Sociology

Degree Options

• B.A. in Sociology (see: www.sociology.eku.edu)
• Minor in Sociology
• Get your major requirements finished in 2-3 semesters

Who Would be Interested in Sociology?

• Do you want a quality of mind that can adapt to not just today's job market but also the market of tomorrow?
• Do you enjoy working with creative, bold, passionate, and innovative thinkers and ideas?
• Do you want to understand how social systems work, from the local community up to the global economy?
• Do you want to develop critical thinking skills and analytical skills to be a better informed individual and to experience intellectual growth?
• Are you interested in civic engagement and community well-being?
• Do you want to become a skillful writer, speaker, and researcher?
• Are you interested in questions about social inequality, such as those related to race and racism, ethnicity, gender, sex and sexism, social class, poverty, and human sexuality?
• Would you like to know how modern technologies (such as computers) are changing our history, how we raise our children, and even our environment?
• Do you want to know more about how power, politics, economics, and war play out in our society and on the world stage?
• Would you like to learn about how issues of diversity shape the destinies of African-Americans, Latinos, immigrants, the poor, and other minority groups?

If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, then sociology is for you!

Why Sociology?

By working with the sociology faculty, students are able to...

• Prepare for careers in variety of fields-rather than narrow ones that may be obsolete tomorrow-by being ready to adapt to a changing work environment (see Career Opportunities below). 
• Study sociology in conjunction with other majors and types of training employers seek. For example, the social sciences gave birth to criminology, so sociology goes well with the study of psychology, deviance, crime, and the police. 
• Learn to study systemic social problems the way a forensics expert studies the particulars of a crime scene.
• Join a vibrant student organization and academic honor society.
• Become involved in research and community engagement projects headed by esteemed teachers and scholars (many of whom are nationally and internationally recognized).
• Join a field that attracts the kinds of students and researchers that our globalized world desperately needs right now.

World Class Faculty

• Our faculty have worked with a variety of academic communities, researched an array of topics across the discipline, and worked with societies ranging from local to international. 
• Our faculty have published books and articles on religion, environmental disasters in Kentucky, economic impacts of rock-climbing in Kentucky, the mass media, US foreign policy, humor, issues of racism in modern society, among others.

Our areas of expertise include:

• Community sociology
• Demography, Migration, and Immigration
• The Family
• Environmental Sociology
• Race and Ethnicity
• Sex and Gender
• Social Inequalities
• The Mass Media
• Social organization
• Animal-Human Relations
• Statistics and Research Methods
• Sociological Theory
• The Global Economy/Globalization

Research Opportunities

Our faculty have research projects that can always use new students. You can work with a sociologist in the field and present your work at professional conferences. 

What Are the Requirements to be Admitted to the Program?

Students may select Sociology upon applying to the university.

Rewarding Career Opportunities

Our program will prepare you for a career in a variety of fields, such as:

• National and Regional Business
• Research Institutes and Organizations
• Teaching/Education (grade school through university)
• Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice, Policing, and Corrections
• Human Resources and Human Relations
• National, State, and Local Government 
• Law school and Graduate School in a variety of fields
• Community Organizing and Activism
• Mediator and/or Arbitrator
• Social Services, Health and Human Services
• Journalism, Researcher
• Management, Marketing, and Public Relations
• Just to name a few!!

Where Are Recent Graduates Employed?

• A recent alumnae earned a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
• Several sociology students have continued their education in a variety of academic settings (including institutions in Kentucky, throughout the United States and abroad).
• Graduates of the Sociology program have become active in community engagement, such as working for environmental quality in Appalachia.

How Do I Get More Information?

Visit our webpage: www.sociology.eku.edu

Or write to us:

Dr. James N. Maples, Sociology Program Coordinator
859-622-1389
james.maples@eku.edu

Dr. Paul Paolucci, Chair, Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work
paul.paolucci@eku.edu
859-622-1644 

Pauline Lively
859-622-1644
pauline.lively@eku.edu

Evelyn Jones, Administrative Assistant
859-622-1645
evelyn.jones@eku.edu

The Sociology Program (through the Department of Anthropology, Sociology and Social Work) offers competitive travel funding opportunities for students to present their research conducted with faculty members.

A $500 scholarship was created exclusively for Sociology majors. For more information about eligibility and application details, stop by the main department office in Keith 223, call 622-1644 or email Lynn Morris.