Sociology

People participate in many different social groups. Sociology looks at how our participation in groups influences the ways that we look at and confront the challenges of everyday life: working, learning to live with others, loving, communicating — sociology examines how and why we do what we do.

Sociology, together with the other social sciences, tries to look clearly and critically at the myriad of social issues and problems that we struggle to solve: inequality, poverty, sexism, racism, violence, environmental damage, etc. The sociological imagination strives to create a more objective understanding of how and why we live as we do, more objective than the rationalizations and justifications to which we so frequently resort.

If you want to work with people — if you want to teach or manage or facilitate human endeavour — then you will probably be interested in sociology and its many ways of asking questions about the human condition.

UCFV offers a combined major in sociology/anthropology, and a minor in sociology as part of its Bachelor of Arts program. Students cannot combine a sociology/anthropology major with a minor in either anthropology or sociology.

This section specifies the major and minor discipline requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Arts section for additional BA requirements.

Sociology/Anthropology major requirements

Lower-level requirements: 19 credits

• Sociology 101
• One of SOC 201, 210, 215, 220, 250, ANTH 220
  or MACS 240*
•  SCMS 255
• Sociology or Anthropology 100/200 level course
• Anthropology 102
• Mathematics 104 or Mathematics 106.

* Students are advised to select lower-level courses which are prerequisites (or recommended) courses for the upper-level courses of interest to them. See the Course descriptions section for more information.

Upper-level requirements: 32 credits

• Thirty-two credits of 300- and 400-level sociology and anthropology as follows:
• SCMS 355* or SCMS 356
• Sociology 350**
• 12 additional upper-level credits in sociology or in SCMS courses with a sociology focus
  (see pages 301–303)
• 12 additional upper-level credits in anthropology or
  in SCMS courses with an anthropology focus
  (see the Course Descriptions section)

* Mathematics 302, Criminology/Criminal Justice 320, or Geography 352 may be substituted for SCMS 355.
Note: MATH 302 is a 3-credit course, whereas SCMS 355 is a four-credit course.

** Students who are focusing on anthropology, and particularly those considering graduate work in anthropology, may use ANTH 301 to fulfill the theory requirement instead of SOC 350, with permission of the department head. Students wishing to take ANTH 301 are advised that this course is generally offered every other year.

Sociology minor requirements

Lower-level requirements: 9 credits

Nine lower-level credits as follows:

• Sociology 101
• three credits lower-level sociology
• three credits lower-level anthropology or sociology or SCMS 255

Upper-level requirements: 16 credits

Sixteen credits of upper-level sociology courses or SCMS courses with a sociology focus (see the Course Descriptions section).

Faculty

Jean Ballard, BA, MA (Calgary), Department Head

Kevin Busswood, BA (Hons) (UBC)

Elizabeth Dennis, BA, MA, PhD (Toronto)

Christine Elsey, BA (SFU), MA, PhD (SFU)

Kathleen Galarneau, BA (Waterloo), MA (SFU)

Douglas R. Hudson, BA (UVic), MA (McMaster), PhD (Alberta)

Stephen Piper, BA (Sask), MA (Queen’s)

Colin Ridgewell, BSc (Honours) (Southampton), MA (SFU)

Eric Spalding, BA (Concordia), MA (Quebec), PhD (SFU)

Katherine Watson, BA (UVic), MA, PhD (McMaster)

David Wyatt, BA (Washington), MA, PhD (Brown)

Luanne Yellowfly, BA (Calgary), MA (UBC)

Staff

Lesley Poh, Department Assistant

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