Sociology (Minor)

Women's College

Offered as a Minor and as a foundation for the Criminology Major, the Sociology curriculum provides both a micro- and macro- perspective on society. Its courses expose students to peer-reviewed research based on surveys, field work, comparative/historical reviews and experimentation.

A Sociology Minor is an excellent way to round out the student’s experience at Notre Dame. Sociology courses that satisfy the General Education Requirement in social science: SOC-101. Sociology courses that fulfill the requirement for cross-cultural and gender studies: SOC-209. Sociology courses that fulfill the requirement for gender: SOC-215.

All courses credited toward the Minor must be completed with a C grade or higher.

Program of Study

The Minor in Sociology consists of seven courses as indicated below.

Technical Standards

A student must have abilities and skills in five areas for CRM 461: 1) observation; 2) communication; 3) motor; 4) intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative; and 5) behavioral and social. Technological compensation can be made for some limitation in certain of these areas, but a student should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.

1. Observation: The student must be able to accurately make observations at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation and is enhanced by the functional use of all the other senses.
2. Communication: The student must be able to communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively in both oral and written form and be able to perceive nonverbal communication.
3. Motor: Student must be able to coordinate both gross and fine muscular movements, maintain equilibrium and have functional use of the senses of touch and vision. The student must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination to perform profession-specific skills and tasks.
4. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: The student must be able to problem-solve, calculate, reason, analyze, record and synthesize large amounts of information in a timely manner. The student must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships.
5. Behavioral and Social Attributes: The student must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment and the consistent, prompt completion of all responsibilities and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships. Students must be able to tolerate physically, mentally and emotionally taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. The student must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, effective interpersonal skills, willingness and ability to function as an effective team player, interest and motivation to learn are all personal qualities required during the educational process.

Students who may not meet the technical standards are encouraged to contact the NDMU Director of Accessibility and Health Promotion to discuss and identify what accommodations, if any, would need to be made in order that the student might be able to meet the standards.

Minor in Sociology

       Required courses:

       SOC-101 Introduction to Sociology (3)
       SOC-209 Race, Class and Gender (3)
       PSY-210 Research Methods I (4)
       SOC-350 Social Theory (3)

       Two electives chosen from:

       CRM-101 Introduction to Criminology (3)
       SOC-202 Sociology of the Family (3)
       SOC-215 Gender Roles or SOC-271 Honors: Sociology of Gender Roles (3)
       SOC-220 Self and Society (3)
       SOC-222 Social Problems or SOC-371 Honors: Social Problems (3)
       SOC-231 Medicine and Society (3)
       SOC-315 Sociology of Law (3)
       SOC-340 Sociology of Deviance (3)
       PSY-340 Quantitative Methods (4)

       One senior experience chosen from:

       SOC-411 Advanced Topics in Sociology (3)
       CRM-461 Criminology Practicum (4)
       SOC-463 Sociology Independent Study (3)

Note: Those who wish to Major in Criminology and Minor in Sociology must take three elective Sociology courses instead of two due to the overlapping requirements of SOC-101, SOC-209, and PSY-210. The electives cannot have a dual purpose of also fulfilling the electives used for the Criminology Major. A separate Senior Experience course also should be chosen to fulfill the requirement for a Minor in Sociology. For example, if SOC-411 serves to fulfill the senior elective for the Criminology Major, it cannot also be used to fulfill the elective for the Sociology Minor. Please contact the faculty advisor to tailor an appropriate course schedule.