Sociology

As a sociologist, you'll investigate society from a grounded and critical perspective.

Student reading a magazine in the library

Do you want to change the world? First you have to understand it

You'll study everything from crime to religion, developing a unique understanding of what motivates human behavior. Our Students are encouraged to study abroad and apply your substantial training to the real world. The culture at Simmons is focused on community service and activism, giving you ample opportunities to connect and grow within our community.

Our faculty encourages diverse learning styles, offering many options for personalized courses of study and independent learning. You'll benefit from a well rounded liberal arts education with classes in specialties like women's and gender studies, Africana studies and international relations. 

With their technical and intellectual experience, our students find successful careers in community organizing, law, public policy, teaching, higher education and social work.

Required Courses

SOCI101 Principles of Sociology 4
SOCI239 Introduction to Social Research I 4
SOCI249 Inequalities 4
SOCI325 Applications of Sociological Theory 4
SOCI330 Transnational Studies 4

Generally, SOCI 101 should be completed no later than the sophomore year, SOCI 239 and 268 in the sophomore or junior year, and SOCI 325 and SOCI 330 in the junior or senior year.

Students choose any three electives from the list below:

 
SOCI210 Body Politics 4
SOCI216 I Sing the Body Electric: Social Justice and the Expressive Arts 3
SOCI220 Working for Social Justice 4
SOCI222 Organizing for Social Change 4
SOCI223 Mass Media and Popular Culture 4
SOCI225 Social Movements 4
SOCI232 Race, Gender & Health 4
SOCI241 Health, Illness & Society 4
SOCI245 Global Health 4
SOCI262 Criminology 4
SOCI267 Globalization 4
SOCI270 South Asia, People & Power 4
SOCI275 Birth and Death 4
SOCI280 Sociology of the Law 4
SOCI285 Drugs and Society 4
SOCI301 Disability and Society 4
SOCI321 Sociology of Food 4
SOCI338M Cross Cultural Alliance Building 4
SOCI339 Community Research 4
SOCI344 Sociology of Poetry & Prose 4
SOCI346 Gender and Islam 4
SOCI347 Antiracism and Social Justice 4
SOCI349 Directed Study 4
SOCI350 Independent Study 4
SOCI365 Intimate Family Violence 4

Capstone

Students may take one of the two following options:

Internship

Students may choose to complete an internship to fulfill the capstone requirement. Internships are completed in the spring semester of the student’s senior year. In the fall semester before the internship, each student works with the internship supervisor to design an 8-credit internship plan for the following semester. As part of this requirement, students also take the Internship seminar (SOCI 370). Students completing double majors who wish to do an internship will complete their internship through one of their departments.

Thesis

Students may choose to do an independent research and writing project that culminates in a 40–50 page thesis written under the supervision of a faculty member in the department.

Students submit a proposal by the second semester of their junior year and take SOCI 350 (Independent Study) in the first semester of their senior year and SOCI 355 (Thesis) in the second semester of their senior year. An honors designation is granted to meritorious theses. All theses are presented at an event organized by the department.

The minor in sociology consists of five courses.

One required course:

SOCI101 Principles of Sociology 4

One of the following core courses:

SOCI239 Introduction to Social Research I 4
SOCI249 Inequalities 4
SOCI325 Applications of Sociological Theory 4
SOCI330 Transnational Studies 4

Three elective courses, selected from the lists of required and elective courses, after consulting with a faculty advisor in the department.

Spotlight on Sociology Students and Alums

Julie Farnam

Capitol Police Assistant Director Julie Farnam ’00 Publishes Insider Account of January 6 Attack

Julie Farnam ’00 was Assistant Director of the Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division of the United States Capitol Police when a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. Farnam has since written a book about the experience and resultant backlash.


A row of children's books on a shelf. Robyn Budlender robzy_m, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Children’s Literature Editor Karen Boss ‘95 ‘13 Champions Diverse Authors in Successful Career Change

Karen Boss ’95 ’13MA earned a double Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Sociology and returned to Simmons twenty years later for her Master’s in Children’s Literature. She is a senior editor at Charlesbridge, where she works on fiction and nonfiction picture books, and middle-grade and young adult works.


A table full of beakers and test tubes in the Simmons University nursing lab

Michele Forzley ’73 Combines Law and Public Health

Michele Forzley '73 shares how she combined her law degree and expertise in international business to the field of public health.


Adunni Slackman Anderson and President Wooten

Adunni Slackman Anderson '73 on the Influence of Strong Leaders

Dr. Adunni Slackman Anderson '73 has spent her career as a leader in education. For over 20 years, she served as Principal for the Montclair Public Schools, and for 10 years as the Lower School Head/Primary School Director for Kent Place School, a private, independent school for girls. We spoke to Slackman Anderson about how Simmons shaped her career, and her advice for future leaders.


2022 Orientation Leaders

Meet Your Orientation Leaders: Emily Marder '23, Katelyn Fox '25, Kiki Regan '23, Sophie Bredensteiner '23, and Tess Federico-Maietta '23

Emily Marder '23 is a Nursing major from Lynnfield, Massachusetts. Emily explains why she became an Orientation Leader: "I had fond memories of my orientation and liked how the Orientation Leaders were able to foster a community feeling and connect...


The Simmons academic campus

Passionate Leaders Project: Spring 2022 Cohort

Passionate Leaders Project: Spring 2022 Cohort The Passionate Leaders Project (PLP) supports undergraduate students by funding research opportunities that transcend traditional coursework. Participants of the PLP develop research and critical thinking skills and bring the insights of academia to real...


L. Michelle Vital ’00

Learning the History and Cultural Context of Being Black in America

L. Michelle Vital ’00 is Interim Director and Assistant Professor of the International Higher Education Master’s Program at Lesley University. She reflects on how her double majors in Sociology and African American Studies (now Africana Studies) at Simmons prepared her for her career.


Nicole Morison Acrylic Gouache on Paper

Technology, History, Art, Gender, and Class: Students Re-Envision Modern America (and the World) at the Simmons Undergraduate Symposium

Undergraduate students across Simmons presented research projects and creative works in a dynamic day of live Zoom panel sessions and pre-recorded video presentations . In a live presentation, Computer Science students Chelsea Hua ’24, Livic Inoa ’22, Melat Ali ’22...