Sociology, Bachelor of Arts
The major in Sociology will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of sociological theories and methodologies, as well as the research and analytical skills they need to work in and contribute to today’s globally interconnected world. The major focuses on the globalized nature of our society and the intensification of inequalities and related demands for social justice. It harnesses the discipline of sociology’s ability to put such social problems in their societal context for the purposes of understanding them and contributing to their resolution. Sociology at John Jay builds students’ knowledge of theoretical explanations of the relationship between people and their society, fosters the skills necessary to research, analyze, and communicate information about social problems, and cultivates values of empathy and understanding towards diverse groups and unequal conditions. The major also prepares those students interested in additional study for graduate programs (MA or Ph.D.) in Sociology, the growing fields of Global Studies, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, other associated social science disciplines, and law school.
Learning Outcomes. Students will:
- Demonstrate a sociological imagination, i.e., the ability to see connections between local, personal experiences and larger global, societal forces, and between individual troubles and pervasive social problems, in a global context.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how inequalities based on perceptions of social difference (e.g. racial, class, gender, ability) have been created, maintained, and challenged over time and across place.
- Be able to test the veracity of research hypotheses and be able to formulate basic research questions to guide studies of societal behavior, processes, and institutions by using sociological methods of collecting evidence.
- Demonstrate familiarity with written works of classic and contemporary sociological theories that explain why people think and act as they do.
- Demonstrate an understanding and mastery of sociological concepts through writing, explanatory, and presentational skills.
Credits Required.
| Sociology Major |
36-39 |
| General Education |
42 |
| Electives |
39-42 |
| Total Credits Required for B.A. Degree |
120 |
Coordinator. Professor Louis Kontos, Fall 2023 (lkontos@jjay.cuny.edu) and Jayne Mooney, Spring 2024 (jmooney@jjay.cuny.edu), Department of Sociology
Advising information. Department of Sociology Advising (socadvising@jjay.cuny.edu)
Sociology Department Advising Guide
Sociology Major Advising Resources. Major Checklist (prior to Fall 2017).
Major Checklist (Fall 2017 to present)
CUNY Gateway Courses: SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology; SOC 201 Urban Sociology; SOC 202 Sociology of Families; SOC 213 Sociology of Race and Ethnic Relations; SOC 215 Women and Social Control in the U.S.; SOC 232 Social Stratification
Experiential Learning Opportunities. Students in the Sociology major can participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities, primarily in the later parts of their studies. In their junior and senior years, students can typically engage in an internship or practicum experience related to a career area of their choice through our Internships for Sociology courses (SOC 377) and/or our unique Faculty Mentored Research Experience in Sociology course (SOC 387). Students also take Research Methods in Sociology and Criminology (SSC 325) and have the option to take Qualitative Research Methods (SOC 328), both of which require students to conduct original research in a field setting. During the senior year, students participate in an extensive research experience associated with the capstone seminar, culminating in a research paper or proposal. In recent years, students have participated in field research studying food justice organizations and collaborated in research with faculty leading to a publication in the Asian Journal of Criminology, among many other activities.
Additional Information: Students who enrolled for the first time at the College or changed to this major in September 2022 or thereafter must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version may be obtained in the 2021-22 Undergraduate Bulletin.
Foundational Courses
Required depending on math placement
Advisor’s recommendation:
MAT 108 or
MAT 141 may be used to fulfill the Required Core: Math and Quantitative Reasoning area of the General Education Program depending on students' math placement.
Total Credit Hours: 0-3
Part One. Core Courses
Required
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 232 | Social Stratification | 3 |
| SOC 312 | Classical Sociological Theories | 3 |
| SOC 315 | Contemporary Sociological Theories | 3 |
| SOC 415 | Senior Seminar in Sociology | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 15
Part Two. Research Methods
Required
| STA 250 | Principles and Methods of Statistics | 3 |
| SSC 325 | Research Methods in Criminology and Sociology | 3 |
Select one
| SOC 324 | Advanced Social Statistics | 3 |
| SOC 327 | Advanced Sociological Methodology | 3 |
| SOC 328 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| SOC 329 | Evaluation Research | 3 |
| GEN 350 | Feminist and Critical Methodologies | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 9
Part Three. Sociology Electives
Complete four courses – one of which must be at the 300 level or higherTotal Credit Hours: 12
Total Credit Hours: 36-39