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Sociology Major
The Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in sociology requires 40 semester courses, including a minimum of 15 courses in the major: five 1000-2000 level (15 credits) sociology courses and 10 3000-4000 level (30 credits) sociology courses.
Sociology Major Program Planning GuideAdmission requirements to the sociology major
Subject to final approval, admission to the sociology major requires completion of Sociology 1110 and 1210, two 2000-level sociology courses of which three of the four sociology courses must be a pass at Grade C+ or above, and admission into the BA program. It is recommended that students complete SOCI 2720 before entering the sociology major.
Courses for the sociology major
1000-2000 level courses: 15 credits
SOCI 1110 Introduction to Sociology I (3,0,0) SOCI 1110 Introduction to Sociology I (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students learn the core concepts of the discipline of sociology by examining key topics (such as culture, socialization, social interaction, social roles, and social structure) that allow us to locate ourselves within society. Students also explore theoretical perspectives within sociology and the fundamentals of the sociological research methods.
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SOCI 1210 Introduction to Sociology II (3,0,0) SOCI 1210 Introduction to Sociology II (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students critically examine social stratification and inequalities based on dimensions of class, race, gender, and sexuality in both the Canadian and global contexts. In this second introductory course, students apply a sociological analysis to the study of major social institutions including: education, work, politics, media, healthcare, and the criminal justice system. Students investigate questions and debates concerning our modern world, in particular, those around consumer culture, globalization, and the role of social media.
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MATH 1200 |
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PSYC 2100 Analysis of Psychological Data (3,0,0) PSYC 2100 Analysis of Psychological Data (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students apply critical thinking skills as they develop a conceptual and practical understanding of a variety of data analysis methods commonly used in psychological research. Students learn the underlying rationale for the major statistical methods and evaluate various experimental designs to ensure appropriate application of a given statistical test to a particular dataset. Students practice articulating and applying a variety of statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, correlation, t-tests, chi-square, and ANOVA, in order to derive meaning from diverse datasets. Students practice using critical thinking skills to assess the validity of a variety of statistical claims they are likely to encounter in their everyday lives.
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SOCI 2720 Introductory Social Research Methods (2,1,0) SOCI 2720 Introductory Social Research Methods (2,1,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in an overview of the theory and practice of social research. Students acquire fundamental research and data management skills. Topics include research ethics, research design, survey research, field research,
interviewing, quasi-experimentation, and data analysis.
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SOCI 2010 Race and Ethnicity (3,0,0) SOCI 2010 Race and Ethnicity (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students learn about race and ethnicity as social constructions and examine sociological theories to explain race and ethnic inequality in Canada. Students are challenged to critically examine processes of racialization and ethnic belonging in Canada and also in comparison to other countries. |
SOCI 2100 Canadian Social Issues (3,0,0) SOCI 2100 Canadian Social Issues (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in a descriptive and analytic survey of features in Canadian society as a basis for understanding current social issues. These features may include demographic characteristics, class structure, race and ethnicity, social policy, regionalism or other relevant aspects of Canadian society. |
SOCI 2130 Women in Global Perspective (3,0,0) or (3,0,0)(3,0,0) SOCI 2130 Women in Global Perspective (3,0,0) or (3,0,0)(3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students examine the experiences and status of women within a global context. Topics include family relations, paid and unpaid domestic work, the global economy, gendered violence, sex tourism and the sex trade, beauty standards and the altered body, maternal mortality, and societal control of sexuality and reproduction. Throughout the course, students analyze the commonalities and diversities of women's lives through dimensions of race, ethnicity, nation, class, age, and sexuality. |
SOCI 2160 The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspectives (3,0,0) SOCI 2160 The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspectives (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students learn about family life in its formation, the relevance of marriage and cohabitation, bringing up children, and the impact of family issues. In this cross-cultural comparison of family life, students explore global diversity in the structure and meaning of marriage relations; forms of domestic organization; the gendered division of labour, property and inheritance, and the familial influence in the construction of gender in different cultures around the world. |
SOCI 2170 The Sociology of Popular Culture (3,0,0) SOCI 2170 The Sociology of Popular Culture (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students examine the sociological implications of current popular culture and issues central to how social life is presented and constructed through popular cultural lenses. Students explore the unequal production, distribution and consumption of popular culture and the representations and justifications of inequality between groups in modern society. |
SOCI 2230 Collective Behaviour (3,0,0) SOCI 2230 Collective Behaviour (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in an analysis of crowd and mass action and behaviour; they examine cases and theories of collective behaviour to explain what occurs in social phenomena such as riots, rumours and miracles, cults, militias and hate groups, urban myths and urban legends, fads and crazes, revolutions and social movements. |
SOCI 2500 Crime and Society (3,0,0) SOCI 2500 Crime and Society (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students examine the Canadian Criminal Justice System at an introductory level, with reference to the nature of criminal law, the philosophy of crime control, criminal justice policy, and current trends/patterns of crime in Canada. They explore the various components of the criminal justice system, including policing, the courts, and corrections. Students also discuss the trends in early and contemporary criminological theorizing.
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SOCI 2590 Deviance and Control (3,0,0) SOCI 2590 Deviance and Control (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students critically evaluate the concept of deviance, its resulting social control, and its use in institutions and daily social interactions. Students explore the role of power in reinforcing and challenging 'deviant' identities. Major topics include sexuality, youth, physical appearance, mental disorders, religion and scientific beliefs, and their place in the construction of criminal and non-criminal deviance. |
SOCI 2620 Sociology of the Environment (3,0,0) SOCI 2620 Sociology of the Environment (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in the study of environmental sociology at an introductory level, which provides insights into social processes that impact the natural environment. Students examine the social roots of the environmental crisis. Topics include a review of the history of environmental thought within the field, key debates, the role of social institutions, environmental social movements, and a range of case studies. |
3000-4000 Level Courses: 30 credits
SOCI 3200 Classical Social Theory (3,0,0) SOCI 3200 Classical Social Theory (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in the study of complex works by three influential founders of sociology (Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber), as well as other relevant theorists who contributed to the formation of the basic concepts and methods of the social sciences. Students examine the development of capitalism, the formation of modern society, and the discovery of society as an object of knowledge. Students critically analyze the male-centred and Eurocentic perspectives and limitations of sociological classical theories.
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SOCI 3210 Feminist Theory (3,0,0) SOCI 3210 Feminist Theory (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in learning the history of feminist thought, the major traditions of feminist theory, as well as the debates central to the dialogue of classical and contemporary feminist theory. They study the original work of some of the major theorists and pay close attention to how historical conditions and social issues have shaped the thinking of each author. Topics include historical and contemporary liberal and socialist feminist thought and practice, second-wave radical feminism, feminist theories of intersectionality, and postmodern, post-colonial, queer and
third-wave approaches to feminist theory. Throughout the course, students critically analyze the relevance of the various traditions of feminist thought and practice to contemporary social life. Students also discuss the social, economic and political forces that influence contemporary perceptions of feminism.
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SOCI 3220 Contemporary Social Theory (3,0,0) SOCI 3220 Contemporary Social Theory (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students examine major schools of social theory and how these schools have developed and expanded their concepts towards explaining the many areas of contemporary social reality. Students explore how theoretical perspectives have influenced the way in which we think about society and also how social scientists use theories and concepts to approach complex social reality and engage in research.
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SOCI 3800 Introduction to Social Survey Design and Analysis (2,1,0) SOCI 3800 Introduction to Social Survey Design and Analysis (2,1,0)Credits: 3 credits Students learn to design questionnaires, complete interviews, draw samples, and analyze survey data. This is a core course for the sociology major program.
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SOCI 3820 Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology (2,1,0) SOCI 3820 Qualitative Research Methods in Sociology (2,1,0)Credits: 3 credits Students explore a diversity of ethnographic and qualitative research methods used by sociologists, as well as theories and practical elements of qualitative data analysis. Students gain practical skills in qualitative research methods, such as: interviews, focus groups, participant observation, ethnography, autoethnography, and discourse and text analysis. Students also examine ethical issues related to the use of ethnography & qualitative methods, such as motivation, benefits, detriments, power relations, or politics of representation.
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| SEVEN 3000-4000 level Sociology courses (21 credits) |
SOCI 3620 ***Special Topics in Social Problems (3,0,0) SOCI 3620 ***Special Topics in Social Problems (3,0,0)Credits: 3 credits Students engage in an indepth examination of a selected area within the discipline of sociology. The specific area will vary according to faculty availability and expertise.
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| *NOTE on SOCI 3620: Special Topics in Social Problems (3 credits) - The department may offer a number of these special topics courses each semester. Students are allowed to complete as many of these 3 credit courses as they choose, provided that all of them cover different topics (each special topics course will count towards their upper elective credits for their Sociology major). |
