About Our Program

This program is designed to facilitate the understanding of human behavior within the context of the greater human community. The program prepares students to select the option of transferring from Highland to a senior institution to pursue a baccalaureate degree. In addition to a general survey course about sociology, the program also offers courses covering topics such as family, social problems, social work, criminology, and anthropology.

Nature of Work and Employment

Graduates of the program may immediately seek employment in entry-level positions with social-service agencies. Those choosing to complete a baccalaureate program will acquire skills leading to careers in areas that focus on human relations, social service organizations, and the like. Social work, teaching, health care, and community work often attract sociology majors. Students may choose to pursue an advanced degree after program completion.

Special Considerations

The listed coursework is a recommendation only. Students should check with a student advisor for HCC graduation requirements and specific university requirements in this major. Students must meet with an advisor to ensure that the special requirements of the department and institution to which they plan to transfer are met. Colleges and universities have specific requirements for transfer students.

Requirements

Associate of Arts Requirements

Students must meet all requirements for the Associate of Arts degree in order to graduate from Highland Community College. For more information, please see your advisor.

Recommended Courses

The following are recommended courses for this major only.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SOCI 171	Introduction Sociology 1	3
SOCI 174	Death And Dying	3
SOCI 177	Introduction to Anthropology	3
SOCI 178	Drugs/Culture/Social Policy	3
SOCI 271	Social Problems	3
SOCI 273	Social Work Field Experience	3
SOCI 274	The Family	3
CJS 201	Criminology	3
SOCI 276	Racism & Diversity/Contemp Soc	3
MATH 134	Statistics 1	4

¹

Course has a prerequisite. See course description.

Program Outcomes

• Written Communication: Students will be able to produce written work that displays college-level skills, insight, and critical thinking through meaningful and appropriate content.
• Oral Communication: Students will be able to prepare and deliver a purposeful presentation designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners’ attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
• Critical Thinking: Students will be able to evaluate and create arguments that consider a variety of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events.
• Quantitative Literacy: Students will demonstrate the ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations.
• Information Literacy: Students will engage in reflective discovery of information, evaluate information based on an understanding of how it is produced and valued, synthesize information to create new knowledge and participate ethically in communities of learning.
• Diversity: Students will recognize diversity in the global community and model culturally competent civic and social participation.

Program Contacts

Call Highland at 815-235-6121 for the following program contacts:

• Dr. Julie Hartman-Linck, Sociology Faculty
• Wes Bertram, Student Advisor
• Rae Schupbach-Roe, Dean, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts