Western Washington University · Bellingham, Washington
Sociology/Social Studies, BA
What Is the Study of Sociology/Social Studies?
Completion of the BA Sociology/Social Studies leads to an endorsement in social studies. To receive a recommendation for state of Washington certification for secondary education, students must complete the “teacher certification” program, including the content methods course SEC 426, which is offered by the Department of Secondary Education as 1) a part of the undergraduate BA degree, or 2) as a post-baccalaureate program, or 3) as part of the Master’s in Education degree.
Why Should I Consider this Major?
Many students choose Sociology because they see it as a broad liberal arts base for professions such as law, education, social services and criminal justice work. Sociology provides a rich fund of knowledge that directly pertains to each of these fields.
How to Declare:
Admissions: To declare, a student must have completed the following requirements:
- Completion of at least 45 college-level credits
- Completion of at least 5 credits in Sociology with a grade of C- or better
Path 1 (Immediate Declaration):
Students with a cumulative GPA of 2.85 or higher may submit their Admissions paperwork at any time to the Sociology Department Advisor for approval and admission to the major.
Path 2 (Application Review):
Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 2.85 should submit their Admissions paperwork to the Sociology Department on or before Friday of the 2nd week of fall, winter, spring, or summer quarter. These applications will be reviewed and admission to the major will be based on a combination of overall GPA, Sociology GPA, and space available in the program. Students will receive notification regarding their admission status during the third week of classes.
Endorsement in Social Studies: To receive a recommendation for state of Washington certification, students must complete the “teacher certification” program, including the content methods course SEC 426, which is offered by the Department of Secondary Education 1) as part of the undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree, or 2) as a post-baccalaureate program, or 3) as a part of the Master’s in Teaching degree. See the Secondary Education section of the bulletin for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements. Completion of this combined major leads to an endorsement in social studies. Courses required for a state teaching endorsement must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better.
Coursework
Sociology Course Requirements (40 credits)
- One course from:
- SOC 221 - Introduction to Population Issues
- SOC 251 - Sociology of Deviant Behavior
- SOC 255 - Social Organization of Criminal Justice
- SOC 260 - The Family in Society
- SOC 268 - Gender and Society
- SOC 269 - Race and Ethnic Relations
Core Requirements
- SOC 302 - Classical Sociological Theory
- SOC 304 - Statistics for Sociology
- SOC 306 - Sociological Research Methods
- One course from:
- SOC 361 - Sociology of Education
- SOC 368 - Gender and Education
- Two courses from:
- SOC 340 - Sociology of Organizations
- SOC 361 - Sociology of Education
- SOC 364 - Social Stratification
- SOC 368 - Gender and Education
- SOC 369 - Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
- SOC 380 - Sociology of Youth
- One course from:
- SOC 461 - Advanced Sociology of Education (preferred)
- SOC 492 - Senior Thesis
- OR other Soc 400-level capstone seminar
Social Studies Course Requirements (41-43 credits)
- ENVS 204 - Human Geography
- HIST 103 - Introduction to American Civilization: American History to 1865
- HIST 104 - Introduction to American Civilization: American History Since 1865
- HIST 121 - World History to 500
- HIST 123 - World History, 1500 to the Present
- HIST 391 - History of the Pacific Northwest
- PLSC 250 - The American Political System
- One course from:
- ECON 206 - Introduction to Microeconomics
- ECON 446 - Economics for the Teacher (preferred)
- One course from:
- ECON 207 - Introduction to Macroeconomics
- ECON 447 - Methods for Teaching About the National Economy in the Public Schools (preferred)
- One of:
- ENVS 221 - Geographic Information Systems Survey
- or two additional geography credits
GURs:
The courses below satisfy GUR requirements and may also be used to fulfill major requirements.
- QSR: SOC 304
- HUM: HIST 103, 104, 121, 123
- SSC: ENVS 204; PLSC 250; SOC 221, 251, 255, 260; ECON 206, 207
- BCGM: SOC 268, 269
Sample Careers
- Teacher—Secondary Education
Department
Contact
Department Chair
Mick CunninghamAH 514360-650-4881Mick.Cunningham@wwu.edu
Department Advisor
Linda Clark
AH 513
360-650-4882
Linda.Clark@wwu.edu
Secondary Education
Information:Miller Hall 401C(360) 650-3327http://www.wce.wwu.edu/sec/
Teacher Education Admissions
MH 214360-650-3313www.wce.wwu.edu/admiss