Program: Sociology, B.A.
Social Welfare and Social Justice Option
Program Description
The Social Welfare and Social Justice Option is intended to provide students with knowledge and skills necessary for entry professional-level employment working within various social service settings, such as hospitals, probation and parole, public welfare, community planning and mental health organizations. Central to our mission statement is our focus on promoting anti-oppressive social work practice and preparing students to be agents of social change in order to strive for ending discrimination, oppression and enhancing human well-being through education, research and community service. It also provides a foundation for students to pursue graduate education in social work and related fields. Students planning to pursue this option are encouraged to seek advisement prior to their junior year if possible.
Program Requirements
1. Lower Division Required Courses (7 units)
MATH 140 Introductory Statistics (4)
SOC 150 Introductory Sociology (3)
2. Core Courses (16 units)
Take all of the following courses:
SOC 424/L Statistical Techniques in Social Research and Lab (3/1)
SOC 430 Theory I – Classical Sociological Theory (4)
SOC 468 Theory II – Contemporary Sociological Theory (4)
SOC 497/L Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods and Lab (3/1)
3. Electives (21 units)
a. Required (6 units)
SOC 357 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice (3)
SOC 490S/F Supervised Field Seminar and Fieldwork (1/2)
b. Choice of three courses from the following list (9 units)
CJS 410CS Mentoring to Overcome Struggles and Inspire Courage (MOSAIC) (3)
SOC 356 Social Welfare Institutions (3)
SOC 411 Sociology of Education (3)
SOC 426 Social Legislation and Social Policy (3)
SOC 440 Sociology of Aging (3)
SOC 450 Medical Sociology (3)
SOC 459 Child Welfare (3)
SOC 476 Social Movements (3)
SOC 484 Progressive Community Organizing (3)
SOC 492 Human Behavior in the Social Environment (3)
SOC 493 Diversity and Social Justice (3)
c. Additional Electives (6 units)
Select two additional elective courses from 200 to 400-level sociology courses. No more than 3 elective units can be taken at the 200-level.
4. General Education (43 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 43 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.
9 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: MATH 140 satisfies Basic Skills Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning; SOC 424 satisfies Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning, Upper Division; and SOC 150 satisfies 3 units of Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences. SOC 424 taken at CSUN may count as Writing Intensive.
If taken, SOC 200, SOC 305 or SOC 324 satisfies 3 units of Area 4 Social and Behavioral Sciences; and SOC 306, SOC 307 and/or SOC 335 satisfies 3-6 units of upper division CSUN Section F Comparative Cultural Studies.
5. Campus Requirements (6 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 6 units of Campus Requirements as described in this Catalog.
Total Units in Major: 44
General Education Units: 34
Campus Requirement Units: 6
Additional Units: 36
Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120
Contact
Department of Sociology
Chair: Karen Morgaine
Santa Susana Hall (SN) 321
(818) 677-3591
Program Learning Outcomes
Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology will be able to:
- Show competence in understanding and applying classical and contemporary theories to understand the operation and organization of individuals, groups, institutions and broader society.
- Show competence in employing qualitative and quantitative research methods for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data commonly used by sociologists in empirical research.
- Understand and perform basic statistical techniques commonly employed in sociological research and use that knowledge to interpret scholarship in the field of sociology.
- Recall and comprehend concepts, principles, theories and knowledge in the field of sociology and (if applicable) their particular concentration/option.
- Have an understanding of the chronological and historical development of the field of sociology and (if applicable) their particular concentration/option.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply relevant sociological theories and perspectives to comprehend and contextualize current social issues and be able to recognize general social patterns in individuals, groups and institutions.
- Show an understanding of how micro and macro level social processes relate to a variety of phenomena, including social stability and change, the behavior of groups and individuals and institutional dynamics (e.g. family, politics, economy, religion, education, law).
- Demonstrate the ability to comprehend events in terms of their historical relevance and be able to understand connections between individuals’ biographies and the broader historical context in which they are embedded.
- Demonstrate the ability to think critically by evaluating the theories, perspectives, methods and analyses of scholars in the field of sociology.
- Demonstrate competence in oral and written communication and be able to convey information in a manner commonly employed by academics in the field of sociology.