SOC HOME
Dept News
People
Program Info
Resources
AKD/SSA
Employment
Links


To open pdf files

Just What is this Sociology Anyway?

Sociology is the study of social life and the social origins and consequences of human behavior. Sociology's subject matter ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob, from crime to religion, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of common culture, from the sociology of work to the sociology of sport.

Sociology is a liberal arts major with particular emphasis on developing students' abilities to think critically about complex issues, to analyze social issues and organizations, to design and carry out research, and to write with clarity and economy.

The undergraduate major in sociology at the University of Southern Maine offers valuable preparation for careers in social work, social research, criminal justice, politics, public administration, law, business, and education. The major also provides an excellent basis for graduate study in sociology, law, criminology, and social work.

The Sociology Department is deeply committed to excellent undergraduate teaching. We try to maintain a student centered environment which emphasizes collaboration between faculty and student to enrich the educational process. Students appreciate our involvement with their academic lives and the interaction between students and faculty which characterizes our Department.

Our commitment to teaching reflects our concern for students' intellectual development and our desire for students to be actively involved in their major and in academic life. It follows from this commitment that student involvement is a high priority for the Department.

The Sociology Students' Association is an active, independent, student organization of sociology majors and other students who are interested in sociology. The Association sponsors various events during the year including social events, lectures, and service projects.

The USM Department of Sociology is affiliated with the national sociology scholarship and honor society, Alpha Kappa Delta. Outstanding junior and senior sociology students and honored annually by being invited to join this honor society and installed as members at a public celebration.

The Department of Sociology offers a strong internship program and encourages other offcampus learning experiences (national and international exchanges and international courses). The programs provide an opportunity to bring together academic work and community involvement and provide students with the opportunity to tailor part of the major to personal interests and/or career goals.

The primary goal of a sociology major is to teach students to be citizens who can function in a complex world and to give them a sociological lens through which to view that world.

The internship program helps place students in community organizations and agencies, including neighborhood organizations and a variety of agencies dealing with youth services.

Students often come to the sociology major with broadly-framed interests in the discipline or with general career interests. While there is no requirement that students specialize, a number of our courses fall into one of more clusters. Students may wish to select their electives from these clusters in order to develop informal areas of expertise within the discipline/major.

Some possible clusters include:

• Children and families
• Inequality
• Crime, law and deviance
• Social change

In putting sociology to work, you will not only know about the broad substantive issues behind the social problems you see as a volunteer. In fact, your sociological training provides you with the methodological skills to research, generate a factual report, and organize a solution to these problems. Thus, you can transform your social awareness into social change. Sociologists work in the justice system as juvenile court workers and correctional counselors; in the community as substance abuse counselors and child development technicians; in the government as affirmative action workers and urban planners; and in many research and social service positions.