dr. Paul F. Love. For questions concerning the concentration in Social and Community Development (SCD), please contact Dr. Kenneth L. Stewart; for questions concerning the concentration in the Family and Life Cycle (FLC), please contact Dr. Paul F. Love; and for questions concerning the concentration in Criminology and Deviance (CD), please contact Dr. Joel L. Carr.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS OF INTEREST

TO SOCIOLOGY STUDENTS

The main professional organization representing sociology in the United States is the American Sociological Association. Other professional organizations relating to sociology include:

American Evaluation Association

American Orthopsychiatric Association

American Planning Association

American Society for Public Administration

American Society of Criminology

Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

Community Development Society

Council on Contemporary Families

Gerontological Society of America

International Association for Relationship Research

Institute for Research on Labor and Employment