Sociology, Bachelor of Arts (775)
Program Coordinator
Amy C. Krull, amy.krull@wku.edu, (270) 745-6363
Department Email: sociology@wku.edu
The program is designed to further awareness and understanding of social life including the social causes and consequences of human behavior in groups, organizations, societies, and various cultures. Completion provides a broad background for students pursuing a variety of careers by helping them develop valuable skills.
Program Requirements (32 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major in sociology requires a minimum of 32 credit hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. At least half the total semester hours earned must be in upper-division courses (courses numbered 300-499). A minor, certificate, or second major is required.
Core Courses
The following courses are required for every sociology major:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SOCL 100 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| SOCL 199 | College & Careers in Criminology & Sociology | 1 |
| or CRIM 199 | College & Careers in Criminology & Sociology | |
| SOCL 250 | Systems of Social Inequality | 3 |
| SOCL 300 | Social Statistics | 3 |
| SOCL 301 | Social Statistics Lab | 1 |
| SOCL 302 | Social Research Methods | 3 |
| SOCL 304 | Sociological Theory: Perspectives on Society | 3 |
| Total Hours | 17 | |
Non-restricted electives must be chosen from the following courses. No more than two of the following courses may be used as electives for the Sociology major: Socl 309; Socl 359; Socl 389; Crim 330; Crim 332; Crim 361;Crim 370; Crim 380; Crim 432; Crim 434; Crim 446; Crim 448; Crim 451
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 15 credit hours selected from the following: | 15 | |
| Electives: | ||
| CRIM 330 | Criminology | 3 |
| CRIM 332 | Juvenile Delinquency | 3 |
| CRIM 361 | Race, Class, and Crime | 3 |
| CRIM 370 | Issues in Policing | 3 |
| CRIM 380 | Punishment and Society | 3 |
| CRIM 432 | Sociology of Criminal Law | 3 |
| CRIM 434 | Organized Crime | 3 |
| CRIM 446 | Gender, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| CRIM 448 | International Justice and Crime | 3 |
| CRIM 451 | White-Collar Crime | 3 |
| CSJ 200 | Introduction to Social Justice | 3 |
| SOCL 1@ | ||
| SOCL 2@ | ||
| SOCL 3@ | ||
| SOCL 4@ | ||
| ANTH 120 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 399 | Field Methods in Ethnography | 3 |
| FLK 280 | Cultural Diversity in the U S | 3 |
| PS 311 | Public Policy | 3 |
Not more than 3 hours earned in SOCL 495 / SOCL 496 “Directed Study” in Sociology may be counted toward the first 32 hours required for the major.
Finish in Four Plans
General
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENG 100 | 3 | ENG 200 | 3 |
| SOCL 100 | 3 | SOCL 250 | 3 |
| SOCL 199 or CRIM 199 | 1 | SOCL 304 | 3 |
| MATH 183 (or other Colonnade math) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| Colonnade: Arts & Humanities | 3 | Colonnade: Natural & Physical Science with Lab | 3 |
| General Elective-- consider CSJ 200 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SOCL 302 | 3 | SOCL 300 | 3 |
| SOCL Elective | 3 | SOCL 301Should be taken the same semester as SOCL 300 | 1 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | Sociology Elective | 3 |
| COMM 145 | 3 | Colonnade: Connections1 | 3 |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Science | 3 | 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENG 300 | 3 | Any Sociology Elective | 3 |
| Colonnade: Connections2 | 3 | Any Sociology Elective | 3 |
| Any Sociology Elective | 3 | Colonnade: Connections3 | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Any 300-400 level SOCL Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 | Any 300-400 level SOCL Elective (suggested SOCL 494) | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 | 2nd Major/Minor Course | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 122 | |||