Are you curious about what drives social change? Do you think about how relationships and organizations affect people’s everyday decision-making? Is it important for you to support and advocate for causes that promote the greater good? If so, a degree in sociology is an excellent choice for you, and can lead to a wide variety of meaningful career options.
Sociology helps us better understand human society and social behavior. When you study sociology in PLNU's Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Family Sciences, you will explore how groups, institutions, and societies function. Through action-oriented learning opportunities — both inside and outside the classroom — you will become prepared to work with a diverse group of people and issues in the U.S. and elsewhere. You will graduate with critical thinking and problem-solving skills to make an immediate impact in a variety of careers or to confidently pursue an advanced degree.
PLNU’s major in sociology offers two concentrations: general sociology and criminal justice. You can pursue the study of general sociology and choose to take upper division classes that focus on many important issues we as a society are dealing with today. For example, one class looks at our schooling systems in the U.S. and how they compare worldwide, and another class considers what makes certain social movements more successful than others. Or, you can pursue the criminal justice concentration and take classes that focus on criminal law, race and ethnicity, as well as classes that look at restorative justice in communities. Whichever concentration you choose, you will have opportunities to apply what you learn in the classroom in the real world through internships, student ministries, and campus institutes like the Center for Justice & Reconciliation.
Concentrations:
- General Sociology
- Criminal Justice
