Sociology minor
Minor
Sociologists study all social relationships among people - everything from how two individuals make sense of a conversation to how cultures spread across the globe. Learning sociology opens our eyes to how our social setting influences us and how we can influence our social setting. The sociological imagination enables us to transform individuals' personal troubles into social issues by spotting and interpreting trends.
Lasell’s Sociology minor emphasizes thinking critically about social problems, oppression and social injustices, and developing skills that can be applied to bring about positive social change. Students investigate the relationship between individuals and society with a particular focus on inequalities related to race or ethnicity, social class, gender, disability, sexuality and other socially constructed identities.
In this course we explore our awareness of the relationship between our experience and broader society. How are our lives shaped by our social positions in society? our social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and more? How do the members of different groups view each other and interact with each other? Why do inequalities exist and how do these affect us? How does culture shape our behavior, and why do religions, schools, families, and other institutions remain stable but also change over time?
This course examines conditions and issues that result in tension and disorder. Examples are drawn primarily from American society include immigrants' struggles, race and class inequities in the education system, oppression of people of color, poverty, violence, ageism, and ecological concerns.