Sociology

Mission Statement

The Sociology Department at Hofstra University strives to provide students with rigorous and intellectually grounded understandings of the social world. At its core, the sociological mission is rooted in social theory and the scientific method. Sociology majors and other students taking our courses are given opportunities to develop theoretical and analytical skills to evaluate and conduct social research and analysis. The Department is committed to using these tools to understand and address social problems and inequalities in global, institutional, and interpersonal social relations. Students are also encouraged to explore their own position in and relationship to society. The Department is dedicated to building sociological knowledge and skills that are applicable to a broad range of settings including the public and private sectors, and especially, in the pursuit of advanced academic and professional degrees. Our hope is that graduates will be well equipped to be engaged citizens in an increasingly knowledge-intensive and diverse world.

Student Learning Objectives

Conceptual and Theoretical Skills

• Demonstrate competent knowledge of core sociological theories, intellectual traditions, and schools of thought
• Identify the causes and consequences of human behavior and relevant social issues, problems, and inequalities
• Investigate human behavior at multiple levels of analysis including the individual, primary- and secondary-group, institutional, organizational, national, transnational, and global

Methodological Skills

• Gather and summarize peer-reviewed literature and data on human behavior and relevant social issues, problems, and inequalities
• Develop quantitative methodological skills as they apply to sociological research
• Develop qualitative methodological skills as they apply to sociological research

Critical Analysis, Reasoning, and Communication

• Evaluate academic literature and data using theoretical and methodological skills
• Evaluate mass information using theoretical and methodological skills
• Distinguish between sociologically sound and flawed arguments
• Analyze one's own position in the social world by identifying one's presumptions, viewpoints, privileges, and disadvantages
• Construct well-reasoned summaries, assessments, syntheses, solutions, and/or conclusions using sociological literature, theory, and methods as evidence
• Communicate summaries, assessments, syntheses, conclusions, and/or solutions in written form
• Communicate summaries, assessments, syntheses, conclusions, and/or solutions in oral form
• Use sociological knowledge and skills during active participation in civil and political society as engaged citizens and skilled users of information

Satisfaction with Department

• Upon graduation, students will be satisfied with their general academic experience in the department
• Upon graduation, students will be satisfied with the quality of advisement they received within the department