Goal 1: A student majoring in sociology will be able to articulate foundational sociological theories and terminology.

1.1: Compare and contrast basic theoretical orientations (e.g., structural-functionalist, conflict, interactionist).

1.2: Define and use basic sociological concepts (culture, structure, agency, status, role, norm, stratification, social class).

Goal 2: A student majoring in sociology will understand the centrality of key characteristics, such as race, class, age or gender in society and in sociological analysis.

2.1: Explain how one of the following concepts are socially constructed: race, ethnicity, social class, sex, gender, religion, age, immigration status.

2.2: Demonstrate and explain examples of structural inequality based on race, social class, gender, religion, and age.

2.3: Be able to apply sociological imagination by identifying empirically- verifiable patterns and generalizations based on race, social class, gender, religion, and age and providing examples of social facts (e.g., norms, structures) that possibly shape such patterns.

Goal 3: A student majoring in sociology will be exposed to key texts in cultural studies with an emphasis upon meaning-making, multicultural, cross-cultural, and cross-national global contexts and content relevant to sociology.

3.1: Provide illustrative examples of cultural differentiation in national and international contexts.

3.2: Explain and provide examples of contemporary processes of globalization, such as the construction of diverse cultural meanings, processes related to the spread of global information, and immigration flows.

3.3: Conduct qualitative research from a cultural perspective, with an emphasis upon meaning-making, and write a paper discussing this research in a critical analysis of theoretical and applied texts.

Goal 4: A student majoring in sociology will be exposed to analytic and empirical experiences that develop his/her critical thinking skills.

4.1: Identify key tenets of particular theoretical orientations or arguments.

4.2: Identify strengths and weaknesses in particular methodological approaches to research.

4.3: Show how patterns of thought and knowledge are directly influenced by political-economic social structures.

4.4: Present opposing viewpoints or alternative hypotheses on various issues.

Goal 5: A student majoring in sociology will be exposed to research experiences that require posing sociological questions, data gathering with quantitative and/or qualitative methods, developing theoretical explanations, and bringing the aforementioned data to bear on them.

5.1: Be able to use theoretical arguments to explain the relationship between concepts.

5.2: Be able to correctly describe quantitative or qualitative data collection procedures.

5.3: Be able to correctly describe quantitative or qualitative data analysis procedures.

5.4: Be able to answer/test a sociological question/hypothesis using empirical data.

5.5: Be able to describe the process of protecting human subjects in empirical research studies.

Goal 6: A student majoring in sociology will be able to articulate sociological theories, data, and perspectives using clear writing in professional academic format.

6.1: Be able to write a clearly organized, grammatically correct, research report in professional, journal quality format.

6.2: Be able to write a clearly organized, grammatically correct analysis of published theoretical works and empirical studies.

6.3: Be able to use basic writing structures for successful argumentation: thesis statement, introduction, conclusion, topic and supporting sentences and transitions.

6.4: Be able to use a professional citation format correctly.

Goal 7: A student graduating with a degree in sociology from Ramapo College will be well prepared for subsequent employment or education.

7.1: Be able to demonstrate on a resume or curriculum vitae how specific skills attained in the sociology program are applicable to a future career – OR – Be able to write a graduate or professional school application essay that demonstrates a sociological understanding of future topics of study.

Sociology BA

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