The Future is purchased by the
Present.
Samuel
Johnson
Paradoxical as it may seem, we discover
ourselves only through others. And
during your four college years, the people you meet, the ideas you confront, and
the experiences or skills you gain will have a profound impact on the course of
your life. So it is important that you
know and plan well your college program in Sociology in order to enrich your
academic background and gain valuable professional experiences both inside and
outside the classroom. The Sociology Program at Coppin State University with
each dedicated faculty will assist you in your endeavors to complete your B.S.
degree and enrich your intellectual and career goals.
Department Office, GJ 431, Tel: 410/
951-3520
(Ms. Consuella Simms, Administrative
Assistant)
Elias L. Taylor, Ph.D., Sociology,
OCL 433
John L. Hudgins, Ph.D., Sociology,
OCL 430
The National Scene
The national concern for sociologists is
the lack of public interest in what sociologists do. The public appears to be confused on this
issue as Archie Bunker was about his “meat-head” son-in-law, who was a graduate
sociology student. Of course for a
period of time the dominant sociological solution was to convince the public
and students, and to a great degree still is, that our methods were sound,
rigorous, and unbiased; and our explanations offered a plethora of “scientific”
predictions and solutions to many social ills.
In doing so, sociologists immersed
themselves in diverse issues ranging from why people fall in love to war and
peace matters between nations. This led
to the infamous Senate Golden Finger Award, given once a month by the former
Senator Proxmire to the social research project that
wasted thousands of tax payers dollars studying what to most common folk seemed
trivial and inane pursuits. The fact still remains that most people and
students alike have no clear idea what sociology is all about and what
sociologists do?
The best way to articulate what sociology
is all about can be captured in this sentence. Sociology is a way of
thinking. Yes, this thinking incorporates rigorous methodological
processes, but it is more than a quantitative approach to social issues. This type of thinking stands against
psychological reductionism and individualistic explanations so firmly embedded
in our culture. For example, if there is evidence of homelessness or poverty
most people are inclined to suggest that there is a problem with those
individuals that do not work hard enough to make it in this land of
opportunity. Thus we tend to put the blame and guilt on individuals. This makes
it difficult to converse with each other and thus the chances of any possible
change are minimized.
The sociological thinking is based on a
basic premise that we are always participating, whether we are conscious of
this or not, in something larger than ourselves. If we are to understand what is going on, we
have to understand both what we are participating in and how we are choosing to
participate in it. This is what
sociology is all about. This way of thinking gives all of us a powerful way to
see ourselves in relation to what is happening. If there is poverty and
homelessness in a region or a local area, some type of poverty can be explained
not by individual lack of the work ethic, but as the result of certain
ownership laws written by groups to protect their own vested interests. Also,
some homeless people are on the streets not because they choose to do so, but
because restructuring medical insurances and clinics placed some people on the
streets.
Most people outside this type of thinking
have very little idea of how to think about social systems and the complex ways
that we are connected to them, how these structures, the result of our
collective living, shape our lives, and how we make them happen. If we are the architects of such systems we
have the power to alter them and bring about possible solutions. The idea that
men and women can better their condition by remaking their institutions is not
merely a Romantic notion of the eighteenth century European thinking.
Sociological thinking does not suggest remaking the American
institutions. Remaking institutions in Europe led to Fascism, Nazism, and
Communism. The American experience itself is testimony of the antipathy for
such systems. This sociological thinking suggests reforming the American
institutional experience to allow participation of all. This systematic
sociological thinking with its clearly articulated core concepts, such as
power, social class, stratification is what
sociologists study and do. Therefore,
the sociological approach is not merely to inform, with collected data, but to
engage students how to think.
The Department
Sociology within this department is the
study of social life and the social causes and consequences of human actions.
As sociologists, studying human behavior, we focus upon the structures,
patterns, processes, and functions of groups.
Indeed, sociology is the systematic study of people's greatest
creations, the groups they build. People
build and create groups daily: committees, local community organizations,
neighborhood cliques, school paper staffs, newly
formed pair of lovers or enemies, class groups.
Of course certain groups are more permanent than others, such as the
institution of family, church, political party, military, factory
workers. Often groups are created with
some explicit vested interest and, at times, unconsciously people form groups
through many small events and choices.
Whether or not people build these groups intentionally, the study of
groups is critical. This is because
almost everyone or everything one does, including private thoughts and
fantasies, is shaped, directly or indirectly, with and through our associations
and memberships in specific groups. The
kinds of groups one belongs do influence and mold the kind of person one
eventually becomes.
Of course, each group differs from place
to place and its structure varies from time to time. As sociologists, we give a
great deal of attention to the patterns and structures of various groups. This is done in order to understand the
dynamic forces operating within human interactions and relationships. Understanding social forces gives a student
of sociology the ability to manage or change the social conditions for a more
humane social environment. At times,
when crises or problems emerge groups can be created to counteract or minimize
the negative impact or possibly remove the social problems causing difficulties
in our social life. Sociologists study
all these matters: what group arrangements people create,
the patterns or structures of groups, and the consequences of such creations.
Thirty years ago, there was really only
one career in sociology. To be a
sociologist was to be a teacher in college.
Presently this requires graduate work too. However, there are now numerous career
opportunities for students with undergraduate and graduate degrees. Coppin students who
completed a B.S. or B.A. degree in sociology, may get a job as interviewers,
recreation counselors, administrative assistants in private or public agencies,
community action organizers, city planners, directors of social agencies. Of course, those college graduates who wish
to find work as research specialists will almost certainly be urged to seek a
higher degree, for there are few well paying research assistantships with an
undergraduate degree. It is a fact that a higher degree, in most instances, will
generate a higher income.
College students with sufficient training
in methodology and statistics may obtain positions as beginning
statisticians. Others may wish to secure
positions in local, state, or federal agencies dealing with social problems and
research. Few may seek work in private
industry as consultants. Indeed, the
emphasis at Coppin is to give students the sociological perspective which can
be of value for any field of endeavor one wishes to pursue after college,
including a strong background for those students who plan to continue graduate
studies for a Master or Ph.D. degree.
The Department's commitment is to provide
Coppin students with the acquisition of concepts and skills that distinguish
the informed person from the casual observer.
Substantive and methodological requirements ensure preparation for
either advanced study or a career after college. The course offerings are designed to provide
knowledge in those areas that are most beneficial to Coppin students, such as
urban issues, community organization, or family studies.
Finally, the internship program (seminar)
provides students participation in the larger society through actual
involvement in agencies or institutions of
There is a perspective a way of looking at
things around us that is distinctively sociological. The Department seeks to introduce students to
that way of looking at social life that acknowledges and values human diversity
and explores the significance of the fact that always individuals come together
in groups.
The Major in Sociology (42
credits)
Effective 2002
_____ 3 credits SOCI 201
Intro to Sociology
_____ 3 SOCI 205 Class and Society
_____ 3 SOCI 302 Social Psychology
_____ 3 SOCI 303 Sociological Theory I
_____ 3 SOCI 402
Family Studies
_____ 3 SOCI 403 Race and Ethnicity
_____ 3 SOCI 406 Sociology of the City
SOCI
409 Internship
_____ 3 or
SOCI 410 Research Paper
_____ 6 Electives in Sociology
SOCI 300 Sociology of Religion
SOCI 301 Community Organization
SOCI 304 Sociological Theory II
SOCI 306 Sociology of Sport
SOCI
405 Criminology
SOCI 411 Seminar: Special Topics
SOSC 410 Statistical Analysis
_____ 3 ANTH 207 Cultural Anthropology
_____ 3 SOSC 310 Intro Basic Statistics
_____ 3 SOSC 407 Social Research Methods
_____ 3 SOSC 430 Applications
____
42
Total
Minor in Sociology
(18 credits)
_____ 3 credits SOCI 201
Intro to Sociology
_____ 3 SOCI 303 Sociological Theory I
SOCI
409 Internship
_____ 3 SOCI 410 Research Paper
SOCI 411 Special Topics
_____ 3 SOSC 310 Intro Basic Statistics
_____ 3 SOSC 407 Social Research Methods
_____ 3 ANTH 207 Cultural Anthropology
I trust you can join us!