Sociology is the scientific study of social life. Our courses can help you better understand social change, and they provide a lens for exploring the causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists study large-scale social institutions, such as work, family, the military, or the criminal justice system; and we focus on social processes, such as interaction, inequality, conflict, and change. The results of sociological research inform social policy and legislation, and they contribute to scientific knowlege and public debate.
Career preparation
As a broad social science, an undergraduate degree in sociology provides you with the technical and analytic skills and the global perspective needed to navigate life and work in the 21st century. Sociology majors pursue careers in a wide variety of fields, including social services, management, education, marketing, policy analysis, and research.
Major and minor options
WSU Vancouver offers the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (sociology major), as well as a sociology minor. The undergraduate degree in sociology is flexible enough to incorporate a variety of student interests, such as deviance and criminology, social welfare and social policy, work and occupations, environmental sociology, race and ethnic relations, gender and sexuality, and social inequality. We offer a variety of sociology courses every semester.
Some Sociology courses can also be used for credit towards the General Social Sciences Degree, the Bachelor of Public Affairs and the Certificate in Social and Environmental Justice.
Research interests of our faculty
Research interests of current Sociology faculty include gender, work and organizations (Professor Amy Wharton); aging and the life course, the military (Professor Alair Maclean); criminology, criminal justice system policies, race and ethnicity (Professor Clay Mosher ); social inequality more generally (Wharton, Maclean, Mosher); and globalization, environment, development, food and agriculture, and political economy (Professor Daniel Jaffee).
