Program Overview

Program Overview

The undergraduate major in Sociology at UNC-CH provides students with theoretical and methodological tools and substantive insights for understanding human social life and institutions. The Department’s faculty is particularly strong in the areas of social inequality, marriage and family, the life course and aging, work and the economy, religion, formal organizations, sex and gender, social movements, population and human ecology, poverty and welfare, medical sociology, social networks, education, and political sociology.

Program Strengths

The program emphasizes a broad array of methodological approaches, including historical, qualitative, and comparative, although the primary specialization is in quantitative analysis. The Department’s major is designed to train students in sociological fundamentals, yet it is receptive to diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches.

A Flexible Major

Departmental majors commonly combine their interests in sociology with courses in other disciplines and programs, such as history, African-American studies, anthropology, political science, religious studies, and business. In addition, the Sociology Department is the primary home to UNC’s minor in Social and Economic Justice. Students interested in pursuing graduate studies in sociology after college may, with instructor permission, also enroll in graduate-level courses at UNC.

Major Requirements

The major requirements (9 courses for the B.A.) allow students substantial flexibility in meeting their individual intellectual interests and goals.

Research, Service, & Careers

The undergraduate Sociology program is structured to provide students with opportunities to put sociological ideas into practice through research by means of independent studies, honors theses, and community internships. The department also urges interested students to put their training to practical use in the service of others. Most broadly, the sociology major offers strong preparation in analytical skills and broad knowledge of human relations and social systems, providing many useful tools for the development of a variety of careers, including:

• Law
• Business and industry
• Public relations
• Public policy
• Social work
• Community and social justice organizing
• Religious ministry
• International affairs and development
• Politics and government
• Social and market research
• Criminal justice
• Advertising
• Medicine and public health
• Education

Major and University Advising

Students should feel free to talk with advisors at any time during the semester, not just during registration periods; and to talk about anything on their minds, from course selection to career aspirations. The key is: students must take the initiative. To be absolutely sure that they have sufficient credits and course distributions to graduate, students should obtain The Final Word from their Arts and Sciences advisor in Steele Building. It is these advisors who give the final stamp of approval and determine whether or not students will graduate, so it is crucial that students see their Arts and Sciences advisor at least once a year.

Available Majors and Minors

The Department of Sociology offers the following majors and minors:

• Sociology Major
• Management and Society Major
• Social and Economic Justice Minor
• Health and Society Minor

Department Contacts

• Director of Undergraduate Studies: Jessica Su
• Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies: René Iwo
• Director of Social and Economic Justice: Kathleen Fitzgerald
• Assistant Director of Social and Economic Justice: Anna Gardner

Department Address

The Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, 155 Hamilton (soon to be Pauli Murray) Hall, CB #3210, Chapel Hill, NC.