Sociology

Undergraduate Information
Graduate Information
Faculty

OFFICE: Nasatir Hall 224
TELEPHONE: 619-594-4826 / FAX: 619-594-1325
E-MAIL: sociology@sdsu.edu
WEBSITE: http://sociology.sdsu.edu

Undergraduate Information

The Major

Sociology is the systematic inquiry of human societies. At the micro level, sociology examines the process and consequences of individual and group interaction, collective behavior, beliefs, and emotions. At the macro level, sociology studies the development and consequences of different structural arrangements in societies, often classified as institutions and by unique attributes such as gender, ethnicity, religion, wealth and status, national identity, transnational communities.

While the Sociology department offers a wide variety of courses, the focus of its curriculum is community issues. Communities consist of networks of personal relationships that underlie the large scale organizational and institutional structures that constitute societies. These social ties constitute the power resources - or “social capital” - through which things get done. They provide a kind of interpersonal glue that creates social cohesion and enables people within organizations and institutions to form coalitions, initiate processes for social change, and consolidate power resources in seeking to change social structure.

A bachelor’s degree in Sociology provides an excellent Liberal Arts foundation for embarking on a wide range of career paths. Our focus on community, our internship and research opportunities, and our two centers (the Center Community Research and Engagement and the SDSU Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change) provide students will real world experience. Some possible areas of employment are public and private agencies, college settings, publishing, businesses, research facilities, human resources, human services, corrections, local/state/federal governments, and health facilities. The degree also prepares students to enter graduate programs in Sociology, Law, Public Health, and Teaching, to name a few.

Advising

All College of Arts and Letters majors are urged to consult with their department adviser as soon as possible; they are required to meet with their department adviser within the first two semesters after declaration or change of major.

Graduate Information

Associateships and Assistantships

Graduate teaching associateships and graduate assistantships in Sociology are available to a limited number of qualified Sociology students. Application forms and further information are sent out to enrolled graduate students each semester for consideration.

General Information

The Department of Sociology offers graduate work leading to the Master of Arts degree in Sociology. Faculty in the Department of Sociology are involved in a wide range of research activities. Regular opportunities exist for participation in these projects by graduate students within the department. The program also prepares students for teaching careers.

Admission to Graduate Study

Students will be admitted for the fall semester only. Application packages must be received and completed by the deadline. Deadlines are available on the university Graduate Division website. All students must satisfy the general requirements for admission to the university with classified graduate standing, as described in Admission and Registration . The graduate advisory committee may consider conditionally classified standing for students whose preparation is deemed insufficient. They will be required to complete specified courses in addition to the minimum of 31 units required for the degree.

Meeting all the indicated criteria does not guarantee admission to the program, since admission is also dependent on the facilities and resources available in the department.

There are two parts to the application process. Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee, and then go to the department website at http://sociology.sdsu.edu/graduate/application.html and follow the steps. All applicants must submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the Department of Sociology.

Graduate Admissions

The following materials should be submitted as a complete package directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Enrollment Services
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-7416

One official transcript (in sealed envelopes) from each postsecondary institutions attended;
- Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
- Students with international coursework must submit both the official transcript and proof of degree. If documents are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
GRE scores (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682);
English language score, if the medium of instruction was in a language other than English (http://www.ets.org SDSU institution code 4682).

Department of Sociology

The following admissions materials must be submitted electronically:

Three letters of recommendation (at least two must be from persons who can speak to academic ability);
Personal statement;
Writing sample (preferably an academic paper). If this is not available, send an extended, three to five page personal statement;
Copy of transcript (these do not need to be sent directly from the colleges; photocopies are acceptable).

For information regarding the admissions process, visit the department website at http://sociology.sdsu.edu/graduate/application.html.

Faculty

Chair: Shultz, Norah P., Professor of Sociology (B.A., Rosemont College; M.A., Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College)

Undergraduate Program Director: Roberts, Michael J., Professor of Sociology (Ph.D., City University of New York, Graduate Center)

Undergraduate Advisor: Lenoue, Michelle, Student Success Advisor (B.S., Plymouth State University; M.A., San Diego State University)

Graduate Admissions and Graduate Adviser: Choi, Jung Min, Professor of Sociology (Ph.D., York University, Toronto)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Casper, Monica J. , Professor of Sociology and Special Assistant to the President on Gender Based Violence (B.A., University of Chicago; Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco)

Choi, Jung Min, Professor of Sociology (B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.A., University of Miami; Ph.D., York University, Canada)

Gibbons, Joseph, Professor of Sociology (Ph.D., University at Albany, State University of New York)

Johnston, Hank, Professor of Sociology (Ph.D., University of California, San Diego)

Kim, Minjeong, Professor of Sociology (B.A., The Ohio State University; M.A., Ph.D., University at Albany, State University of New York)

Roberts, Michael J., Professor of Sociology (Ph.D., City University of New York, Graduate Center)

Shultz, Norah P., Professor of Sociology and Director of Inclusive Curriculum, Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity (B.A., Rosemont College; M.A., Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College)

Beck, Audrey N., Associate Professor of Sociology (B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.A., Ph.D., Duke University)

Brown, Timothy C., Associate Professor of Sociology (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Louisiana State University)

Marcelli, Enrico A., Associate Professor of Sociology (B.A., Messiah College; M.A., Ph.D., University of Southern California)

McCall, Michael, Associate Professor of Sociology (B.S., M.A., University of Akron; Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis)

Suh, Stephen, Assistant Professor of Sociology (B.A., University of California; M.A, Ph.D., University of Minnesota)

Williams, Neftalie, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Director of the SDSU Center for Skateboarding, Action Sports, and Social Change (B.A., M.A., University of Southern California; Ph.D., University of Waikato)

Additional Faculty:

Esbenshade, Jill, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley)

Liu, Ruth X., Professor of Sociology, Emeritus (Ph.D., Texas A&M University)

Ojeda, Norma, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Emeritus (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin)

Lecturers:

Bursalyan, Haroutun, M.A., Sociology

Cruz, Luciano, Ph.D., Sociology

Davis, Daniel, Ph.D., Sociology

Holkenbrink-Monk, Charlene, Ph.D., Sociology

Kristopher, Kohler, Ph.D., Sociology

Langord, Rachael Horn, Ph.D., Sociology

Rowe, Matthew, Ph.D., Sociology

Wong, Amy C., Ed.D., Sociology

Emeritus Faculty:

Bloomberg, Jr., Warner, Ph.D., 1973-1989, Professor of Sociology

Buck, Robert, Ph.D., 1969-2005, Associate Professor of Sociology

Chandler, Shelly, Ph.D., 1966-2003, Associate Professor of Sociology

Cottrell, Ann, Ph.D., 1967-1999, Professor of Sociology

El-Assal, Mohamed, Ph.D., 1967-1992, Professor of Sociology

Emerick, Robert, Ph.D., 1968-2004, Professor of Sociology

Gay, Phillip, Ph.D., 1976-2007, Professor of Sociology

Gillette, Thomas, Ph.D., 1961-1989, Professor of Sociology

Hill, Jr., Richard, Ph.D., 1969-1999, Assistant Professor of Sociology, SDSU Imperial Valley

Hohm, Chuck F., Ph.D., 1973-2004, Professor of Sociology

Ima, Kenji, Ph.D., 1972-2000, Professor of Sociology

Kolody, Bohdan, Ph.D., 1972-2008, Professor of Sociology

Preston, David, Ph.D., 1971-2001, Professor of Sociology

Sandlin, Joann, Ph.D., 1967-1994, Professor of Sociology

Scheck, Dennis, Ph.D., 1968-2001, Professor of Sociology

Schulze, Rolf, Ph.D., 1969-1998, Professor of Sociology

Stephenson, III, John, Ph.D., 1969-1986, Professor of Sociology

Winslow, Robert, Ph.D., 1965-2000, Professor of Sociology

Zhang, Sheldon, Ph.D., 2002-2016, Professor of Sociology