Sociology

Overview

Sociology is concerned primarily with the scientific study of social groups and social relations. Sociologists seek to understand how societies, institutions, organizations and other social forces shape and are shaped by individuals. One of the department's primary aims is to provide students with the analytical critical skills needed to understand and evaluate social institutions and social change more effectively.

The sociology faculty complement one another in a way that allows them to offer a varied range of courses. Courses reflect a growing interest and focus in the discipline on disadvantaged groups and classes of people and the ways they interact with social institutions. Occidental's proximity to Los Angeles, one of the most ethnically and economically diverse cities in the world, makes this focus all the more appropriate and provides students with the opportunity to observe many of these social phenomena firsthand.

Sociology majors will receive excellent preparation for graduate and professional study in sociology, law, social work, journalism, public health, business management, teaching, public administration, and other fields that require the ability to think critically, analytically, and ethically about a wide range of social issues in the search for viable solutions. While the department is committed to providing majors with the best possible preparation for careers in sociology and related fields, it is equally committed to providing non-majors with knowledge of social life as well as evaluative and analytical skills from which they will benefit in their chosen field of study and their careers in an increasingly diverse and complex world.

Requirements

Major

Eleven courses (44 units) are required to complete the major.

Theory

Students must select one course from below:

Methods

Students must select one from the list below:

Electives:

Choose six additional courses from within the department

Second-Stage Writing

Students majoring in Sociology will satisfy the second-stage component of Occidental College's college-wide writing requirement by completing any 300-level Sociology course by the end of the fall semester of the junior year with a grade of B- or higher. Students should familiarize themselves with the departmental requirement at the time of declaring the major. See the Writing Program and consult the department chair for additional information.

Comprehensive

Students will engage in a major research project that will culminate in a written senior thesis.

Honors in the Major

A distinctive ("PD") comprehensive senior thesis based on primary research along with a 3.5 grade point average in the department and 3.25 overall.

Minor

Five courses (20 units) in Sociology for which at most one of SOC 101 and SOC 102 may count. The remaining four courses are electives that students may select from all the other courses offered by the department.

Transfer Credit Policies

The Sociology Department may accept online courses to count toward the major or the minor.

While there is not an AP or IB examination in Sociology, a qualifying A-level examination score on any of the three, post-2017 Sociology examinations will be considered equivalent to completing SOC 101 or SOC 102. Students will earn four units of credit for each qualifying examination score. Up to eight units may be applied toward the major and up to four units may be applied toward the minor.

Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.

The department will apply toward the sociology major most broad-based courses in Introduction to Sociology taken at accredited colleges and universities.

In addition to Introduction to Sociology, the department will accept a maximum of 9-units of Sociology courses taken at other institutions and passed with grades of C or better toward the completion of the Sociology major. Please consult with your academic adviser and the department chair for course approval.

Students transferring from another institution in the junior year or students who have taken a leave of absence for more than 1 semester may transfer Introduction to Sociology and up to 17-units of other Sociology courses, with approval from the department chair.

Advising Information

Students interested in the Sociology major should take SOC 101, SOC 102, or SOC 105 during their first year. These courses serve as prerequisites for most 200-level and above courses in the major. Students typically take SOC 200 or SOC 205 during their sophomore year, as well as SOC 304. Sociology students are encouraged to consider studying abroad for a semester. The ideal plan ensures that students study abroad, have taken at least two Sociology electives, and have taken the following courses prior to senior year: SOC 101 (please add: SOC 102 or SOC 105; SOC 200 or SOC 205; SOC 304; and SOC 305, SOC 306, or SOC 310. Up to two courses taken in Sociology departments while abroad count towards the major electives.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Sociology major.

Sample 4-Year Plan

Curricular Notes

• SOC 101, SOC 102, or SOC 105 serve as prerequisites for most other SOC courses.

Internships

The department, in concert with the Hameetman Career Center, keeps files on available internships in law, criminal justice, and various social and community agencies.

Sociology Transfer Student Advice

Transfer Course Limit for Transfer Students: 20 units

Designated Transfer Adviser

Expected preparation for transfer students wanting to major in Sociology:

• Transfer students intending to declare the major at Occidental should have completed the equivalent of SOC 101, and as many of Occidental's Core Requirements as possible before transferring to Occidental. For rising juniors it will be possible to complete at most one or two more core requirements while at Occidental.

General advice for transfer students wanting to major in Sociology:

• It is preferable to take all the required Sociology classes, except for SOC 101, at Occidental. Once at Occidental, it is wise to take Sociological Inquiry, a sociology theory course, and a sociology methods class as soon as possible. It is especially challenging for students not to have taken a methods class before their senior year.

• The only course for the major that must be taken at Occidental is the Senior Seminar. 

What courses should a transfer student take during their first semester at Occidental?

• Rising junior transfer students (those with four semesters remaining) who start Occidental in a fall semester should enroll in SOC 304: Sociological Inquiry and a sociology theory course (SOC 200 or SOC 205). Those who start in the spring semester must enroll in a methods course (SOC 305 or SOC 306) in order to be prepared for their Senior Seminar in the next year. They should also enroll in a sociology theory course (SOC 200 or SOC 205), and if it is offered in the spring, SOC 304: Sociological Inquiry

• Rising sophomores or students starting midway through their sophomore year (with six or five semesters remaining) who start Occidental in the fall would be best served by also following the advice above. Those who start in the spring should enroll in SOC 304: Sociological Inquiry if it is offered, and a sociology theory course (SOC 200 or SOC 205)

Courses

Sociology Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure Track Faculty

Dolores Trevizo, chair; designated transfer adviser 

Professor

A.B., Occidental College; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

John T. Lang

Associate Professor

B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Rutgers University 

Jan Lin

Professor

B.A., Williams College; M.S., London School of Economics and Political Science; Ph.D., New School for Social Research

Richard Mora

Associate Professor

B.A., Harvard College (Sociology); M.A., University of Michigan (Education); M.A., Harvard University (Sociology); Ph.D., Harvard University (Sociology & Social Policy)

Mai Thai

Assistant Professor

B.A., Pomona College; Ph.D., Indiana University

Benjamin Weiss

Assistant Professor

A.B., Occidental College; Ph.D., University of Southern California

Non-Tenure Track Faculty 

Ry Brennan

Conrad Jacober
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Kenyon College; M.A., Johns Hopkins University; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

Soo Mee Kim

Laila H. Noureldin

Brittany Suh