Upon graduation, undergraduate majors in sociology assume a broad
diversity of career paths ranging from postgraduate programs in law,
management, and counseling to positions in business, government, and nonprofit
organizations.
1. Theoretical Objectives: Our courses in classical
and contemporary sociological theory enable students to master theories and
concepts ranging from social structure and social interaction to race, class,
and gender as fundamental mechanisms of social inequality and bureaucracy as
the definitive mode of complex organization in the modern world. Undergraduates encounter the ongoing tensions between religion and science, the
powerful influence of capitalist enterprises and markets, as well as the
policies and programs pursued by the state.
2. Methods: Undergraduates derive
special benefits from our yearlong sequence of applied courses in sociological
research methods and social statistics. Students will learn to collect
quantitative and qualitative data from a multitude of social settings, and to
analyze these data from a variety of sociological points of view. Sociology
majors will be able to implement research skills using research databases,
policy reports, and electronic and medial resources.
3. Perspectives on Human Behavior
within a Sociological Framework:
Undergraduate majors in sociology take an array of courses in
specialized areas ranging from urban sociology, political sociology, sociology
of education, race and ethnicity, and social movements to marriage and the family,
just to name a few. These courses teach students to appreciate and apply the
contribution of sociology in understanding and explaining multiple social
realities. Majors will be able to describe how sociology is similar to and
different from other social sciences. The more specialized courses may be
relevant for future careers of many different kinds, e.g., counseling,
marketing, law, and administration.
4. Critical Reading, Writing, and
Analysis: All of the core disciplines in
the arts and sciences provide students with skills in critical thought,
reading, writing, and public speaking. These are skills which society, and
particularly employers, expect and desire from college graduates. Sociology
majors are expected to evaluate information from various sources, and develop
relevant arguments and questions based on it. Sociology courses also encourage
cooperative learning, as students will often be required to work in groups to
write, synthesize, and produce oral presentations.
5. Human Diversity: Sociology majors will be able
to articulate how society (both domestically and internationally) is shaped by
dynamics of prejudice, discrimination, oppression, and social inequality.
Students will be able to describe and explain the significance of variations by
race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, age, disability, and sexual
orientation. Acquiring a solid understanding of the social, economic,
political, and moral importance of reducing the negative effects of social
inequalities, students will be able to effectively engage in discussions of
civic responsibility and continuing ethical dilemmas of social inequality.
School of Arts and Sciences-Newark 
