New Student Orientation (Sociology) –
F ll 2008
Fall
The History of the Discipline
• Relatively
l
l new ddiscipline
l iff you compare it to history,
h
physics or economics
• In 1838,
1838 Auguste Compte coined the term “sociology”
sociology to
describe a new way of looking of the world.
• beginning – middle ages = “theological stage”
• 14th – 16th centuries = “metaphysical stage”
• and beyond = “scientific stage”
At the beginning of 20th century, sociology became an academic
discipline in North America.
What is Sociology?
• Systematic
S
study
d off society – people,
l groups, institutions –
to understand how the social world is organized and
maintained
Main preoccupations:
– how individuals and groups reproduce, resist and change their
social
i l world
ld collectively
ll i l and
d iindividually
di id ll (e.g.,
(
what
h impact
i
has
h
Greenpeace had in Kyrgyzstan?)
– how institutions work ((e.g.,
g how does the media reflect
f and/or contest
reality?)
– how institutions shape individual lives (e.g., how does religion impact
individuals’ marital choices?)
individuals
– how institutions affect each other (e.g., how does labor done inside the
family affect work outside the home?)
The “Sociological Imagination” (C. Wright Mills)
“Men [and women] make their own history, but they do not make it just as they
please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under
circumstances directlyy encountered,, given
g
and transmitted from the past."
p
- Karl Marx, 1852
“Doing” Sociology: How to Look Beyond
Sociology: an EMPIRICAL and THEORETICAL science
Empirical: something that can be shown, verified with data
Theory: drives what we study, how we study it and how we make sense
of what we find - involves a set of hypotheses or propositions
advanced to explain a phenomenon
“Doing” Sociology: An Example
Suicides per 1000,000 people per year
Rank
Country
Year
Males
Females
Total
1.
Lithuania
2003
74.3
13.9
42.1
2.
Russian Federation
2002
69.3
11.9
38.7
3
3.
Belarus
2003
63 3
63.3
10 3
10.3
35 1
35.1
4.
Kazakhstan
2002
50.2
8.8
28.8
7.
Estonia
2002
47.7
9.8
27.3
9.
Latvia
2003
45.0
9.7
26.0
14.
Croatia
2003
31.4
8.4
19.5
19.
France
2001
26.6
9.1
17.6
28.
Germany
2001
20.4
7.0
13.5
35.
Canada
2001
18.7
5.2
11.9
45.
U.S.
2001
17.6
4.1
10.7
What Can You DO With a Sociology
gy
Degree?
•
•
great preparation for careers in fields such as social
research, criminology, demography, social psychology, public
administration gerontology,
administration,
gerontology education,
education rehabilitation
rehabilitation, social work
work,
and marketing research
g
for enteringg law,, business,, medicine,,
useful background
community planning, architecture, and politics
Career Preparation
p
•
DO AN Internship
p via the Arts Internship
p Office
http://www.mcgill.ca/arts-internships/
–
•
•
you can even get credit for this via SOCI 499A/B: Sociology
I t hip
Internship
GO TO McGill Career and Placement Service
http://caps mcgill ca/(for job listings,
http://caps.mcgill.ca/(for
listings assistance w/resumes,
w/resumes
etc…)
p Program
g
GET A Mentor via the McGill Mentorship
http://caps.mcgill.ca/ci2/index.php
Major Concentration (36 credits)
•
•
•
U1 Required Courses (6 credits):
–
SOCI 210: Sociological Perspectives And
–
SOCI 211: Sociological Inquiry
U2 Required (6 credits):
–
SOCI 330: Classical Sociological Theory And
–
SOCI 350: Statistics in Social Research
Complementary Courses (24 credits):
–
At least 3 of these credits must be at the 400 level or higher, and no more than 9 of these credits may be
at the 200 level.
level
NOTE: A student may take no more than 6 credits (2 courses) throughout the 3-year program
from the following: 340/341, 342/343, 440/441, 442/443 (See Student Handbook)
AND Seminars at the 500
500-level
level are open to Honours students and social science Major
Concentration students in their final year, and Minor Concentration students with the permission
of the instructor
Minor Concentration (18 credits)
•
U1 Required Courses (6 credits):
–
SOCI 210: Sociological Perspectives And
–
SOCI 211: Sociological Inquiry
•
U2 Required Courses (3 credits):
–
SOCI 330: Classical Sociological Theory Or
–
SOCI 350: Statistics in Social Research
•
Complementary Courses (9 credits):
–
3 Credits (1 Course) of the following courses needs to be taken in second year:
NOTE: At least one complementary course, must be taken at the 300 level or higher
AND Seminars at the 500-level are open to Honours students and social science Major
Concentration students in their final year, and Minor Concentration students with the permission
of the instructor
Honors Program (51 Credits)
•
•
•
•
Students may register for the Honors Program in Sociology at the beginning of their SECOND
year (U2).
To remain in the Honors Program and receive an Honors degree, students must maintain a
minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00, as well as a program GPA of 3.30.
Required Courses (21 credits):
–
SOCI 210
210: Sociological
S i l i l Perspectives
P
ti
–
SOCI 211: Sociological Inquiry
–
SOCI 330: Classical Sociological Theory
–
SOCI 350: Statistics in Social Research
–
SOCI 461: Quantitative Data Analysis
–
SOCI 477: Qualitative Methods in Sociology
–
SOCI 480: Honors Project
Complementary Courses (30 credits):
–
At least 9 of these credits must be at the 400 level or higher and no more than 9 of these credits may be at
the 200 level
Joint Honors Program - in two arts disciplines (36
credits) *also may be done with mathematics and
psychology [in sciences]
•
•
•
•
Students may register
g
for the Joint Honors Program
g
in Sociology
g at the beginning
g
g of their SECOND year (U2).
To remain in the Joint Honors Program and receive a Joint Honors degree, students must maintain a minimum
cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00, as well as a program GPA of 3.30.
Required Courses (18 credits):
–
SAME AS REGULAR SOCIOLOGY HONORS (except
p SOCI 477 not required)
q
Complementary Courses (18 credits approved by departmental honors advisor)
Other Provisions
•
•
Graduate Seminars listed below are open
p to final yyear Honors students with adequate
q
preparation:
p p
–
SOCI 612: Industrial Sociology
–
SOCI 627: Political Sociology
–
SOCI 629: Ethnicity and Public Policy
–
SOCI 652: Current Sociological Theory
–
SOCI 661: Seminar: Sociology of Knowledge
COURSES TAKEN ELSEWHERE (e.g., study abroad)
–
must get departmental advisor approval (post-study)
•
•
–
helpful to provide advisor with course description(s) and syllabi (if available)
must have bring a transcript for final approval
cannot transfer more than 1/3 of credits required
Advising: the WHOs
Administrative / Student Affairs Coordinator
Joanne Terrasi [email protected]
Advisory Chair
Prof. Elaine Weiner [email protected]
Major/Minor
M
j /Mi
Prof. Jason Carmichael [email protected]
Prof. Donald Von Eschen [email protected]
Y i B
Yesim
Bayer [email protected]
d ii
i l @
ill
Prof. Shelley Clarke [email protected]
Honors
Prof. Matthew Lange [email protected]
Making Your Way Through the Program: Dos and Don’ts
•
answers are often available on the sociology website http://www.mcgill.ca/sociology/undergrad/
or in the course calendar (SO, do your homework before you contact an advisor)
•
PLAN, PLAN, PLAN - familiarize yourself with the requirements and determine WHEN courses are offered
•
OTHER ISSUES? Æ make an appointment or come during advisor’s scheduled office hours (please do not show up
outside of OH or without an appointment)
–
come prepared (e.g., with requisite forms, questions)
Getting Involved at McGill: Sociology Student Association (SSA)
•
•
part of Arts Undergraduate Society
works to build ties among undergraduates and also between undergraduates, graduate
students and faculty – HOW?
– social events (e.g., beer and pizza)
– annual symposium – Sociology Student Symposium (held in the Winter term)
– undergraduate
g
student journal
j
- Verstehen
Getting Involved beyond McGill: American Sociological Association
(ASA)
Check out their website:
http://www.asanet.org/
WELCOME to SOCIOLOGY at McGill!