Department website

Bachelor of Arts

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Because all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender, social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of work to the sociology of sports. In fact, few fields have such broad scope and relevance for research, theory, and application of knowledge. 

Sociology provides many distinct perspectives on the world in which we live by generating new ideas and critiquing the old. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, or problems of peace and war. Because sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our time, it is a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who craft policies and create programs. Sociologists understand social inequality, patterns of behavior, forces for social change and resistance, and how social systems work. Sociology is an exciting discipline with expanding opportunities for a wide range of career paths. 

Individual attention is the hallmark of the sociology program at Aurora University. The flexibility of the program also provides students with the opportunity to develop and pursue individual interests and either double major or acquire additional minors. Sociology blends very well with business administration, criminal justice, psychology, political science, communication or education, as well as with ethnic studies, gender studies, international studies, or religion. 

Upon completion of our program, students either choose to continue their education in graduate school or find employment in the following areas: social services— in rehabilitation, case management, group work with youth or the elderly, recreation, or administration; community planning and development—in fund-raising for social service organizations, nonprofits, or environmental groups; criminal justice—in law enforcement, probation, parole or other criminal justice work; private business—in advertising, marketing and consumer research, insurance, real estate, human resources, training, or sales; applied research—in social media, law firms, community organizations, and government; academic settings—in admissions, alumni relations, or advancement offices; health services—in family planning, substance abuse, rehabilitation counseling, health planning, hospital admissions, and insurance companies; publishing, journalism, and public relations—in writing, research, and editing; public services at the federal, state, and local levels—in such areas as transportation, housing, agriculture, and labor; teaching—in elementary and secondary schools, in conjunction with appropriate certificate.  

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
SOC-1100	Introduction to Society	4
SOC-3480	Globalization and Social Change	4
PSY-3500	Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences	4
or CRJ-3610	Research Methods
SOC-4310	Seminar in Sociological Theory and Practice I	4
SOC-4320	Seminar in Sociological Theory and Practice II	4
Selected Courses
Select 20 semester hours of the following: 1		20
LTS-1200	Introduction to Latino Cultural Studies
LTS-1300	Latinos and Latinas in the United States
SOC-2150	Cultural Anthropology
SOC-2250	Social Inequalities
CRJ-2300	Criminology
SOC-3200	Social Problems and Social Action
SOC-3350	Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
SOC-3430	Issues in the Study of Gender and Sexuality
PSY-3450	Social Psychology
SOC-3510	Human Rights and Responsibilities
SOC-3570	Politics of Intimate Relations
SOC-3700	Politics of Global Health and Medicine
SOC-2810-9	Selected Topics in Sociology
SOC-3810-9	Selected Topics in Sociology
SOC-4810-9	Selected Topics in Sociology
SOC-4980	Independent Study in Sociology
Total Credits		40

¹

Must select at least 4 semester hours from courses numbered at the 3000-level or higher.

Highly Recommended Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
MTH-2100	General Statistics	4
SOC-2940	Community Internship	2-4
SOC-3940	Sociology Internship	2-4
SOC-4940	Community Internship	2-4

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

A student who graduates from Aurora University with a baccalaureate degree will have met the following requirements:

1. Completion of all requirements for an approved major (with no grades lower than “C”).
2. Overall completion of at least 120 semester hours of coursework with a GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale (a course may be utilized only once in application toward a degree requirement, unless otherwise noted in the academic regulations). The 120 semester hours of coursework must include:
   • At least 52 semester hours completed at a senior college.
   • Residency Requirement - At least 30 semester hours completed at Aurora University, including the last 24 semester hours in the degree, and including at least 18 semester hours in the major. (Portfolio assessment credit, life and vocational experience credit, off-campus experience credit, examination credit, participation credit, and block credit, shall not count toward the residency requirement).
   • Upper-Division Requirement - A minimum of 30 semester hours numbered 3000 or above. Of these 30 semester hours, 15 semester hours must lie within the major and 15 semester hours must be completed at Aurora University.
3. Completion of all General Education requirements (with no grades lower than “C”), as follows:
   • Quantitative and Formal Reasoning competency requirement
   • ENG-1000 Introduction to Academic Writing
   • IDS-1200 Discover What Matters or IDS-3040 Global Justice
   • IDS-1150 First Year Experience - Not required for Transfer or AU Online students)
   • Satisfactory participation in the junior-year mentoring and assessment process designed to guide students to successful completion of their degree and to encourage planning for next steps beyond graduation. (IDS-3500 Junior Mentoring Program I and IDS-3550 Junior Mentoring Program II - Not required for ADC or AU Online students but may be designated electives for AU Online students admitted with fewer than 15 hours of transfer credit.)
   • Distribution Requirements
     Students will complete one approved course¹ from each of the following categories:
     • Artistic Literacy
     • Cultural Literacy
     • Human Inquiry
     • Scientific Inquiry

In addition to the above, ADC and Online students will also complete one approved course¹ from the following category:

• Discovery and Reflection

¹

Only courses that are approved to meet the distribution requirement can be used toward this requirement. See the list of approved courses  for available options. Courses taken to meet distribution requirements are 4 semester hours apiece, with the following exceptions:

• An approved transfer course of at least 2.50 semester hours can be used to satisfy a distribution requirement.
• Courses with co-requisite laboratory components may be used to satisfy a distribution requirement, provided that the student successfully complete both the three-credit-hour course and the single-credit-hour lab component.

Learning Outcomes

Candidates will demonstrate:

1. Knowledge of sociological concepts and theories;
2. Empirical research skills;
3. Critical thinking and creative problem solving skills;
4. Communication skills – reading, comprehension, writing, speaking;
5. Assessment skills.