Sociology

• Mission Statement

  As an undergraduate-only program, we are focused on training students in skills that can be marketable in a variety of occupations and careers. This training takes place both inside and outside the traditional classroom as students engage in online education, serve the community through community engaged learning (CEL) courses, conduct primary research, do internships in local companies and organizations, and participate in Study Abroad programs. It's our goal that students who graduate with a Sociology major or minor degree will have acquired discipline-specific content knowledge (concepts, theories, methods, research findings) and had an opportunity to apply sociological analysis and ways of thinking - e.g., the so-called "sociological imagination" - in practice. Regardless of students' future career paths, these skills are both relevant and valuable in the labor market. The program also served the university's Liberal Arts tradition by contributing to the General Education curriculum and thus preparing students as engaged and responsible citizens who can navigate the unique social, political, and economic challenges of the 21^st Century.
  
  Mission goals:

  • Equip students with a broad sociological perspective (or the “sociological imagination”) by teaching them how social structures, individuals, and groups interact in society.
  • Provide knowledge and skills, both sociological (theory, research methods, data analysis) and general (critical thinking, writing), to pursue a broad range of careers and graduate degrees (e.g., in Sociology, Law, Public Administration).
  • Prepare students to recognize a plurality of perspectives, including their own, to navigate today’s multicultural and global society.
  • Build a stimulating learning environment by using a variety of pedagogies, including collaboration, collective learning, and community engagement.
• Student Learning Outcomes
  • Certificate (Not Applicable)

     

  • Associate Degree (Not Applicable)

     

  • Bachelor Degree

    Mission Goals:

    • Equip students with a broad sociological perspective (or the “sociological imagination”) by teaching them how social structures, individuals, and groups interact in society.
    • Provide knowledge and skills, both sociological (theory, research methods, data analysis) and general (critical thinking, writing), to pursue a broad range of careers and graduate degrees (e.g., in Sociology, Law, Public Administration). 
    • Prepare students to recognize a plurality of perspectives, including their own, to navigate today’s multicultural and global society.
    • Build a stimulating learning environment by using a variety of pedagogies, including collaboration, collective learning, and community engagement.

     

    At the end of their study at WSU, students in this program will be able to:

    • Conduct independent research and analyze data
    • Communicate skillfully
    • Define and apply terms, concepts, and theories of the discipline of sociology
    • Employ critical thinking
    • Use historical, cultural, and global perspectives
    • Enter a career or graduate studies and demonstrate informed participation in a complex society

    
    Matrix of the Program Mission Goals and Learning Outcomes Alignment (marked by X)
     

    Learning Outcomes	Research & data analysis	Communicate skillfully	Terms, concepts & theories of sociology	Employ critical thinking	Historical, cultural, global perspective	Careers, graduate studies, informed participation in complex society
    Program Goals:
    Equip students with a broad sociological perspective		X	X	X	X	X
    Provide knowledge and skills	X	X	X	X		X
    Prepare students to recognize a plurality of perspectives		X	X	X	X	X
    Build a stimulating learning environment				X	X	X

     

• Curriculum Grid

• Program and Contact Information

  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. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology includes, but is not limited to, street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, divisions of ethnicity, gender and social class, religious cults, medicine, media, and other social phenomena. 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. Few fields have such broad scope and relevance for research, theory, and application of knowledge.

  Sociology is a popular major for students planning futures in such professions as law, business, education, architecture, politics, public administration, urban planning and development, human services, and a myriad of other professions. It also provides a solid foundation for pursuing graduate degrees in related fields. Although a career as a sociologist requires a Master's Degree or PhD, an undergraduate education in sociology can be applied to almost any profession a student pursues.

   

  Contact Information:
  Dr. Marjukka Ollilainen
  mollilainen@weber.edu 
  1299 Edvalson St, Dept 1208
  Ogden, UT 84408
  (801) 626-6238

• Assessment Plan

  Threshold for learning outcomes
  The Sociology program learning outcomes will have been successfully met when at least 70% of students perform at 70% (grade C) level or better. This threshold has been in effect for the past decade and will be up for review after Spring 2022. The faculty defined that acceptable performance in upper division core and elective courses must meet that threshold. This 70/70 threshold was pegged to the existing grade requirement of C or better to earn Sociology major/minor credit. While it appears low, the reality is that, in most courses, student performance is much higher than the threshold. When asked to set a threshold, the faculty decided to start with the 70/70 and gauge whether it needs to be revised in the future. If a course failed to meet this threshold, it would be reviwed by the Sociology faculty who would also develop a plan to improve the results.

  
  (Yr 2) AY 2017-18 (report by 11/15/2018)

  • Program learning outcomes #1 and #2: (Required courses) SOC 1010, SOC 1020, SOC 3030, SOC 3600, SOC 3660, SOC 4030, SOC 4900 (Electives, Fall 2017) SOC 3130, SOC 3270
  • (Electives, Spring 2018) SOC 3250, SOC 3300

   

  (Yr 3) AY 2018-19 (report by Nov 15, 2019)

  • Program learning outcomes #3 and #4: (Required courses) SOC 1010, SOC 1020, SOC 3030, SOC 3600, SOC 3660, SOC 4030, SOC 4900
  • (Electives, Fall 2018) SOC 3260, SOC 3420
  • (Electives, Spring 2019) SOC 3000, SOC 3010, SOC 3110

  
  (Yr 4) AY 2019-20 (report by Nov 15, 2020)

  • Program learning outcomes #5 and #6: (Required courses) SOC 1010, SOC 1020, SOC 3030, SOC 3600, SOC 3660, SOC 4030, SOC 4900
  • (Electives, Fall 2019 SOC 3400, SOC 4410
  • (Electives, Spring 2020) SOC 3410, SOC 3850

  
  (Yr 5) AY 2020-21 Self-study, no assessment report

  • (Electives, Fall 2020) SOC 3840, SOC 4550
  • (Electives, Spring 2021) SOC 3550, SOC 4270
  • Will be assessed for the Nov 15, 2021 assessment report
     

• Assessment Report Submissions
  2021-22
  2019-20
  2017
  2016 - Conducted Program Review
  2015

• Program Review

  2022-23

  2016-17
   

This information is part of the cyclical program review process. Details such as mission statements, learning outcomes, etc., are updated as part of the biennial assessment reporting process, an integral component of program review.