The Department offers two concentrations as options for sociology majors: “Crime, Law and Power” and “Global Economy, Organizations and Work.” Although a concentration is not required, students with an interest in one of these areas may find it valuable. A concentration enables students to pursue a coherent course of study focused on a particular theme and guides them in selecting the courses that allow for an in-depth exploration of that topic. Moreover, because concentrations are noted on students’ transcripts, they signal a specific course of study to graduate programs and employers.
Crime, Law and Power SOC 2210 Drugs & Society SOC 2055 Law and Society SOC 2220 Social Problems SOC 2230 Criminology SOC 2380 Violence & Gender SOC 4230 Deviance & Social Control SOC 4260 Race Crime & Punishment SOC 4660 Sociology of Power & Authority SOC 4055 Sociology of Law Other relevant A&S courses (students may count only one of these towards the concentration). MDST 3406 The Wire: Understanding Urban America PSYC 2410 Abnormal Psychology WGS 2898 Preventing Sexual Assault on Campus WGS 2897 Gender Violence and Social Justice WGS 4800 Gender-Based Violence AAS 3810 Race, Culture and Inequality PHIL 2060 Philosophical Problems in Law PHIL 2690 Justice, Law, and Morality PHIL 3670 Law and Society
The Crime, Law and Power concentration may be of interest to students planning careers in law, criminal justice, politics, government, and related non-profit agencies. It provides students with a rigorous study of social theory and research to aid them in developing an understanding of crime and violence, law and the legal system, and legal and non-legal modes of exercising power in society.
Relevant Sociology Courses for Crime, Law and Power
Global Economy, Organizations and Work
The Global Economy, Organizations, and Work concentration may be of interest to students planning careers in business, government, law, human resources, and market research. It provides students with the opportunity to study the economic sphere of social life from within the liberal arts and sciences, utilizing a social-science point of view. SOC 2900 Economy and Society SOC 3559 Sociology of Innovation SOC 3440 Chinese Society SOC 3470 Sociology of Development SOC 3480 Sociology of Globalization SOC 3710 Organizations, Institutions, Markets SOC 4140 Sociology of Consumption SOC 4190 Gender and Work SOC 4290 Sociology of Money SOC 4480 Sociology of Professions SOC 4510 Special Topics in Work: The Ethics of Insecurity Other relevant A&S courses (students may count only one of these towards the concentration): ANTH 3220 - Economic Anthropology HIUS 2061 - American Economic History (cross-listed as Econ 2060) HIUS 3471 - History of American Labor HIEU 2051 - Economic History of Europe HIEA 3211 - Japan's Economic Miracle ECON 4150 - Economics of Labor ECON 4190 - Industrial Organization ECON 4195 - Empirical Industrial Organization
Relevant Sociology Courses for Global Economy, Organizations and Work
Health and Medicine
The Health and Medicine concentration may be of interest to students interested in working in the health-related fields such as nursing, medicine, or public health. Most especially, this concentration would be of benefit to students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in public health, health policy, and global health, and students on the pre-med track. SOC 2280 Medical Sociology SOC 2520 The Medicalization of Death in American Society (Topics in Death and Dying) SOC 3310 Sociology of Self SOC 3559 Sociology of the Body SOC 3700 Health and Society SOC 4280 Sociology of Mental Health and Illness SOC 4530 Universal Health Care: Could It Work Here? (Special Topics in Health) SOC 4530 Race, Medicine, and Health (Special Topics in Health) SOC 4530 The Social Determinants of Health (Special Topics in Health) SOC 4550 Sociology of Reproduction (Topics in Ethics and Society) SOC 4560 Race and Racism in Science (Topics in Sociology of Science and Knowledge) Other relevant A&S courses (students may count only one of these towards the concentration): ANTH 2340 Anthropology of Birth and Death ANTH 2345 Anthropology of Reproduction: Fertility and the Future ANTH 2270 Race, Gender, and Medical Science ANTH 3290 Biopolitics ANTH 3130 Disease, Epidemics, and Society ANTH 3370 Power and the Body PHS 2291 Global Culture and Public Health PHS 3050 Fundamentals of Public Health PHS 3090 Health Care Economics PHS 3095 Health Policy in the United States – An Economic Perspective PHS 3104 Introduction to Epidemiology PHS 3186 Comparative Health Systems PHS 3620 Built Environment and Health Impact PHS 3825 Global Public Health: Challenges and Innovations PHS 4050 Public Health Policy
Relevant Sociology Courses for Health and Medicine
Requirements
Each concentration requires the completion of three courses (9 credits) focused on relevant topics. Certain courses have been pre-approved as counting toward each of these concentrations. A student may also petition the Director of Undergraduate Programs to count a course that has not been pre-approved. No more than one course (3 credits) taken outside the Department may be counted toward the concentration.
Procedure for Declaring a Concentration
Students may declare a concentration once they have completed all three courses with grades of C or above. To declare a concentration, follow these steps:
Step 1. Download the relevant Concentration Form (a PDF file) from the Sociology Department website: (https://sociology.as.virginia.edu/program-forms-and-links).
Step 2. Schedule a meeting with your advisor (in person or via Zoom). Bring the Concentration Form to the meeting with your advisor. You and your advisor should discuss your interest in the concentration and agree on a plan of study.
Step 3. Complete the Concentration Form and submit it to the Department’s Academic Assistant, either in paper or electronic form.