Bachelor in Sociology

Why Study Sociology?

The Sociology Department has a community-based learning curriculum that brings sociological ideas alive to students by expanding the boundaries of the classroom and exposing students to experiences and opportunities in the community as part of their course work.

How We're Different

Monsignor Bukowski, the first Aquinas sociologist, taught labor relations, was active in civil rights, and led Appalachia service-learning trips. Sociology graduates make a difference in non-profit, criminal justice, social work, business, law, and college teaching careers. Professors have diverse specializations including gender, social work, organizations, community, inequalities, sustainable urban development, social psychology, subcultures, ethnography, and culture. Sociology Professor Dr. Susan Haworth-Hoeppner received the 2014 Midwest Sociological Society’s Jane Addams Outstanding Service Award. Sociology students receive community-based learning with Grand Rapids agencies seeking solutions to social problems. The course Indigenous Peoples of the Great Lakes is taught by Ron Yob, Chief of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians. We partner with Grand Rapids Public Schools on Girls Empowering Together (G.E.T.), an after-school leadership program. Aquinas is one of only six Michigan private colleges with an Alpha Kappa Delta chapter, a sociology honor society. Students plan career paths in Sociology Preparatory Course, and meet alumni who use sociology in their work. Students learn critical thinking skills needed to understand, analyze, and act in a complex world - in sociology, dissent in the classroom is welcomed.

Major Requirements

Forty (40) credit hours. Required courses:

• SY101
• SY103
• SY105
• SY/PG202
• SY291
• SY312
• SY375
• SY403
• Fifteen (15) hours of electives in Sociology.

Eighteen (18) hours to be taken at Aquinas College. To be a sociology major, a student must maintain a C or better grade in all major requirements.

Courses

• SY101 Introduction to Sociology (3) PSC
• SY103 Cultural Anthropology (3) PCG, GP
• SY105 Sociology Preparatory Course (1)
• PG/SY202 Introduction to Research and Design (4) QR
• SY291 History of Sociological Thought (3)
• SY312 Social Stratification (4)
• SY375 Complex Organizations (3)
• SY403 Capstone Seminar (4) SC

The close-knit educational environment at Aquinas develops students who thrive in all dimensions of life. Learn more, in our students' words about the Aquinas experience and the Dominican pillars of prayer, study, service, and community.

The Dominican tradition is two-fold: contemplative and communal. At Aquinas, we are committed to gathering for liturgical prayer nourished by God's Word and the Spirit. Prayer leads us into the deeper Truth needed to live out God's call for us in the world. We commit ourselves to a love of learning, both formal and informal. This necessitates an openness to learn from the most unlikely sources as well as tried and true scholarship. Aquinas encourages students to engage in service projects and service-learning programs. It also offers preparation for careers that will enable graduates to spread the truths that they have learned - "to make a difference in the world."