Central College Majors

Majors
Faculty
Successful Careers
Internships
Courses
Sample Schedule
Research Opportunities
Facilities
Organizations
Study Abroad

Sociology

Have you ever wondered why people act the way they act or why people think the way they think? You might consider majoring in sociology at Central College. Courses in sociology expose students to a variety of views of social life. Graduates from Central’s sociology program have gone on to law enforcement and to work against domestic violence, as well as become housing directors, social workers, lawyers and employment specialists for nonprofits.

Faculty

Dale De Wild, professor of sociology, dewildd@central.edu,
areas of interest: crime, criminal justice, conflict resolution
Dawn Reece, associate professor of sociology, reeced@central.edu,
areas of interest: gender issues, motherhood, family and communities studies
Jonathan Witt, associate professor of sociology, wittj@central.edu, areas of interest: religion, science, gender/race/class and community studies

Successful Careers

Allison Bogaard, social worker, Polk County Department of Human Services, Des Moines, Iowa
Bojan Dabetic, clinical supervisor, Rock County Jail, Janesville, Wis.
John Hodges, graduate student, Drake Law School, Des Moines, Iowa
Lisa Jeremiah, research analyst, Washington State Legislature, Olympia, Wash.
Abby Myers, applied sociology graduate student, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.
Amanda Riedell, social worker, program supervisor, New Choices, Inc., Bettendorf, Iowa
Mesha Wagner, police officer, Indianola Police Department, Indianola, Iowa
Becky Hedges, caseworker, Easter Seals, Des Moines, Iowa

Internships
Central offers plenty of opportunity to get practical experience. The sociology department has established internships where students can learn social work by observing professionals in the field. Internships normally last 10 weeks. Recent internships sites include the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, the Marion County Department of Human Services Office, the Iowa Adult Probation Service, the Jasper County Youth Shelter, Bethany Christian Services, the Illinois State Attorney’s office and the Riverview Release Center.

Another popular option is the Chicago Metropolitan Program, where students spend 10 weeks living, working and attending classes in the city. Past internships have included social work in correctional institutions, schools and an inner-city church.

Learn more about internships at Central.

Courses
Because there are so many aspects of human interaction, Central’s sociology program provides a broad range of elective courses. This allows students to select course offerings that capture their imagination. Courses in theories and methods are required, but the other courses completed depend on student interests. Sociology courses include:

Principles of sociology
Social problems
Urban sociology
Minority groups
The criminal justice system
Crime and delinquency
Sociology of the family
Science, technology and society
Sociology of gender
Status and inequality in social life
Sociology of religion
Conflict resolution
Sociological theory
Introduction to statistics
Fundamentals of statistics
Methods of social research
Methods of political research

Get more details from the course catalog! (Note: this is a PDF file)

Sample Schedule
Freshman year

Principles of sociology (or the sociological perspective)
Sociology and anthropology electives-200 level
Introduction to computer applications
Core courses and/or electives

Sophomore year

Sociology and anthropology electives 200-300 level
Core courses and/or electives
Study abroad

Junior year

Introduction to statistics
Methods of social research
Sociology and anthropology electives 200-400 level
Core courses and/or electives

Senior year

Internship
Sociological theory
Sociology and anthropology 300-400 level electives
Senior seminar
Core courses and/or electives

Facilities
Central College is one of the most beautiful college campuses you'll find. A perfect mix of old and new, our buildings reflect our history and our future. Central's distinctive library is spacious and a popular haven with more then 230,000 volumes, computer stations, a multimedia collection and an extensive online computerized catalog.

Organizations
No matter what your interests are, Central has a student group or organization that you’ll want to join! Sociology students might be interested in Central’s Sociology and Anthropology Club.

Study Abroad
Students are encouraged to study abroad with one of Central’s 10 international programs to enhance their development as global citizens, or with Central’s Chicago program and the Washington, D.C., program. Learn more about about Central’s study abroad programs.