Department of Sociology, Gerontology, and Gender Studies

Paul W. O’Brien, Ph.D., Chair

Professors: Doraz, Macdonald, O’Brien, Payne, Riedmann, Schoenthaler
Associate Professor: Sniezek, T.
Assistant Professor: Sanchez, Strahm, Rodriguez
Lecturer: Wong, Kohler, Strangfeld

Office: Bizzini Hall 213
Phone: (209) 667-3408

View Sociology/Gerontology
View Gender Studies

Sociology/Gerontology

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with concentrations in General Major; Human Services; Drug and Alcohol Studies; Social Deviance and Criminology; Social Inequality; and The Body, Culture, and Society
Minor in Gerontology
Minor in Sociology
Liberal Studies degree concentration in Sociology
Social Sciences degree concentration in Sociology
Graduate Certificate in Gerontology/Geriatrics

Liberal Studies Concentration in Sociology

Please refer to the Liberal Studies section of the catalog.

Social Sciences Concentration in Sociology

Please refer to the Social Sciences program section of the catalog.

Teaching Credentials

Majors in Sociology interested in a Social Sciences Subject Matter Preparation Program credential should review the Social Sciences waiver described in the Social Sciences section of this catalog. Please refer to the Teacher Education section of the Graduate Catalog for a description of other requirements to be completed for the Single Subject Credential.

Learning Objectives

Achieve knowledge competency in sociology.
Understand the sociohistorical and theoretical groundings of sociology as a field of study and practice.
Understand the reasoning process involved in theoretical construction.
Develop facility for critical thinking, with the ability to separate fact from fallacy, myth from reality.
Learn to methodologically analyze the complexity of society and social structure, particularly questions of social control and power relations.
Learn analytical skills and research methodologies, including statistical computer applications, appropriate to the practice of sociology methodologically.
Develop and apply a sociological perspective professionally and as an active participant in society.
Develop the capacity to apply concepts and theories of sociology to relevant social policy.
Communicate effectively in both written and oral form.
Develop the ability to apply a sociological imagination to one’s personal life.

Gender Studies

Betsy Eudey, Ph.D., Director

Associate Professor: Eudey, Cotten

Office: Bizzini Hall 107B
Phone: (209) 664-6673

Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies with concentrations in History, Society, and Inequality; Culture, Ideology, and Representation; and Ethnicity, Nationality, and Sexuality.
Minor in Gender Studies
Social Sciences degree concentration in Gender Studies

Social Sciences Concentration in Gender Studies.

Please refer to the Social Sciences program section of the catalog.

Learning Objectives

Identify major contemporary social, economic, political, and psychological issues facing the sexes.
Discuss major topics and approaches in the history of feminist theory, queer theory, and masculinity theory.
Explore how social constructions of gender, sex, and sexual identity intersect with institutions, society, cultural practices, careers, and work environments.
Identify how differences in sex, sexual identity and orientation, race/ ethnicity, class, age, ablebodiedness, religion, geographic identification, and other identities structure the nature of gender-based inequality, justice, and oppression.
Analyze the variations in gender systems across cultures and time.
Explore strategies for transforming coercive and unequal gender systems and enhancing individual choice and our common humanity.
Connect scholarly inquiry to practical applications.
Engage in cultural critique of representations of sex, gender, and sexuality as they intersect with other identity and cultural factors.