Sociology (BA)
Sociology explores the many ways people interact and organize themselves—within families and nations, cities and suburbs, factories, schools, churches, and even gangs. Its subject matter is the world around us. Sociologists at Loyola explore questions such as how play in public parks can build community life, effective activism to protect the environment, and the integration of immigrants into American society.
Undergraduate students entering the department become part of a distinguished program with a long history of teaching, research, and service to the community beginning in 1914. With fifteen full-time sociologists, our department supports both an active research agenda and a teaching program that grants personal attention to our students, small class sizes, and opportunities for faculty-student collaborations.
Related Programs
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SOCL 101 | Society in a Global Age | 3 |
| SOCL 205 | Sociological Thought 1 | 3 |
| SOCL 206 | Principles of Social Research | 3 |
| SOCL 301 | Statistics for Social Research | 4 |
| SOCL 365 | Social Theory & Social Research 2 | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Complete six total electives; five must be from SOCL 210-SOCL 380. 3,4,5 | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 34 | |
- 1
Any Sociology 100-level course is considered to be a prerequisite for SOCL 205, except by special permission of the instructor.
- 2
SOCL 205, SOCL 206, and SOCL 301 are prerequisites for SOCL 365. These courses provide social science students with the theory and methodology background needed for more advanced work.
- 3
Only one semester of SOCL 380 may be counted toward the major (although this is a six credit hour course, it counts as one course).
- 4
In choosing electives, majors should consult with their department advisor. One course from another social science may be substituted with departmental permission.
- 5
A list of all Sociology (SOCL) course descriptions can be found here.
Optional Concentrations
Health and Community Concentration
The Health and Community Concentration gives students a broad background in the discipline overall while allowing students to focus their coursework on the substantive areas of healthcare institutions, medical sociology, and the social sources of health-related inequalities across communities, including attention to race, ethnicity, gender, social class and neighborhoods. The Health and Community Concentration is well suited for students interested in a broad range of careers and courses of graduate study in health-related fields, including: medical school, medicine, and other careers in medical care (terrific MCAT prep); healthcare administration and healthcare policy; graduate study in medical sociology and/or gerontology; graduate study and careers in counseling; advocacy and/or non-profit work focused on populations facing health-based risks and inequalities both in the U.S. and overseas.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Intro Course | ||
| Society in a Global Age | ||
| Health & Health Care | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Sociology of Health Care | ||
| Undergrad Seminar-Special Topics 1 | ||
| Populations (Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Immigration) | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Religion & Society | ||
| Sociology of Sex and Gender | ||
| Gender and Work | ||
| Topics in the Life Cycle 1 | ||
| Sociology and Culture of the Life Course | ||
| Sociology of the African-American Experience | ||
| Self & Society | ||
| Childhood and Society | ||
| Population Studies | ||
| Families | ||
| Topics in Contemporary Sociology | ||
| Internship | ||
| Communities and Neighborhoods | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Chicago: Urban Metropolis | ||
| City, Suburbs & Beyond | ||
| Communities in a Global Age | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Urban Semester Seminar 2 | ||
| Poverty and Inequality | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Social Problems | ||
| Poverty & Welfare in America | ||
| Inequality in Society | ||
| Power in Society | ||
| Globalization & Society 2 | ||
| Global Inequalities | ||
| International Development | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Indicates courses that are infrequently offered
- 2
Indicates experiential learning
Social Justice Concentration
The Social Justice Concentration gives students a broad background in the discipline overall, and in keeping with the centrality of social justice to Loyola’s mission, this concentration allows students to focus their coursework on the substantive topics of social inequality, social change, and social justice. The Social Justice concentration is well suited for students interested in a broad range of careers, advocacy, and courses of graduate study in fields including: law school and legal practice in areas such as civil rights law, gender-based violence, immigration law; public policy and public administration concerning issues for marginalized populations (e.g., homelessness, education, job training/placement, housing, residency status, post-incarceration reentry, voting rights, etc.); social work and human services; teaching and educational leadership and policy; higher education and student affairs; advocacy and non-profit management in organizations that serve marginalized populations; labor organizing and collective bargaining; research for labor unions, social service agencies, and/or non-profit organizations.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Intro Course | ||
| Society in a Global Age | ||
| Stratification and Inequality | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Inequality in Society | ||
| Global Inequalities | ||
| Power in Society | ||
| International Development | ||
| Populations (Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Immigration) | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Religion & Society | ||
| Sociology of Sex and Gender | ||
| Gender and Work | ||
| Topics in the Life Cycle 1 | ||
| Sociology and Culture of the Life Course | ||
| Sociology of the African-American Experience | ||
| Self & Society | ||
| Childhood and Society | ||
| Population Studies | ||
| Families | ||
| Topics in Contemporary Sociology | ||
| Undergrad Seminar-Special Topics | ||
| Internship | ||
| Deviance, Social Control, and Law | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Law & Society | ||
| The Sociology of Violence | ||
| Deviance and Social Control | ||
| Social Change | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| City, Suburbs & Beyond | ||
| Social Movements & Social Change | ||
| Globalization & Society 2 | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Global Civil Society and Social Movements | ||
| Urban Semester Seminar 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Indicates courses that are infrequently offered
- 2
Indicates experiential learning
Research Methods Concentration
The Research Methods Concentration gives students a broad background in the discipline overall, while providing students the opportunity to focus their coursework on the principles and practices of social research methodology. This concentration emphasizes both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, equipping students with the skills to design, conduct, and analyze studies in the social sciences. The Research Methods Concentration is well suited for students interested in advanced degrees in business, graduate school, and a broad range of careers, including social science research, market research, data analytics, policy analyst, user experience/design, statistician, census researcher, survey research technician, and non-profit or private organizational management.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Intro Course | ||
| Society in a Global Age | ||
| Methods | ||
| Select five of the following | 15 | |
| Principles of Social Research | ||
| Population Studies | ||
| Statistics for Social Research | ||
| Qualitative Research 2 | ||
| Urban Semester Seminar 2 | ||
| Social Theory & Social Research 2 | ||
| Undergrad Seminar-Special Topics | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Indicates courses that are infrequently offered
- 2
Indicates experiential learning
Double Majors
For students with a broad range of interests, a double major may offer a desirable option.
Sociology is most frequently combined with another social science (political science, psychology, etc.), but students in philosophy, biology, and languages have also found a second major in Sociology useful.
Suggested Sequence of Courses
The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework. An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study. Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.
In the suggested sequence, courses can either be taken in Fall or Spring semester dependent on student's schedules.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| SOCL 100-Level Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Sociology Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| SOCL 205 | Sociological Thought | 3 |
| SOCL 301 | Statistics for Social Research | 4 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Spring | ||
| SOCL 206 | Principles of Social Research | 3 |
| Sociology Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| Sociology Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Sociology Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| Sociology Elective 1 | 3 | |
| SOCL 365 | Social Theory & Social Research | 3 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| Sociology Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Hours | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 34 | |
- 1
During this semester, students may pursue a possible internship as an elective credit.
Transferring Credit
In completing major requirements, not more than five (5) courses or 15 semester hours will be accepted in transfer from other colleges and universities.
College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements
All Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take two Writing Intensive courses (6 credit hours) as well as complete a foreign language requirement at 102-level or higher (3 credit hours) or a language competency test. More information can be found here.
Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements
All Undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101. SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101. Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101. You can find more information in the University Requirements area.
Learning Outcomes
- Critical Thinking - demonstrate the ability to analyze and evaluate multiple and competing social, political, and/or cultural arguments.
- Sociological Imagination - the ability to articulate and evaluate how individual biographies are shaped by social structures, social institutions, cultural routines, and multiple of elements of social difference and/or inequality.
- Communication - the ability to formulate effective and convincing written and verbal arguments.
- Diversity – an awareness of how people of different cultural, religious, and political belief systems interpret the world around them through those beliefs.
- Sociological Theory - the ability to use and evaluate both classical and contemporary perspectives in sociological theory.
- Methodology - the ability to interpret and evaluate several of the major social science research methodologies, as well as the relationship between research questions and appropriate methods.
- Substantive Areas - the ability to demonstrate knowledge of multiple key substantive areas within the field of sociology and evaluate competing perspectives.
- Social Justice in the Jesuit Tradition - the ability to articulate and evaluate how sociological insights should inform a commitment to social justice.