SOCIOLOGY PROGRAM – OPERATIVE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Online Bachelor's Degree in Sociology (B.A.) prepares students to succeed in the 21st century, where careers are marked by perpetual change, diversity, and enhanced educational requirements.   Students study social interaction, social change, and diverse communities.  They learn basic tools for social science research:  observation, interviews, survey questionnaires, and data analysis. They apply these tools and the scientific method to fascinating and complex real-life social questions.  Sociology challenges students to see the world through the lens of cultural diversity and broader communities; it builds skills for collaboration with others in multi-cultural and international situations.  Learning sociological methods helps students strengthen their math and science proficiency.  And, in the preparation and delivery of topical papers that engage data across the curriculum, students learn to support theories with evidence and to communicate effectively to various audiences through different styles and media.

Program Goals

1. Foster the development of a critical perspective, quantitative data retrieval and analysis skills, observational skills, and empathy for others, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.
2. Complement and enhance the eight other sociology programs at CUNY.
3. Provide through online and hybrid platforms modes of instruction more broadly accessible to working New Yorkers and others than a traditional face-to-face degree program, facilitating participation for students whose work and family schedules make travel to classes especially challenging.
4. Offer the potential to enroll students from across the country and around the world, drawing students from diverse locations who can bring to bear knowledge and experiences from the places they live, enriching the program and CUNY.

Program Learning Outcomes 

1. Demonstrates and Applies General Knowledge of Sociology:   Selects and appropriately applies key concepts, substantive areas, empirical findings, and historical trends in sociology to explain significant issues or problems..
2. Understands and Applies Sociological Theories:  Explains, compares, and evaluates theoretical approaches in relationship to problems in the socio-historical contexts in which they emerged and utilizes them to generate theoretical questions relevant to current or historical social issues.
3. Evaluates Globalalization Processes and Global Inequality:  Documents and explains globalization, global inequality, and cultural diversity as the contextual landscape for transnational migration, sustainable development, cultural transformations, and human rights.   
4. Conducts Research and Analyzes Data:  Identifies significant research questions, theorizes, and then utilizes basic research methods in sociology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation to address the research question.
5. Communicates Effectively in Writing:  Effectively develops and expresses ideas in writing in different genres and styles. 
6.  Prepares for Professional Career or Graduate School:  Integrates curricular and co-curricular experiences to develop career or graduate school plans.