Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [Sociology] From West Virginia State University

? Sociologists investigates?the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts.? Since human behavior is shaped by social factors, 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 and 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 distinctive perspectives on the world, 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, such as 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 increasing tapped by those who construct policies and create social programs.? Students with an interest in understanding how society influences people's behavior would find sociology stimulating and rewarding.? In addition to preparing students for graduate school, the sociology curriculum is of value to any student who desires to work with people.? It forms an excellent background for those who desire careers in the areas of social services (e.g., youth services), family counseling, law, ministry, government services, teaching, policymaking, population research, personnel management, industrial policies, marketing, criminal justice, etc.
The Sociology curriculum is designed with five student oriented goals: ?

• Students will be able to identify the structure of a sociological argument.

• Students will be able to master the key concepts and theories in sociology.

• Students will have developed critical thinking and will be able to evaluate theoretical concepts/perspectives.

• Students will have learned to assess the role of social context in determining the social location of an individual.

• Students will be able to design and implement an independent research project.