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HANDBOOK

FOR

SOCIOLOGY MAJORS

ii

WELCOME

TO THE

SOCIOLOGY MAJOR!

This Handbook is designed to provide you with both general

information about the field of sociology and specific information about

the sociology program here at Geneseo. We hope it will be helpful to

you in developing your course of study and planning your future after

graduation. However, the Handbook is only a supplement to other

sources of guidance. These sources include the current Undergraduate

Bulletin (available from the Office of the Dean of the College in Erwin),

your faculty advisor and the other sociology professors, the advisors in

the Office of the Dean of the College (Erwin 106), Career Services

Office (Blake A - 104), and Counseling Center (Lauderdale Health

Center).

There are limits to the amounts and kinds of information that a

written guide can provide, so when you have questions or concerns,

please do not hesitate to talk with your advisor or other academic and

counseling professionals on campus.

To receive information from the Sociology Department as well as

from other Sociology majors, you can subscribe to the Sociology

listserve by going to the following website and completing the

application form:

http://mail.geneseo.edu/mailman/listinfo/socstudents-l

SUNY Geneseo Sturges 122 1 College Circle Geneseo, New York 14454- 1401

(Adapted from I. Robertson, Sociology, NY: Worth Pub. 1981)

The basic insight of sociology is that human behavior is shaped by the groups to which people

belong and by the social interaction that takes place within those groups. We are who we are and we

behave the way we do because we happen to live in a particular society at a particular point in space and

time. People tend to accept their social world unquestioningly, as something "natural." But the

sociological perspective enables us to see society as a temporary social product, created by human beings

and capable of being changed by them as well.

The sociological perspective invites us to look at our familiar surroundings in a fresh way. It

encourages us to take a new look at the world we have always taken for granted, to examine our social

environment with the same curiosity that we might bring to an exotic foreign culture.

The study of sociology leads us into areas of society that we might otherwise have ignored or

misunderstood. Since our world view is shaped by our personal experience and since people with

different social experiences have different definitions of social reality, sociology helps us to appreciate

viewpoints other than our own and to understand how these viewpoints came into being.

Sociology also helps us understand ourselves better. Without the sociological perspective (which

has been called the "sociological imagination"), people see the world through their limited experience of a

small orbit of family, friends, co-workers. The sociological imagination allows us to stand apart mentally

from our limited experience and see the link between private concerns and social issues. It permits us to

trace the connection between the patterns and events of our own and the patterns and events of our

society.

THE FIRST WISDOM OF SOCIOLOGY IS THIS-

THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM.

• Peter Berger

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

The Department of Sociology seeks to foster the goals of a liberal education by developing in students the

ability to understand and apply the sociological perspective.

In order to make this mission more specific, the Department has identified ten outcomes for the students

to achieve.

OUTCOMES OF THE SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

1. An understanding of the discipline of sociology and its role in contributing to our understanding of

social reality, such that the student will be able to:

a) describe how sociology differs from and is similar to other social sciences and give

examples of these differences,

b) describe how sociology contributes to the liberal arts, and

c) apply the sociological imagination and sociological concept and principles to her/his own life.

2. An understanding of the role of theory in sociology, such that the student will be able to:

a) define theory and describe and illustrate its role in building sociological knowledge,

b) compare and contrast basic theoretical orientations,

c) show how theories reflect the historical and social contexts of the times and cultures in which

they were developed, and

d) describe and apply some basic theories or theoretical orientations in at least one area of social

reality

3. An understanding of the role of evidence and qualitative and quantitative methods in sociology, such

that the student will be able to:

a) identify basic methodological approaches and describe the general role of methods in

building sociological knowledge,

b) compare and contrast the basic methodological approaches for gathering data,

c) design a research study in an area of choice and explain why various choices were

made, and

d) critically assess a published research report and explain how the study could have been

improved.

4. An understanding of the basic concepts in sociology and their fundamental theoretical interrelations,

such that the student will be able to define, give examples, and show interrelationships among the

following:

a) culture,

b) social change,

c) socialization,

d) stratification,

e) social structure,

f) institutions,

g) differentiation by race/ethnicity, gender, and age,

h) social interaction, and

i) the self.

DEPARTMENT MISSION

Total Credit Hours: 36

Basic Requirements: (18 credit hours)

Socl.100 S/Introduction to Sociology

Socl. 211 Statistics for Social and Political Research

Socl. 212 Sociological Research

Socl. 265 Classical Sociological Theory

Socl. 365 Contemporary Sociological Theory

Socl. 376 Senior Seminar:Selected Topic; or

Socl. 377 Senior Seminar:Internship Seminar; or

Socl. 378 Senior Seminar:Study Abroad; or

Socl. 379 Senior Seminar:Senior Thesis

Electives: (18 credit hours)

Six electives must be chosen from at least four of the five sub-areas listed on page 6 of the

handbook; two of these electives must be 300-level courses. No more than three of the 18 total

elective hours may be earned through Internships and Directed Study. Internship credit

hours may not be counted toward the required six hours of 300-level electives.

* No more than 6 hours at the 100-level may be applied to the major.

Related Requirements: None

Writing Requirement: [ All disciplines in the College have a writing requirement for their majors.

Below is the requirement that the Sociology Department has established for its majors. ]

All majors shall successfully complete the existing program requirements. Program requirements

involve extensive writing in at least 83 percent of the course offerings. To complete program

requirements, students are required to write a variety of papers and essays. It is the responsibility of the

faculty, in consultation with the department chair, to identify students with deficient writing skills.

Students identified as needing work in improving their writing will be notified at the beginning of the

following semester. In consultation with their faculty advisor, the student will be required to complete

one of the following options:

• Satisfactory completion (C- or better) of ENGL 200 College Writing II is required.
• Satisfactory completion of Socl 199 Writing for the Social Sciences (to be done as a

directed study).

THE SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

ELECTIVES

Institutions Socl. 210 Sociology of the Family

Socl. 213 Sociology of Medicine

Socl. 240 Sociology of Religion

Socl. 290 Sociology of Work

Socl 333 Sociology of Education

Socl 335 Organization and Society

Socl. 354 Political Sociology

Criminology, Law, and Deviance Socl. 209 American Criminal Justice System

Socl. 215 Women & the Law

Socl. 250 Sociology of Deviance

Socl. 310 Sociology of Law

Socl. 316 Juvenile Delinquency

Socl. 347 Criminology

Social Psychology Socl. 241 S/The Individual & Society

Socl. 314 Illness, Self, & Society

Socl. 356 The Social Self

Socl. 358 Sociology of Emotions

Socl. 361 Field Research Methods

Social Problems and Inequality Socl. 102 S/Intro to Social Problems & Public Policy

Socl. 201 Black Women in American Society

Socl. 217 S/U/Urban Sociology

Socl. 220 U/Inequality, Class & Poverty

Socl. 225 Sociology of Gender

Socl. 230 S/U/Race & Ethnicity

Socl. 340 Social Movements

Socl. 352 Aging & Society

Global Issues Socl. 105 S/M/Intro to Global Social Change

Socl. 218 Environmental Sociology

Socl. 260 Population Studies

Socl. 325 Social Change

B. A. in Sociology*

Sample Program Outline

based on requirements for majors entering the College before August 1996

(see page 4 of the handbook for details)

FIRST YEAR

Fall Hours Spring Hours

N/ core 4 N/ core 4

Intd 105 3 F/ core 3

Elective 3 Elective 3

Socl. 100 3 S/M/core 3

Elective 3 Elective 3

Total 16 Total 16

SECOND YEAR

Fall Hours Spring Hours

Humn. 220 Humanities I 4 Humn. 221 Humanities II 4

S/ core 3 # Socl. elective 3

#Socl. elective 3 Socl. 211 (or Socl. 212) 3

Minor* or (Socl. 211)** 3 Minor 3

Elective 3 Elective 3

Total 16 Total 16

THIRD YEAR

Fall Hours Spring Hours

Socl. 212 (or Socl. 265) 3 Socl. 265 (or Socl. 365) 3

#Socl. Elective 3 #Socl. 3-- Elective 3

Minor 3 Minor 3

Minor 3 Minor 3

Elective 3 Elective 3

Total 15 Total 15

FOURTH YEAR

Fall Hours Spring Hours

Socl. 365 (or minor) 3 Internship (6 cr.)* 6

Socl. elective 3 Socl. 376, 377, 378 or 379 3

Socl. 3-- 3 Elective 3

Minor 3

Elective (or Socl. 376, 377,) 3

(Socl 378 or 379) Total 15 Total 12

Total Semester Hours --- 120

• This guide also includes an interdisciplinary minor and an optional internship. The inter-disciplinary minors most

frequently chosen by sociology majors are Criminal Justice, Environmental Studies, Human Development, Legal

Studies, Urban Studies, and Women's Studies.

** Students may elect to begin the sequences of Socl. 211-212 and 265-365 in either spring or fall semester, since

all four courses are generally offered each semester.

CHARTING YOUR PROGRESS

Checklist of Sociology Requirements (to be checked off as completed):

Basic Requirements Electives Sub-Areas

___ Socl. 100 ___ Socl. ___ ___ Institutions

___ Socl. 211 ___ Socl. ___ ___ Criminology, Law, and Deviance

___ Socl. 2 12 ___ Socl. ___ ___ Social Psychology

___ Socl. 265 ___ Socl. ___ ___ Social Problems and Inequality

___ Socl. 365 ___ Socl. 3__ ___ Global Issues

___ Socl. 376, 377, 378 or ___ Socl. 3__

Socl 379

Internships may be counted for up to 3 credits of electives in Sociology but may not be counted

toward the required 6 hrs. of 300 - level electives

Checklist of Common Core Requirements (to be checked off as completed)

• Natural Science (2 lab courses from different depts., not from major) 8 hrs.

N/________________________ N/_____________________

• Social Science (2 courses from different depts., not from major) 6 hrs

S/ ________________________S/______________________

• Fine Arts (2 courses from different depts. not from major) 6 hrs

F/ ________________________F/______________________

• Humanities (required 2 semester sequence) 8 hrs

H/Humn 220 ____________ H/Humn221___________

• Critical Writing/Reading (required freshman course ) Intd 105 3 hrs
• Non-Western Traditions

(1 course may be from major and may satisfy more than one gen ed area ) 0 - 3 hrs

M/ ____________________

• Numeric/Symbolic Reasoning

(1 course – may be from major and may satisfy more than one gen ed area) 0 - 4 hrs

R/ ________________________

Credits Earned Each Semester Outside Sociology (at least 69 needed for graduation):

Freshman 1 ____ Sophomore 1 ____ Junior 1 ____ Senior 1 ____

2 ____ 2 ____ 2 ____ 2 ____

Credits Earned Each Semester (120 needed for graduation):

Freshman 1 ____ Sophomore 1 ____ Junior 1 ____ Senior 1 ____

2 ____ 2 ____ 2 ____ 2 ____

Advanced Placement Credit _______

Transfer Credit _______

Summer School Credit _______

SOCIOLOGY CLUB

The Sociology Club offers students an opportunity to pursue sociological interests outside of the

classroom. Club meetings include discussions, guest speakers, and films. Guest speakers have included

faculty members, professionals, former students, and counselors who have discussed careers, graduate

school, research, and policy issues related to sociology. Other club activities include field trips, picnics,

and student-faculty mixers.

The club also elects student representatives who participate in Sociology Department meetings and

standing committees.

Membership in the Sociology Club is open to all students, whether or not they are sociology majors.

ALPHA KAPPA DELTA

Alpha Kappa Delta is the international sociology honor society. The society's purposes are to

promote interest in the study of sociology and to use sociology to improve the human condition. Past

members have presented their own research papers at professional sociology meetings. The AKD also

sponsors a local and a national paper competition every year. The national competition offers a cash

award for first place.

Members in AKD receive a certificate of membership and a subscription to the sociology journal,

Sociological Inquiry. Qualifications for membership include junior or senior standing, completion of four

sociology courses, a 3.0 GPA in those courses, and a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Students who qualify are

sent a letter inviting them to join.

Bill Lofquist Coordinator, Criminal Justice Minor

Denise Scott Graduate School Coordinator and

Public Service Internship Coordinator

Yuichi Tamura Alpha Kappa Delta Advisor & Sociology Club Advisor

SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT COORDINATORS

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

C. Wright Mills Award

This is awarded for outstanding scholarship in sociology. Candidates will be evaluated on the following

criteria (It is not necessary to meet every criterion):

a. Outstanding overall GPA

b. AKD (Sociology Honor Society) membership

c. Quality of papers written

d. Intellectual curiosity as exhibited in class/colloquium discussion

e. Research done with faculty or independently

f. Intention to attend graduate school

Jane Addams Award

This is awarded for community service. Candidates will be evaluated on the following criteria (It is not

necessary to meet every criterion):

a. Volunteer work with community agencies

b. Active involvement in a social movement organization

c. Commitment to social change as exhibited in class/colloquium discussion

d. Public service internship

e. Research on public policy or social problems

W.E.B. DuBois Award

This is awarded for leadership and departmental service. Candidates will be evaluated on the following

criteria (It is not necessary to meet every criterion):

a. Service as a student representative to the department meeting

b. Service as a student representative to the department committee

c. Leadership of the Sociology Club

d. Administrative Intern to the department

e. Leadership of other campus organizations

To apply for any of these awards come to the Sociology Department and pick up an application.

There can be no perfect democracy curtailed

by color, race or poverty. But with all we accomplish all, even peace.

W.E.B. DuBois

SENIOR AWARDS

POPULAR CAREER CHOICES

Sociology Professor or Researcher :

Requires M.A. or Ph.D. in sociology

Sociologists can teach at the community level with a master's degree or at the college level with a

Ph.D. Some sociologists chose to do research with government or nonprofit agencies, such as the

Department of Health and Human Services or the Urban Institute.

Recommended courses:

1. Independent research project under faculty supervision, either Directed Study (Socl 399) or Senior Thesis

(Socl 391)

2. An extra course in research methods, either Field Research Methods (Socl 361) or Statistical Software

(CSci 216)

3. One or more 300-level Socl electives in addition to the required two 300-level courses

Market Research or Polling:

Requires a B.A. or M.A.

Market research and public opinion polling are simply applications of the survey research techniques

you learn in your research class.

Recommended courses:

1. Statistical Software (CSci 216)
2. A directed study (Socl 399) conducting a survey or analyzing data
3. An internship in the Survey Research Center of the School of Business or a market research firm
4. Electives in Management Science or Political Science, selected with the help of your advisor

Social Work:

Requires MSW to advance in the field; a B.A. or B.S. to enter

There are many different kinds of social work: providing services in group settings (as a counselor),

dealing with individual clients (as a therapist), overseeing recipients of public services (as a caseworker), or

supervising a social service agency (as a manager). Social workers work in schools, hospitals, group homes,

government offices, and private agencies.

Recommended courses:

1. An internship with a social service agency
2. Sociology electives in Social Problems and Public Policy (Socl 102), Sociology of the Family (Socl 210),

Inequality, Class, and Poverty (Socl 220), Race and Ethnicity (Socl 230), Aging and Society (Socl 352)

Additional possibilities:

3. Psychology minor including Introduction to Community Psychology (Psyc 262), Humanistic Psychology

(Psyc 311), or Abnormal Psychology (Psyc 360).

or

4. Human Development minor, concentrating on courses about children, adolescents, the elderly, or whatever

population with which you want to work.

Teaching in Public School:

Requires certification in education (elementary or secondary), and M.A. or M.S. to become

permanently certified

In recent years, several sociology majors have become teachers, especially in urban schools. They report

that their sociology background is very useful in the classroom.

Recommended courses:

1. Teaching certification program (pre-K - 6), including one semester of student teaching

or

2. Teaching certification program (7 - 12) in social studies, including one semester of student teaching

Lobbying / Social Advocacy / Political Staff

Requires initiative and creativity more than specific degrees.

Some sociology majors have gone to work for lobbying, social advocacy, or nonprofit groups dealing with

issues such as domestic violence, women's rights, prisoners' rights, child advocacy, the environment, racial and

religious discrimination, disabilities, health care reform, and family planning. A related career option is to work

in the office of an elected official. The curriculum appropriate for these jobs will vary according to the type of

issue or organization with which you would like to work. By reading the College Bulletin carefully and talking to

faculty, other students, and the Career Services staff, you can make up your own list of courses relevant to your

interests. Don't overlook Directed Studies courses to study issues that are not covered by existing courses!

Recommended courses:

1. One (or even two) internships with agencies in your area of interest
2. An interdisciplinary minor (if one exists) in your area of interest ( e.g., Women's Studies, Environmental

Studies)

or

3. Electives in sociology and other departments that relate to your area of interest [ e.g., for family planning

advocacy, Sociology of the Family (Socl 210), Human Fertility (Biol 107), Political Parties and Interest

Groups (Plsc 211), Psychology of Women (Psyc 308), etc.]

The Law

To be an attorney requires a J. D.; to be a paralegal usually requires a paralegal certificate (approximately 6

months beyond the B. A.)

Preparation for law school does not require any particular major.

Recommended courses:

1. A minor in Legal Studies (including legal internship)
2. Writing (Engl 100, 200) and Logic (Phil 111)

Additional recommendation: A preparatory course to prepare for the LSAT exam, particularly if you

have difficulty with standardized exams.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Of course sociology majors must compete with other liberal arts majors for jobs. There are several

things you can do to strengthen your competitive position. First and foremost, you should try to maintain

a good grade point average. Good grades will impress employers and will increase the chances that you

will get strong letters of recommendation from professors. In addition, you should make a point of

developing your basic skills, especially if they are weak in certain areas, but even if they are not. Courses

in writing, mathematics, computer science, and the like are generally wise choices in this respect. In

particular, it is a good idea to emphasize courses in research methods and statistics. Many sociology

majors who have obtained non-academic jobs have reported that these courses were valuable to them in

their work and in their careers.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships are useful in developing your career for three reasons. First, they enable you to gain

experience that you can list on your resume. Even though internships are usually unpaid, they are very

similar to "real" jobs in the field. Second, your internship supervisors and colleagues may be able to help

you get leads on jobs, may write you letters of recommendation, and may provide contacts for the future.

Third, you can find out if this is the kind of work you really want to do (or not do). If doing an internship

is not feasible because of scheduling or other constraints, you may choose to volunteer in an agency or

business related to an occupation in which you are interested.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Many careers, especially professional careers, require training beyond the BA. Sociology majors

have many opportunities to pursue a graduate education in a variety of fields. The most obvious field of

study for a sociology graduate is sociology itself, especially if you are considering a career in teaching or

sociological research. However, many sociology BAs pursue graduate training in other fields. Business,

social work, industrial relations, law, counseling, and urban planning are some of the fields of study

Geneseo graduates have pursued.

Graduate study requires substantial preparation. Most programs require a minimum GPA of 3.0;

many have higher standards. Frequently, an applicant will be required to take one or more standardized

tests (GREs, LSATs, etc.) before entry. You should be aware that the required courses in the sociology

major (i.e., introductory sociology, classical and contemporary theory, and research statistics and

methods) are particularly designed to prepare you for graduate study in sociology.

You must give considerable thought to what institution to attend, what specific program to choose,

etc. If you are interested in graduate school you should start to investigate it in your junior year. Work as

closely as possible with your advisor, the department's graduate school coordinator, and the college

Career Services Office to prepare yourself for graduate study.

There are binders located in the Sociology Department that may be helpful to Sociology students.

One is a compilation of job opportunities, one has information on different graduate schools and a third

contains possible internship opportunities. Stop by the Sociology Department (Sturges 122) for more

information.

HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR CAREER POTENTIAL

Writing is one of the most difficult and most rewarding of all scholarly activities. Few of us,

students or professors, find it easy to do. The pain of writing comes largely as a result of bad writing

habits. No one can write a good paper in one draft on the night before the paper is due. The following

steps will not guarantee a good paper, but they will eliminate the most common problems encountered in

bad papers.

1. Select a topic early. Start thinking about topics as soon as the paper is assigned and get approval

of your topic choice from the professor before starting the research on the paper. When choosing a topic,

think critically. Remember that writing a good sociology paper starts with asking a good sociological

question.

2. Give yourself adequate time to do the research. You will need time to think through the things

you read or to explore the data you analyze. Also, things will go wrong and you will need time to

recover. The one book or article which will help make your paper the best one you've ever done will be

unavailable in the library and you have to wait for it to be recalled or to be found through interlibrary

loan. Or perhaps the computer will crash and destroy a whole afternoon's work. These things happen to

all writers. Allow enough time to finish your paper even if such things happen.

3. Work from an outline. Making an outline breaks the task down into smaller bits which do not

seem as daunting. This allows you to keep an image of the whole in mind even while you work on the

parts. You can show the outline to your professor and get advice while you are writing a paper rather than

after you turn it in for a final grade.

4. Stick to the point. Each paper should contain one key idea which you can state in a sentence or

paragraph. The paper will provide the argument and evidence to support that point. Papers should be

compact with a strong thesis and a clear line of argument. Avoid digressions and padding.

5. Make more than one draft. First drafts are plagued with confusion, bad writing, omissions, and

other errors. So are second drafts, but not to the same extent. Get someone else to read it. Even your

roommate who has never had a sociology course may be able to point out unclear parts or mistakes you

have missed. The best papers have been rewritten, in part or in whole, several times. Few first draft

papers will receive high grades.

6. Proofread the final copy, correcting any typographical errors. A sloppily written, uncorrected

paper sends a message that the writer does not care about his or her work. If the writer does not care

about the paper, why should the reader?

Such rules may seem demanding and constricting, but they provide the liberation of self- discipline.

By choosing a topic, doing the research, and writing the paper you take control over a vital part of your

own education. What you learn in the process, if you do it conscientiously, is far greater that what shows

up in the paper or what is reflected in the grade.

WRITING SOCIOLOGY PAPERS