Discover the Sociology Curriculum
The mission of the Department of Sociology is to provoke and challenge our students, to foster civic engagement and Changemaking towards goals of peace and social justice, to inspire in students the sociological imagination, and to develop their capacities for sociological investigation of the world around them.
Sociology at USD teaches students to master the historically situated knowledge of major racial and ethnic groups in the United States in a comparative fashion. This opens critical thinking and critical knowledge about the building blocks of contemporary society. All students are exposed to classical and contemporary sociological theories and learn to apply both quantitative and qualitative approaches to sociological research.
Strong community engagement components including field experience provide an opportunity for students to link abstract sociological concepts to concrete social issues in the search for solutions to pressing societal problems.
Major
The sociology major provides students with the analytical tools to help them understand the links between individual experiences and the larger society. Within the Sociology Department, there are two concentrations of study:
- Social Justice
- Law, Crime and Justice
Review the major tab below for more information about area concentrations.
Minor
The sociology minor provides foundational offerings in sociological concepts and a range of elective courses.
Explore Sociology Courses
Read descriptions of our current Sociology classes on our Courses page! Not all courses offered below will be available every semester. Make sure to check course offerings on the registration portal for each upcoming semester.
Program Requirements
Each student declares their major(s) and minor(s) under a single catalog of record that is identified on the student's degree audit (available on Degree Works).
The program requirements below are based on the current course catalog and may not be applicable if a student is declared in an earlier catalog.
Find all previous course catalogs under on our Archived Catalogs of Record page.
39 units
Major
18 units
Minor
Major estimates include major preparation courses as well as major requirements.
- Major
- Minor
- Learning Outcomes
The Sociology Major
Major Requirements
Students majoring in sociology must satisfy the core curriculum requirements as set forth in this course catalog and complete all major requirements as presented in the following schedule:
Lower-Division Preparation for the Major | ||
SOCI 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 201 | Quantitative Methods | 3 |
SOCI 202 | Qualitative Methods | 3 |
SOCI 270 | Law and Social Justice | 3 |
and select one of the following: | 3 | |
SOCI 210 | Social Justice | |
SOCI 240 | Crime and Inequality | |
Upper-Division | ||
SOCI 301 | Sociological Theories | 3 |
SOCI 303 | Race and Ethnic Relations | 3 |
18 additional Upper Division SOCI units, at least 12 units of which must be selected from a single area concentration: Social Justice or Law, Crime, Justice (At least 15 of the 24 Upper-Division Units must be taken at USD. No more than 6 non-USD units taken abroad will be accepted for credit toward the Sociology major) | 18 | |
Total Units | 39 | |
*Students should plan their upper-division courses in consultation with their major advisor.
Area Concentrations
Social Justice Concentration
Power, difference, and inequality are at the heart of sociological inquiry. The Social Justice concentration focuses on social structures that serve as mechanisms for the creation and perpetuation of social disparities, while also studying the many ways that groups and organizations seek to create a more socially just world. We interrogate the complicated ways that human behavior is shaped by both structure and agency through a variety of theoretical vantage points with an emphasis on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender, and sexuality. Courses address systemic inequalities both in U.S. domestic arenas as well as global and transnational dynamics, including issues of peace and war. Topics include education, democracy, citizenship, families, religion, global capitalism, urbanism, the environment and sustainable development, among others. We look at the role of social movements and community organizations in effecting social change. This concentration will be of interest to students planning careers in leadership, the non-profit sector, the labor movement, educational policy, human services/resources, public health, public administration, and business, as well as students pursuing graduate work or careers in law, education, public policy and related professional fields.
Social Justice Concentration Electives
SOCI 310 | U.S. Society | 3 |
SOCI 311 | Sociology of Families | 3 |
SOCI 312 | Gendered Lives | 3 |
SOCI 313 | Sexualities | 3-4 |
SOCI 314 | Sociology of Education | 3 |
SOCI 315 | Health and Society | 3 |
SOCI 316 | Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives | 3 |
SOCI 410 | Social Change: Global Perspectives | 3 |
SOCI 411 | Work and Labor | 3 |
SOCI 412 | Community, Consensus, and Commitment | 3 |
SOCI 413 | Fashion System(s) | 3 |
SOCI 470 | Sexuality and Borders | 3 |
SOCI 473 | Sustainability: Sociological Perspectives | 3 |
SOCI 494 | Special Topics in Contemporary Sociology (approval of department chair required) | 3 |
Law, Crime, Justice Concentration
The Law, Crime, and Justice Concentration offers students a critical analysis of the relationship between law and society with a particular focus on legal institutions, public policy, crime, the criminal justice system and the production of social inequality. Courses in the concentration seek to reveal the origins and consequences of law by examining the various ways that law both shapes and is shaped by social and political forces. Various topics in the concentration include: the manifestations, causes, and consequences of criminal behavior; the relationship between law, social power, and persistent social inequalities; and the contested meanings of justice, rights and equality as they exist both inside and outside legal institutions.
Law, Crime, Justice Concentration Electives
SOCI 340 | Urban Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 341 | Criminology | 3 |
SOCI 342 | Juvenile Justice | 3 |
SOCI 343 | Corrections | 3 |
SOCI 344 | Social Deviance | 3 |
SOCI 345 | Course SOCI 345 Not Found | 3 |
SOCI 346 | Rights, Justice, Law and Social Change | 3 |
SOCI 440 | Race and the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
SOCI 441 | Drugs & U.S. Society | 3 |
SOCI 442 | Sociology of Guns | 3 |
SOCI 470 | Sexuality and Borders | 3 |
SOCI 472 | Criminalizing Immigration | 3 |
SOCI 494 | Special Topics in Contemporary Sociology | 3 |
Additional Electives for either concentration:
SOCI 371 | Inequality and Social Change | 3 |
SOCI 372 | Politics and Society | 3-4 |
SOCI 373 | Social Institutions | 3 |
SOCI 374 | Social Movements | 3 |
SOCI 471 | Environmental Inequality and Justice | 3 |
SOCI 472 | Criminalizing Immigration | 3 |
SOCI 493 | Field Experience in Sociology | 1-3 |
SOCI 498 | Internship in Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 494 | Special Topics in Contemporary Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 495 | Capstone Experience in Sociology | 3 |
SOCI 499 | Independent Study | 1-3 |