Sociology Major

Our courses focus on the ways that people’s lives are shaped by broader social, cultural, political, economic and historical forces. We emphasize the nature and effects of social inequality. Our primary goal is to develop your sociological imagination as a type of critical thinking and informed analysis.

Why Sociology?

Since sociology is a scientific discipline, you will learn the scientific method. You will practice methods of data collection, sampling, variable measurement and analysis - valuable skills you can apply in a variety of fields. 

Sociology also provides you with the tools to better understand our rapidly changing world and the role of social inequality in our lives. We discuss social inequality in all of our courses to emphasize how inequality affects the life chances of all members of society. 

Hands-On Learning

We provide our students with experiential learning opportunities in various community, human services, criminal justice and health-related agencies. You’ll apply your sociological research and thinking in supervised field work experiences. 

Explore potential career interests through our internship course, SOC 4000. Learn from those in the field and establish a network of contacts for your future job search. Employers who have participated in the internship program include:

• Cervizzi & Associates, Attorneys at Law
• Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley
• Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc.
• Haverhill District Court
• Landmark Senior Living Community at Oceanview
• Lawrence Public Schools
• Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
• Point After Club

Video: Sociology Students Travel to Germany

After Merrimack

Upon successful completion of the program, you’ll be well-equipped to pursue graduate study or a career in social work, public health, education, law, public administration, social services, human resources, business or criminal justice. 

Our graduates have gone on to positions such as:

• Advisor Relations Manager, The Boston Foundation
• Alumni Relations Officer, Tufts University
• Communications Coordinator, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
• Court Assistant, New Hampshire Judicial System
• Human Resources Coordinator, Straumann
• Patrol Officer, University of New Hampshire
• Resident Assistant, EF Education First 
• Senior Account Executive, Regan Communications

Sociology Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the sociology major, students will…

1. Acquire a SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION that allows them to understand how society shapes individual biographies and behaviors. 

2. Understand sociology as a scientific discipline, its history, foundational theories and concepts, areas of research focus, utility for addressing social problems, and what distinguishes it from other social sciences. 

3. Understand how inequality between social categories can shape attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes. 

4. Develop an awareness and appreciation for diversity and how different racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and social class backgrounds lead people to experience and interpret the world in unique ways. 

5. Gain the ability to locate, understand, evaluate, synthesize, utilize, and communicate information from the SOCIOLOGICAL research literature. 

6. Gain the skills to answer sociological questions through SOCIOLOGICAL research methods and the development of empirical research projects

The Curriculum

This bachelor’s degree program requires 124 credits. All sociology majors must take a minimum of 38 credits and a minimum of 10 courses in the sociology major. You must achieve at least a 2.0 GPA in your major courses.

Required Courses (complete all five)

SOC 1000	The Sociological Imagination
SOC 2000	Social Inequality - Class, Gender and Race
SOC 3000W	Social Theory*
SOC 3100	Research Methods
SOC 3550	Statistics

Electives (choose five)

SOC 1500	Success and the American Dream
SOC 1600	Happiness
SOC 1700	Social Problems, Creative Solutions
SOC 1800	Tough Choices, Conflicting Values
SOC 1900	Addictive Society
SOC 2050	Social Work
SOC 3150	Social Movements
SOC 3300W	Sociology of Education
SOC 3370	Urban Sociology
SOC 3400	Population Problems
SOC 3450	Sociology of the Family
SOC 3600	Sociology of Health
SOC 3625	Crossing Borders: Sociology of Immigration watch video
SOC 3800	Sociology of Gender
SOC 3850	Sociology of Aging
SOC 4000	Internship
SOC 4810	Directed Study
SOC 4815	Directed Study

Cognate Electives
You may take a maximum of two of the five electives required from the following list of cognate courses:

HIS 3390	Modern European Social History
PHL 2700	Philosophy of the Social Sciences
POL 2121	Intro to Public Administration
POL 3122	Issues in Public Policy
POL 3131	Polling and Public Opinion
PSY 2200	Social Psychology
PSY 3250	Cultural Psychology
WGS 2010	Intro to Ethnic Studies
WGS 2200	Gender and Social Movements
WGS 3100	Feminist Theory
WGS 3140	Studies in Masculinities
WGS 3250	Sex and Gender Studies
WGS 3420	Gender, Race and the Media
WGS 3830	Gender and Global Health
WGS 4100	Gender Studies
WRT 2020W	Writing for Social Change