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Programs:
Major in Sociology
- Develop a strong base from which to launch careers in government, nonprofit organizations, research, business, and communications.
- Learn data collecting methods and analytical skills.
- Gain exposure to cross-cultural perspectives.
- Examine social constructs such as race and gender that assign social statuses to people and organize their daily lives.
- Learn how people form social movements, create alternative lifestyles, and use the media to confront the status quo and change society.
If you want "to think outside the box" and imagine that "things are not always what they seem," try sociology. Browse through the above course offerings and you are sure to find courses that excite your interest.
Major Requirements
Eleven courses in the department (of which at
least six must be taken at Tufts' Medford / Somerville campus),
including:
- Sociology 1: Introduction to Sociology
- Sociology 101: Quantitative Research Methods
- Sociology 102: Qualitative Methods in Action
- Sociology 103: Survey of Social Theory
- 7 additional courses in sociology, including at least 1 seminar numbered 180 or above
- At least two of the core courses (Sociology 1, 101, 102, 103) must be taken within the department
Sociology Clusters
The Sociology faculty has developed two clusters that reflect the current strengths of the department. Each offers in-depth study of an area of sociology. Students can major in Sociology by fulfilling the above requirements OR by completing Sociology 1, 101, 102, 103, a seminar numbered 180 or above, and five of their six electives from one of these two clusters:
- Media, Culture, and Society
Students will learn to question and reflect on the media and their content and become more than passive consumers of what they see and hear. How do the news media construct a story? What stories don’t they present, and why? To what extent is what we “know” from our exposure to the media inconsistent with what sociological research has found? How does media content affect our attitudes and behavior, and how do our attitudes and behavior influence media content?
Courses include: Sociology 40: Media and Society; Sociology 149-02: Sociology of Taste; Sociology 149SA: Art and Artists: Sociological Perspectives; Sociology 149: Sociology of News; Sociology 182: Crime and the Media; Sociology 185: Seminar in Mass Media.
- Social Inequalities and Social Change
The study of inequalities and social change to address inequalities has historically been a core field in Sociology. Current emphases are inequalities of race, ethnicity, immigration, social class, and gender. Social change to address inequalities focuses on restructuring institutions to distribute resources and power more equitably.
Courses include: Sociology 10: American Society; Sociology 20: Family and Intimate Relationships; Sociology 30: Sex and Gender in Society; Sociology 50: Globalization and Social Change; Sociology 110: Racial and Ethnic Minorities; Sociology 111: Social Change and Community Organizing; Sociology 113: Urban Sociology; Sociology 130: Wealth, Poverty, and Inequality; Sociology 135: Social Movements; Sociology 141: Medical Sociology; Sociology 184: Nonprofits, States, and Markets; Sociology 187: Immigrant Children; and Sociology 189: Seminar in Social Policy.
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