Division: Social Sciences
Sociology is a social science dedicated to studying the micro, meso, and macro aspects of social life. As so, sociology studies a diverse set of topics. At the micro level, we examine human behaviors such as love, crime, prejudice, and coping. At the meso level, we explore communities, policing, organizations, and grassroots movements. At the macro level, we take an interest in culture, religion, institutions, wars, systems of oppression, and aspects of globalization. The goal of sociology is to understand how our everyday lives are interconnected with, shaped, and influenced by the society we live in.
Sociology students will acquire various abilities, such as: the ability to analyze and interpret qualitative and quantitative data; understand and apply sociological theories; and use sociological concepts to discuss social behavior, communicate social issues, and identify group/cultural influences.
The most common career opportunities with a baccalaureate degree include: law, public administration, social services, applied research, leadership, and management in non-profit organizations.
Transfer requirements in sociology are available in the Counseling Department. In all cases, students should consult with a counselor for specific transfer requirements.
Please learn more about what we study: Sociologists on Sociology
Career options for Sociologists: Careers in Sociology
Contact Information
Sociology Faculty Contact
Catherine Medrano | catherineme@cos.edu
Diane Silva | annies@cos.edu
Esther Villegas-Sandoval | esthers@cos.edu
Social Sciences Division Chair
Marla Prochnow | (559) 730-3723 | marlap@cos.edu
Kern: 730D | Visalia Campus
Dean of Business, Social Science, and Consumer Family Studies
Jesse Wilcoxson, Ed.D. | (559) 737-6281 | jessew@cos.edu
Kern: 716 | Visalia Campus
For a complete list of courses and descriptions visit: COURSES
SOC 001 Introduction to Sociology
3 unit(s)
An introductory study of the basic concepts, theoretical approaches, and methods of sociology. Topics include culture and diversity, socialization and the self, the analysis and explanation of social structure, group dynamics, deviance, social stratification, class, race/ethnicity, gender, the family, social change, and global dynamics.
SOC 002 Social Problems
3 unit(s)
This course focuses on the identification and analysis of contemporary social problems, including topics such as: drug abuse, deviant sexual behavior, violence, crime, inequities of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, and inequalities within our social institutions. Special attention will be given to (1) the role of power and ideology in the definition of social problems, (2) their causes and consequences, (3) evaluations of proposed solutions, and (4) methods of intervention.
SOC 010 Sociology of Gender
3 unit(s)
This course explores the social construction of feminine and masculine identities both historically and in cross-cultural contexts and explores both the macro sociological understanding of gender as well as the micro level analysis of how individuals "do" gender. It analyzes the impact of economic and political change on gender expectations and practices.
SOC 026 Marriage and Family Life
3 unit(s)
A sociological analysis of the family, including historical and recent changes, present nature and the socio-cultural and economic forces shaping these changes. Including this analysis, the following topics will be covered: dating and mate-selection, communication conflict resolution, dual career families, human sexuality, family planning, parenthood, divorce and remarriage, changing gender roles and family economics.
SOC 043 Sociology of Deviance
3 unit(s)
Examines how and why people are labeled as deviant, the causes and consequences of deviance, and society's methods of social control. Topics include the social construction of deviance, major sociological perspectives of deviance, crime, violence, sexual deviance, substance abuse, mental disorders, criminalization, and stigmatization.
SSCI 008 Introduction to Data Science
4 unit(s)
Introduction to Data Science is a survey course introducing the essential elements of data science. Topics include: data collection and management, summarizing and visualizing data, basic statistical inference, and machine learning. Students will also gain experience using a computer programming language (e.g. R, Python, etc.) to carry out basic statistical modeling and analysis.
SSCI 025 Statistics - Social Sciences
4 unit(s)
The course offers an introduction to the appropriate use of statistical techniques across a wide variety of disciplines including the use of probability, hypothesis testing, and predictive techniques to facilitate decision-making. Other topics include descriptive statistics; probability and sampling distributions; statistical inference; correlation and linear regression; analysis of variance, chi-square and t-tests; and application of technology for statistical analysis including the interpretation of the relevance of the statistical findings. The role of quantitative methods in social science research is emphasized. (C-ID SOCI 125 or C-ID MATH 110)
SSCI 050 Law and Democracy
3 unit(s)
This course provides an overview of the American legal system including its development, structure and history. The course will review the legal and judicial process in the United States covering the adversarial system, jurisdiction of federal and state courts, and the general process of judicial review. Explanation of different sources of law including statutes, court cases and administrative agency rules. Review of basic legal reasoning and introductory research methods. Introduction to civil law, criminal law, family law, real property law, contracts, employment, immigration, intellectual property, and other areas of law. Also included is a review of the principles of legal ethics.
SSCI 121 Civic Learning
1 unit(s)
This course requires students to get hands-on experience and strengthen ties in the community, specifically related to the legal field. Possible examples include: voter information drives, volunteering at a legal service office or other law-related agencies, working on development of legislation and advocacy for public policies.
SSCI 325 Support for Statistics - Social Sciences
1 unit(s)
Co-requisite support for
SSCI 025 Statistics - Social Sciences. This 1-unit course is intended to provide co-requisite support for students requiring remediation in mathematics, reading, writing, and research skills while they are concurrently enrolled in
SSCI 025.
Sociology
Medrano, Catherine
B.A., University of California, San Diego
M.A., University of California, Santa Barbara
Silva, Diane
B.A., College Of St. Benedict
M.A., California State University, Sacramento
M.S.W., California State University, Fresno
Villegas-Sandoval, Esther
B.A., California State University, Northridge
M.A., California State University, Northridge