2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Sociology
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Sociology Core Faculty:
Marina Adler, Professor
Nicole Cousin-Gossett, Senior Lecturer
J. Kevin Eckert, Professor
Brandy Harris-Wallace, Co-Director and Assistant Professor
Loren Henderson, Assistant Professor
Christine Mair, Co-Director and Assistant Professor
Leslie Morgan, Professor
John Schumacher, Associate Professor
Dena Smith, Assistant Professor
Department Faculty (Sociology, Anthropology and Health Administration and Policy)
Chair
J. Kevin Eckert
B.A., Ursinus College, 1969; M.A., Northwestern University, 1973; Ph.D., Northwestern University 1978
Associate Chair
Sarah Chard
B.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1991; M.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1995; Case Western Reserve University, Ph.D., 2001
Professors
Marina Adler
B.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1981; M.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1984; Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, 1990
J. Kevin Eckert
B.A., Ursinus College, 1969; M.A., Northwestern University, 1973; Ph.D., Northwestern University 197
Leslie A. Morgan
B.A., Miami University, 1971; M.A., University of Southern California, 1976; Ph.D., University of Southern California, 1979
Robert L. Rubinstein
B.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1968; M.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1972; Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College, 1978
Mary E. Stuart
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1971; M.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore, 1974; Sc.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1989
Associate Professors
Bambi L. Chapin
B.A., University of Virginia, 1988; M.A., University of California, San Diego, 1998; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2003
Sarah Chard
B.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1991; M.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1995; Case Western Reserve University, Ph.D., 2001
Andrea L. Kalfoglou
B.A., University of Virginia, 1991; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 1999
John G. Schumacher
B.S., John Carroll University, 1986; M.A., Bowling Green State University, 1994; M.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1997; Ph.D., 2000
Assistant Professors
Loren Henderson
B.A., Northwestern University, 2006; M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2008; Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014
Christine A. Mair
B.A., University of Florida, 2005; M.S., North Carolina State University, 2007; Ph.D., North Carolina State University, 2011
Dena T. Smith
B.A., Goucher College 2003; M.A. Rutgers University 2006; PhD Rutgers University 2011
Jamie L. Trevitt
B.A., Duke University, 2003; M.P.P., Georgetown University, 2006; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 2010
Brandy Harris-Wallace
B.S., University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 1998; M.A., 2001; M.S., Florida State University, Tallahassee, 2003; Ph.D., Florida State University, Tallahassee, 2006
Research Faculty
Senior Research Scientist
Ann Christine Frankowski
B.A., Alfred University, 1965; M.A., Binghamton University, 1970; Ph.D., Indiana University, 1983
Senior Lecturer
Nicole M. Cousin-Gossett
B.S., Towson University, 1999; M.A., Temple University, 2001; Ph.D., Temple University, 2010
Lecturers
Katie K. Birger
B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, 1994; M.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2013
Meryl Damasiewicz
B.S. Morgan State University, 1995; M.A. University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1996
Courses in this program are listed under SOCY.
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers undergraduate majors in Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy, as well as minors in Sociology and Cultural Anthropolgy. Information on the Sociology major and minor are presented here. For information on Cultural Anthropology and the Health Administration and Policy majors, refer to the corresponding sections in this catalog. For more detailed information, see the department’s website.
Sociology is the study of social relationships among people and the institutions and organizations they use to organize these relationships. There are many subfields within sociology, including medical sociology, aging, population, religion, gender roles, family, work organizations, occupations, crime and delinquency, urban sociology, political sociology and others described in the course listings below. All majors are required to study sociological methods and statistics using computer software programs and to study sociological theory.
The undergraduate major in sociology provides a well established and widely accepted path to careers and professional education in the human services. It is frequently the major of individuals employed in local, state and federal governments and in non-profit organizations. It typically provides appropriate preparation for many professional programs, including law, public health, health services administration, urban and regional planning, social work, human-services administration, human resources management, advertising, public administration and public policy. An undergraduate major in sociology is also appropriate preparation for research and policy-oriented graduate programs in sociology, public policy, health services research, criminology, demography and other disciplines that study social behavior.
Many sociology majors are transfer students from community colleges and other institutions of higher education. UMBC has articulation agreements with community colleges and public four-year colleges and universities in Maryland that enable students to count most sociology courses taken in those institutions for credit toward the sociology major at UMBC. The department also accepts most sociology courses taken at colleges in other states.
Career and Academic Paths
The undergraduate major is designed to provide a general overview of sociology for students who plan to enter the labor force after graduation and for those planning graduate study. The department has double majors that combine sociology and social work, sociology and anthropology, and sociology and psychology, as well as a combined social work major/sociology minor. These programs enable students to complete both majors with fewer credits than are required for each major separately. The minor in sociology is designed for majors in other disciplines who wish to add a study of social behavior to their other major. Students interested in pursuing the Master of Arts in Applied Sociology offered by the department should consider the combined B.A./M.A. program described below.
Academic Advising
Students can declare Sociology major by filling out the major declaration form, located on the Registrar’s website and returning it to the Registrar’s office. Once the student has declared Sociology major, he/she will be assigned to a faculty advisor and will receive updates regarding the major via email. To determine who your faculty advisor is or for general questions on the Sociology program, please contact the department main office, 410.455.3979.
Students requesting a change of Faculty Advisor, please contact the Department Academic Advisor, Debbie Sanford, at dsanford@umbc.edu for a faculty advisor assignment.
At any point in the semester students can email their advisor directly or arrange a meeting to discuss questions about the major or their academic plan.
Advanced Registration Advising
The Department and University send important email communication regarding advanced registration advising each semester. This includes the date/time at which students can begin registration and notifications of advanced registration appointments. It is important to read such correspondence as the instructions can directly impact your ability to register for classes.
Students must meet with their advisor each semester during advanced registration (October/November and March/April) to review their progress toward fulfilling major and university requirements. Students are not able to register for classes until the advisor authorizes the student to register. SOCY majors with another primary major are still strongly encouraged to meet each semester with their SOCY advisor. For further information regarding how to sign up for advising, see the department website.
Double Majors
The sociology department offers three double majors: Sociology/Anthropology, Sociology/Psychology and Sociology/Social Work. Information about the double majors can be found on the department’s website.
Honors Program
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers a major with honors in sociology. Information describing the requirements for the major with honors is available on the departments website. Students considering graduate school in sociology are particularly encouraged to pursue this option.
M.A. and Accelerated B.A./M.A. Programs in Applied Sociology
The Master of Arts degree in Applied Sociology and the accelerated B.A./M.A. in Applied Sociology focus on the sociology of health, aging, and selected aspects of diversity. The accelerated B.A./M.A. permits undergraduates with any major to take up to 9 credits of graduate sociology courses in their senior year with the approval of the Graduate Program Director. These courses count for both the B.A. and the M.A. degrees. The student receives a B.A. degree after completing 120 credits and the graduate courses taken during the senior year reduce the number of courses required for the M.A. degree. The two programs are open to students in all majors. All courses are offered at 4:30 or 7:10 pm one evening per week. For admission requirements and deadlines please consult the department website. A normal course load for full-time students is 9 credits a semester. Students interested in applying to the MA program should email John Schumacher, Graduate Program Director, at jschuma@umbc.edu or Faith Dinh, Program Management Specialist, fdinh1@umbc.edu.
Evening and Part Time Options
The department offers a variety of advanced courses in the evening every semester but does not offer an evening major. Students who are able to take some courses during the day can complete the degree on a parttime basis.
Student Organizations
Council of Majors
Membership in the Council of Majors is open to all declared majors. The council meets throughout the academic year.
Alpha Kappa Delta
International Sociology Honor Society: Iota of Maryland
To become a member, an undergraduate student must: be an officially declared sociology major, be a junior (60-89 total credits) or senior (90 or more total credits), have an overall UMBC GPA of 3.3 or better, and have a GPA in all UMBC (and UMCP) sociology courses of 3.0 or better. Further details consult the department website. The induction ceremony is held in May of each year.
Special Opportunities
Internships for all students are available through SOCY 396 , which is offered in cooperation with The Shriver Center. Students wishing to undertake individual research projects can do so in independent study courses with faculty members of their choice (SOCY 299 , SOCY 399 or SOCY 499 ).
Sociology majors seeking a more substantial research opportunity may complete the honors program.
The university offers multiple opportunities for study abroad, including a course on international field research.
ProgramsBachelor of ArtsNon-DegreeCoursesSociology
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