Sociology Department - Bryn Mawr College

Required Course Work for Sociology Majors

102 Society, Culture and the Individual

265 Research Design and Statistical Analysis
302 Social Theory

303 Junior Writing Intensive Seminar

398 Senior Seminar

Optional thesis

Five additional courses in Scoiology, one must be at the 100 level and at least one of which should be at the 300 level

Two additional courses in sociology or an allied subject, the allied courses to be chosen in consultation with the faculty adviser. The department strongly recommends that majors take a history course focused on late 19th and 20th century American history. Students with an interest in quantitative sociology are encouraged to elect as allied work further training in mathematics, statistics and computer science. Those with an interest in historical or theoretical sociology are encouraged to elect complementary courses in history, philosophy, and anthropology. In general, these allied courses should be chosen from the Social Sciences.

Recommended Sequence of Courses for Majors

We strongly recommend that the two 100 level courses be completed by the end of the sophomore year. If this is not possible, they must be completed by the end of the junior year. Any exception must be appealed by petition to the department.
Sociology 265, 302 and 303 must be completed by the end of the junior year. Any exception must be appealed by petition to the department.
Sociology 398 must be taken in the senior year. This senior seminars cannot be taken earlier than the senior year.
If the requirements are completed on schedule, students may take a junior year or semester abroad after discussion with their adviser. If the junior year or junior semester abroad will affect the above sequencing of the requirements above, then the student must petition the department for permission to postpone any required courses until the senior year.
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Study Abroad

Students who plan to take a junior semester or year abroad must get the approval of the department adviser before completing her course registration for the program. The student should submit a description of the program, a catalogue or published description of the courses she plans to take for sociology credit, and a statement of how the program fits into the major.

Independent Study

Students may request to work independently with a faculty member on an individual research project. The number of students accepted for independent study is necessarily limited because of other demands on faculty's time. Independent study is restricted to seniors and can be undertaken in either semester of the senior year. The student must have a GPA in the major of at least 3.3. The student must have done relevant course work in the area of the research study with the professor she requests to supervise her study. The student should seek the approval of the prospective faculty adviser as early as possible in the semester preceding the proposed independent study.

Department Honors

Students who have a grade point average of 3.5 or above in the major can qualify for honors if they fulfill one of the options listed below:

Option 1. Via Independent Study

The final paper needs to be submitted to two professors (the adviser and one other professor) in the department for evaluation.
If the paper is approved for honors by the two professors, the student receives honors. If the paper is not judged to be of honors quality, the student still receives a grade and credit for the course.

Option 2. Via Course Paper

If a paper written for a 300 level course is judged to be of exceptional quality by the sociology department professor, the student can choose to have it considered for honors.
Based on the suggestions of the professor, the paper must be revised before it is submitted for honors.
The revised paper must be read by two department professors, one of whom being the professor who taught the class for which the paper was originally written.

Required Course Work for Sociology Minors

102 Society, Culture and the Individual
265 Research Design and Statistical Analysis
302 Social Theory

Three additional courses in sociology.

Concentrations Within the Sociology Major

Gender Studies
The Sociology Department offers a concentration in the field of Gender and Society. Three courses are required for this concentration - at least two of these courses must be in sociology. The remaining course can be in sociology or an allied social science field. Students who pursue this concentration are required to take at least one of the core courses in this area offered by the department: The Study of Gender in Society (Sociology 201) or Women in Contemporary Society: The Southern Hemisphere (Sociology 225). The department encourages students in this concentration to take courses that focus on the study of gender in both northern and southern societies. In addition to taking courses in this field at Bryn Mawr, students may also take courses towards this concentration in their study abroad programs or at Haverford, Swarthmore and the University of Pennsylvania. Any course taken outside of the Bryn Mawr sociology department must be approved by the department for concentration credit. Students are urged to consult Mary Osirim about this concentration.

Asian American Studies
The Sociology Department offers a concentration in the field of Asian-American studies. Students pursuing this concentration are required to take Asian American Communities (Sociology 249), in addition to two other courses. One of them must be either Challenges and Dilemmas of Diversity (Sociology 215) or Immigrant Experiences (Sociology 246). The other course can be in anthropology, East Asian studies, or any other relevant field, and must be approved by the department for concentration credit. Please contact Ayumi Takenaka for further information.

African American Studies
The Sociology Department offers a concentration in the field of African American studies. Three courses are required for this concentration - at least two of these courses must be in sociology. The remaining course can be in either sociology or an allied field. Students who pursue this concentration are required to take the core course offered by Bryn Mawr sociology department: Black America In Sociological Perspective (Sociology 229). Students are encouraged to take courses of Black America listed in the Bryn Mawr and Haverford Africana Programs. Courses taken outside the Bryn Mawr sociology department must be approved by the department for concentration credit. Students interested in this concentration should consult Robert Washington for further information.

Double Majoring or Minoring in Sociology

Students may choose to combine their training in sociology with their work in another discipline by either minoring in sociology or double majoring. Among the most popular double majors are sociology and economics, sociology and political science, sociology and biology (pre-med), and sociology and mathematics. Recent examples of students combining a minor in sociology with a major in another discipline include sociology and history, sociology and French, sociology and Spanish, sociology and chemistry, and sociology and anthropology.

Opportunities for Field Work and Internship Experiences

The Sociology Department encourages students to pursue the varied opportunities to combine classroom learning with practical experiences through fieldwork and internships in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. the Sociology of AIDS Internship (Sociology 315), which must be taken along with The Sociology of AIDS (Sociology 310) taught by Professor Porter, gives full credit for internships. Courses incorporating internships or fieldwork as significant components of the course work are: The Sociology of Poverty (Sociology 212) taught by Professor Porter, U.S. Social Structure (Sociology 103) taught by Professor Osirim, and Urban Fieldwork (Sociology 242) taught by Professor Takenaka. In addition to these course related internships, opportunities for volunteer work in social service and other agencies are provided through the college's Community Services Office. Students interested in course related internships should consult the Professor teaching the course for more information.

Departmental Grants for Summer Internships

Over the past several years, the sociology department has received a gift to fund student internships. The Pollak Fund supports student internships for 8-10 weeks each summer and, beginning in 2007-08 during the academic year as well. These grants are supported by the estate of Otto and Gertrude Pollak - lawyers from Vienna, Austria - who became political refugees from Nazism, and emigrated to the United States. After they settled in the Philadelphia area, Bryn Mawr College had a significant impact in helping them to establish their professional careers.

Interdepartmental Programs and Opportunities for Work at Other Institutions

The department participates in the interdisciplinary programs in Hispanic and Hispanic-American Studies, Feminist and Gender Studies, Africana Studies and in the Growth and Structure of Cities Program. Cross-registration in Sociology and allied social science departments at Haverford, Swarthmore and the University of Pennsylvania provides many opportunities to study in specialized areas such as medical sociology, women's studies, demography, African American studies, statistics and computer science. Majors also frequently spend a junior semester abroad, combining the study of language, literature and culture with courses in sociology and allied social science. Students interested in these programs should consult first with their departmental undergraduate adviser.

Letter of Recommendation

recommendation letter request form

The Social Science Data Laboratory and Library

Statistical and computing skills are an important component of student training in methods of sociological inquiry. To facilitate this training, the department maintains the Social Science Data Laboratory and Data Library, established by a grant to the department from the National Science Foundation in 1979. This facility gives students access to a large number of data resources as well as consulting assistance. Advanced junior and senior majors are frequently employed as course assistants, consultants, and data librarians with responsibility for assisting beginning users, teaching basic skills, and maintaining the data library.