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Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice


Sociology and anthropology offer courses and programs examining the organization and processes of human social behavior and belief systems. The roles of individuals in both the maintenance and change of these arrangements are also explored. A Bachelor of Arts degree is offered in sociology and criminal justice. Minor programs are available in sociology, anthropology and criminal justice. The Criminal Justice program is designed to provide a liberal arts education for students interested in employment or graduate education in criminal justice and related areas, for example, counseling and social work. The program has a major and minor in criminal justice.

Admission

Sociology/Anthropology

Students may apply for admission to programs in sociology and anthropology upon completion of six hours of coursework in sociology and/or anthropology at Saint Xavier University, a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and approval of the program faculty.

Criminal Justice

Students intending to enter the program as majors must formally apply for admission. Prerequisites for admission are:

  1. Completion of 6 hours of coursework in criminal justice.
  2. Overall GPA of at least 2.0 as well as 2.50 in criminal justice courses.

Graduation with a major in criminal justice requires completion of at least 21 credits in the major at Saint Xavier University.

Sociology

Sociology studies human societies, the groups that compose them and the interaction that occurs in them. Greater knowledge of the organization and dynamics of social life is central to a deeper understanding of human behavior. To this end, the sociological perspective is critical to the interpretation of key modern issues, including gender, race, aging, bureaucracy, discrimination, family, poverty and urban change.

Recent graduates of the Saint Xavier sociology program have taken positions in such areas as: banking, administration, health care, management, marketing research, policing, public relations, probation, social work, research and human services. Other areas which employ people with bachelor's degrees in sociology include law, community planning, social research and government agencies. Students may also wish to pursue graduate education, either at the master's or doctoral levels.

Majors in other disciplines will find sociology courses to be useful background for careers in business, education, nursing, psychology, criminal justice, mass communications and religious studies. With the sociology minor, students in other majors can take modules of courses to complement majors in business, education, criminal justice, psychology and political science.

*All courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise noted

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (33 credit hours)

The sociology major requires a minimum of 33 credit hours, including:

Core Sociology Requirements

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology (3)
  • SOC 294: Statistics and Research Design I (3)
  • SOC 295: Statistics and Research Design II (3)
  • SOC 300: Social Theory (3)
  • SOC 366: Senior Seminar and Project (3)
  • Social Inequality Requirement (See list below) (6)
  • Anthropology Requirement (See list below) (3)
  • Three electives in Sociology or Anthropology (9) (6 hours must be at the 200 and/or 300-levels)

Social Inequality Requirement

Complete two course from the following:

  • SOC 224: Invention of Race (3)
  • SOC 225: Racial and Ethnic Relations (3)
  • SOC 235: Sex, Culture and Society (3)
  • SOC 275: Women, Change and Society (3)
  • SOC 309: Gender and Globalization (3)
  • SOC 318: Sociology of Aging (3)
  • SOC 325: Race, Class, Gender and Justice 93)
  • SOC 345: Jurisprudence and Gender (3)
  • SOC 360: Social Class and Stratification (3)

Anthropology Requirement

Complete one course from the following:

  • ANTH 250: Modern Latin America (3)
  • ANTH 251: Native Americans (3)
  • ANTH 265: Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (3)

SOC 300, SOC 294, SOC 295, SOC 366 and six additional credit hours in sociology and/or anthropology must be taken at Saint Xavier University. Anthropology courses may be counted toward the credit hour requirement in the sociology major. A grade of C or better is required for the core courses in the major of sociology.

Sociology Minor

The minor in sociology involves 18 credit hours in sociology, including:

  • SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology (3)
  • SOC 300: Social Theory (3)
  • SOC: Electives (9)
  • Social Inequality Requirement (3)
    • Complete ONE of the following:

SOC 224, SOC 225, SOC 235, SOC 275, SOC 309, SOC 318, SOC 325, SOC 345, SOC 360

Sociology 300 and six additional credit hours in sociology must be taken at Saint Xavier University. Anthropology courses may be counted toward the credit hour requirement in the sociology minor.

Social Work Minor

The well-being of our human society is a chief concern of the field of social work. Social workers help meet basic human needs, especially for those who are vulnerable, abused or marginalized. Social workers are interested in the betterment of the individual and the betterment of society as a whole.

Students of social work are better informed as citizens; they learn a great deal about society, its problems and values, as well as how to address societal concerns. While the social work minor does not certify students as professional social workers or provide state licensure, it may lead to rewarding graduate level work required for certification and licensure. Students may find the minor in social work to be an attractive and interesting enhancement to their major course of study especially in sociology, psychology and criminal justice and an entry to careers in various social services organizations.

The minor in social work requires 21 semester hours. Students planning to minor in social work must complete, with a grade of C or better, at least four of the six courses at Saint Xavier University. A maximum of one course from the student's major requirements may be applied to the minor.

Minor requirements (21 credit hours)

Required Courses (15 credit hours)
Only one course can apply to the minor from the student's major. Some courses may have prerequisites.

  • ANTH 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
  • PSYCH 101: Introduction to Psychology (3)
  • SOC 190: Introduction to Social Work (3)
  • SOC 216: Career Training for Social Work (3)
  • SOC 375: Internship/Practicum (3)
  • Electives (6 credit hours)

Note - SOC 216: Career Training in Social Work (3). This required course is a Fall I 8-week course. This course should help students secure their internship for the spring semester.

SOC 190 is offered every fall, SOC 375 is offered every spring. SOC 216 is offered every Fall I for students who minor in social work and who plan to take SOC 375 in the spring. SOC 190 and SOC 216 could be taken in the same semester.

Electives (6 credit hours)

Choose one course from Race, Class, Gender and Society and one course from Working with the Individual and Family.

Race, Class, Gender and Society
Complete one of the following:

  • ANTH 309: Gender and Globalization (3)
  • CJ 245: Race, Class, and Gender and the Criminal Justice System (3)
  • CJ 307: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency (3)
  • CJ 316: Victimology (3)
  • COMM 350: Gender, Identity and Communication (3)
  • PSYCH 328: Psychology and Gender (3)
  • SOC 243: Chicago Neighborhoods (3)
  • SOC 221: Social Problems (3)
  • SOC 325: Race, Class, Gender and Justice (3)
  • SOC 224: Invention of Race (3)
  • SOC 275: Women, Change and Society (3)
  • SOC 310: Mind, Self and Society (3)
Working with the Individual and Family
Complete one of the following:
  • COMM 203: Intercultural Communication (3)
  • GERON 101: Introduction to Aging (3)
  • PSYCH 199: Lifespan Development (3)
  • PSYCH 200: Child Development (3)
  • PSYCH 201: Adolescence Development (3)
  • PSYCH 224: Adulthood and Aging (3)
  • PSYCH 354: Psychology of Addiction (3)
  • SOC 210: Sociology of the Family (3)
  • SOC 290: Death, Dying and Suicide (3)
  • SOC 318: Sociology of Aging (3)
  • SOC 327: Sociology of Childhood (3)
  • SOC 335: The Art and Science of Reminiscing (3)

Anthropology

The anthropology program has as its overall objective the holistic understanding of human behavior culturally, socially, psychologically and physically. The focus is on the comparative analysis of social and cultural processes in various human populations. The program provides the basis on which people in a wide variety of human-contact fields can understand and function more effectively in different cultural settings and with people from other cultural backgrounds. It is also meant to develop a broader theoretical and substantive appreciation of the range of human behavior. The program is designed to provide a cross-cultural perspective to students in other programs or to supplement a concentration in another field, such as another social science, international business, education, nursing or liberal studies.

*All courses are three credit hours unless otherwise noted

Anthropology Minor (18 credit hours)

  • ANTH 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
  • ANTH 105: Archaeology (3)
  • ANTH 120: Physical Anthropology (3)
  • Choose three anthropology electives at the 200-300 level (9)

At least nine credit hours in anthropology must be taken at Saint Xavier University. A grade of C or better is required for the three core courses in the minor of anthropology.

Criminal Justice

Criminal justice students participate in the planned sequence of the liberal arts core to prepare them with an understanding of the moral, philosophical, historical and scientific base from which to understand and make decisions and judgments when presented with criminal justice topics. The program in criminal justice provides basic preparation that relates the criminal justice area to liberal arts education and forms a foundation for employment opportunities in such fields as policing, corrections, probation and for graduate studies.

*All courses are three credit hours unless otherwise noted

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

The criminal justice major requires a minimum of 36 credit hours, including:

Core Criminal Justice Requirements

  • CJ 101: Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (3)
  • CJ 201: Law Enforcement and Society (3)
  • CJ 202: Corrections (3)
  • CJ 214: Law, Courts and Justice (3)
  • CJ 294: Research Methods and Design (3)
  • CJ 312: Criminology (3)
  • CJ 316: Victimology (3)
  • CJ 368: CJ Senior Seminar (3)
  • Four Criminal Justice Electives (12)

Two of the four CJ electives must be 300-level courses.

CJ 312, CJ 294, CJ 368 and six additional credit hours in criminal justice must be taken at Saint Xavier University. A grade of C or better is required for the core courses in the major of criminal justice.

Students must complete MATH 135: Introduction to Statistics (or other statistics course, per director approval) for a statistics element of their Criminal Justice degree. It is strongly encouraged that students complete MATH 135 as their General Education college-level math requirement.

To qualify for CJ 368: Senior Seminar, students must have completed MATH 135 and CJ 294 with a C or better.

Criminal Justice Minor (18 credit hours)

The minor in criminal justice involves 18 credit hours, nine hours of which must be taken at Saint Xavier University. Students wishing to minor in criminal justice must take:

  • CJ 101: Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (3)
  • CJ 201: Law Enforcement and Society (3)
  • CJ 202: Corrections (3)
  • CJ 214: Law, Courts, and Justice (3)
  • CJ 312: Criminology (3)
  • One criminal justice elective (3)

Criminal Justice Elective Courses

Students are offered a wide range of elective courses to supplement the core requirements. Students are encouraged to work with their faculty advisors to select elective courses that reflect their general interests and career goals. These electives can be found under the course descriptions section of the catalog.