Sociology

Address: 337 Graham Building
Phone: 336.334.5295
Web site: www.uncg.edu/soc

Majors & Concentrations

• Social Problems in a Global Society (BA) U224
• Sociology (BA) U221
• Sociology (BA) (High Sch Lic) U223
• Sociology: Criminology (BA) U222

The Sociology major provides students with strong foundations in research skills, writing, and research methods. Sociological knowledge is valuable in helping students better understand the global society in which they learn and work. The Sociology major provides students with an understanding of the fundamental processes of social interaction that underlie all social organization and change. The "sociological imagination" helps students to understand how social structures and processes shape social life and how sociological analysis and empirical research are used as tools of understanding.

The Criminology concentration is designed to provide students with a sociological understanding of criminal and deviant behavior and the formal and informal strategies for controlling crime within the context of a broad liberal arts education. The undergraduate concentration also includes a strong foundation in research methods, data analysis, and theory essential for students interested in careers in the administration of justice or those who intend to pursue graduate studies.

The Social Problems in a Global Society concentration provides students with the background they need to understand the complexities of international social problems, such as poverty and ill health, population growth, environmental degradation, immigration, ethnic conflict, and international crime and terrorism. Students learn how worldwide systems of commerce, politics, technology, and the actions of non-profit, non-governmental organizations contribute to the causes of and to the solutions to these problems. The concentration includes courses about specific problem areas and more theoretical and general courses about international social systems. The concentration also provides students with a strong foundation in research methods and data analysis.

What's unique about Sociology at UNCG?

We are the only sociology department in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina to offer concentrations in criminology and global social problems.

Students receive hands-on advising from tenured faculty and adjunct faculty, thus receiving personal attention from the time they declare a major in sociology. Faculty members add an international flavor to the department through studies in Cameroon, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Taiwan, and Russia.

Academic Clubs and Organizations

• Alpha Kappa Delta (International Sociology Honor Society)
• Sociology Club: www.socclub.com

Student Opportunities

Internships are available to sociology students who meet the department’s grade point average (GPA) requirement.

Internships exist in a variety of public and private organizations. Interns have pursued opportunities such as working at a battered women's shelter and the Guilford County Department of Public Health, and assisting the city of King, NC, with installation of a new crime mapping system.

Graduates/Careers

Typical Careers

Graduates work throughout the public and private sectors in sales and supervision, as officers of the court, counselors, human resource managers, market researchers, and public relations professionals. Specific career opportunities (some of which require MA or PhD degrees) pursued by graduates include:

• Producer for CNN in Atlanta
• Chief of Staff to the Governor in the State of Vermont
• Attorney in Domestic/Family Law for Cahoon & Swisher in Pleasant Garden, NC
• CEO/President for Sterling International Management Recruitment
• Associate Vice Chancellor at UNCG
• Vice President of Operations for Greensboro Trade Coatings, Inc.
• Residential Counselor for Youth Opportunities, Inc. in Winston-Salem, NC
• Marketing and Grant Preparation, Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Services
• Director of Research, Family Medicine Department, Cone Health Care Systems
• Research Associate, Center for Creative Leadership
• Federal Probation Officer
• Field Organizer, Greenpeace USA
• Instructor, Guilford Technical Community College & Alamance Community College
• Associate Professor, University of Toronto, University of Memphis, Florida State University

Graduate Schools
Some graduates (BA and MA) have pursued advanced degrees at institutions such as these:

• University of Maryland
• Purdue University
• UNCG
• University of Minnesota
• Indiana University
• Kent State University
• North Carolina State University
• University of Michigan
• Vanderbilt University
• University of Chicago

Professional Organizations and Accreditation

• Close affiliations with the American Sociological Association, the American Society of Criminology, and the Southern Sociological Society
• Founder, North Carolina Sociological Society (provided organization's first president and four others)
• Two faculty members have held the presidency of the Southern Sociological Society.

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