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Sociology, BA

Stony Brook University
New York , United States
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Program Details
Degree
Bachelors
Major
Anthropology | Social Work and Counselling | Sociology
Area of study
Social Sciences
Course Language
English
About Program

Program Overview

Sociology, BA

Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences

  • Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
  • Chair: Kathleen M. Fallon
  • Director of Undergraduate Studies: Catherine Marrone
  • Business Administrator: Lori Glubiak
  • Academic Programs Coordinator: Kelly A. Haller
  • Office: Social Behavioral & Science Bldg. S. 401, Stony Brook, NY

Department Website

Minors of Particular Interest to Students Majoring in Sociology

  • Anthropology (ANT)
  • Health, Medicine and Society (MHS)
  • International Studies (INT)
  • Political Science (POL)
  • Women’s and Gender Studies (WST)

Program Description

Sociology is the systematic study of social life. It is based on the assumption that there are certain patterns to the way people live and think and that by studying their behavior and attitudes, these patterns can be discovered and explained. Sociologists investigate how the group influences behavior, from the smallest (a two-person relationship) to the largest (huge organizations, such as General Motors or the Catholic Church). Anything having to do with social behavior is the subject matter of sociology.


The Bachelor of Arts program at Stony Brook seeks to develop in students both an understanding of a history of social thought and skills in the collection and analysis of social data. The core program includes one semester of Introduction to Sociology, one semester of sociological theory, one semester of research methods, and one semester of statistics.


Degree Requirements

  • The major in Sociology leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree.
  • All sociology courses completed for the major, except those graded S/U, must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher.
  • Excluding required courses, credit can be awarded for just one P graded course.
  • Completion of the major requires 39 credits, of which 27 to 30 credits are in Sociology courses.

Major Requirements

Required Courses

  • SOC 105 - Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
  • SOC 201 - Research Methods in Sociology (3 credits)
  • SOC 202 - Statistical Methods in Sociology (3 credits)
  • SOC 361 - Historical Development of Sociological Theory (3 credits)

Sociology Electives

  • In addition to the required courses above, students must complete an additional 18 credits of coursework (of which 15 credits must be upper division) from among all sociology course offerings.
  • Note: Only six credits of independent study courses (SOC 447, SOC 487, SOC 488, SOC 495, SOC 496) may be used toward the requirements of 18 elective credits in sociology.

Study in Related Areas

  • At least three courses (nine credits, of which 6 credits must be upper division) chosen from one of the following related social sciences:
    • Africana studies (only those courses with designator AFS)
    • Anthropology (only those courses with designator ANT)
    • Economics
    • History
    • Linguistics
    • Political Science
    • Psychology
    • Women’s Studies
  • Credits from applied social science professions such as social work, police science, education, and management science are not applicable.

Upper-Division Writing Requirement

  • Sociology majors are expected to fulfill the upper-division writing requirement by the time of graduation.
  • This requirement is met through SOC 361, the required Historical Development of Sociological Theory course, which also satisfies the SBC WRTD requirement.

Notes for Transfer Students

  • The Department of Sociology requires that transfer students take at least 12 credits in sociology in residence at Stony Brook to complete the sociology major.
  • No transferred sociology course with a grade lower than C is accepted for credit in the major.

Sociology Honors Program

  • The honors program is open to seniors majoring in Sociology who have maintained a g.p.a. of 3.50 in the major and 3.20 overall, and who have completed or are in the process of completing the methods and statistics requirement and the upper-division writing requirement.
  • Students should apply for the honors program before the beginning of their senior year.
  • With the approval of the sponsoring faculty member, the student must submit a written proposal for a major paper or research project to be completed during the senior year.
  • Acceptance into the honors program depends on the approval of the proposal by the Department.
  • In the senior year, the student enrolls in SOC 495 during the first semester and SOC 496 during the second semester, for a total of six credits.
  • The student’s major paper or research project must be completed no later than four weeks prior to the end of the second semester, to allow for possible revisions.
  • It is read and evaluated by a committee consisting of the student’s sponsor, one other Sociology faculty member, and one faculty member from another department.
  • If the honors program is completed with distinction and the student has achieved a 3.50 gpa in all sociology courses and a 3.2 overall, honors are conferred.

SBC Courses

  • This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements.
SBC Category Required Major Courses Optional Major Courses
ARTS
GLO SOC 248, SOC 344, SOC 348, SOC 365
HUM
LANG
QPS SOC 202
SBS SOC 105 SOC 200, SOC 204, SOC 243, SOC 247
SNW
TECH
USA
WRT
STAS SOC 315, SOC 340, SOC 395
EXP+ SOC 394, SOC 444, SOC 475, SOC 476, SOC 487, SOC 488
HFA+
SBS+ SOC 361 SOC 248, SOC 302, SOC 303, SOC 304, SOC 309, SOC 310, SOC 323, SOC 330, SOC 336, SOC 337, SOC 338, SOC 339, SOC 344, SOC 348, SOC 352, SOC 356, SOC 361, SOC 362, SOC 364, SOC 365, SOC 371, SOC 374, SOC 380, SOC 381, SOC 384, SOC 390, SOC 391, SOC 392, SOC 394
STEM+
CER
DIV SOC 247, SOC 302, SOC 310
ESI SOC 201
SPK SOC 458
WRTD SOC 361 SOC 459

Sample Course Sequence

  • Sample Course Sequence for the Major in Sociology
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