Sociology

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Purpose and Focus

The UNLV Department of Sociology combines innovative research teaching and community service to address questions of social change, diversity, social justice, and sustainability in urban environments. Our research and teaching emphasize civic engagement and provides students with skills necessary for personal intellectual growth, active citizenship, and professional success. A UNLV Sociology degree helps students develop skills for success in a wide range of fields such as education, social services, law, politics, urban planning, business management, marketing, and social research analysis. The department also trains majors in the primary skills and knowledge required for successful graduate study in Sociology.

Degree Objectives/Learning Outcomes

Sociology’s degree objectives for our graduates include:

1. Understanding sociology’s key concepts, debates, and trends and how these contribute to our understanding of social reality. Such concepts include: culture, social change, socialization, stratification, social structure, institutions, and differentiations by race/ethnicity, gender, age, and class.
2. Comprehending major sociological paradigms and theories, the historical-cultural contexts in which they were developed, and their role in building sociological knowledge.
3. Understanding sociological research methods, including the role of evidence and qualitative and quantitative methods in sociology, research design, data gathering, and data analysis.
4. Developing a sociological imagination to apply sociological knowledge, concepts and critical thinking to students’ own projects, whether intellectual, personal, or political.
5. Developing skills in critical analytical thinking and confidence to express ideas orally and in writing.

Accreditation

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Undergraduate Major

Sociology

Academic Policies

Sociology majors and minors must earn a grade of C- in every required major and minor course to remain in good standing (i.e., SOC 101  or SOC 102 , SOC 403 , SOC 404 , SOC 421 , SOC 422 , and SOC 101  or SOC 102 , SOC 403 , and SOC 421  , respectively). Fifty percent of the total required credits in the Sociology major and minor must be completed at UNLV.

Advisement

For academic advising, students should contact the College of Liberal Arts Wilson Advising Center. Students may also contact the Department of Sociology Undergraduate Director to discuss additional academic and career issues.

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