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Sociology & Criminal Justice at St. Thomas
Sociology is the scientific study of human behavior whose unique contribution is understanding the influence of external social forces beyond the control of individuals as manifested in groups, organizations, and social processes such as inequality and socialization or how we come to know the ways of society. A major in sociology enables students to observe and analyze social life. Sociology provides knowledge and skills applicable to a variety of careers, as well as everyday life.
Auguste Comte coined the term sociology in the 1800's and was motivated, in part, to understand the upheaval of the French revolution. Today, sociology is a broad discipline with a variety of sub fields including criminology, sexuality, family, gender, politics, social movements, social psychology, education, social inequality, deviance, and aging to name just a few. In fact, the American Sociological Association lists over 44 current sections reflecting a wide range of teaching and research interests.
Here at St. Thomas, dedicated faculty are actively involved in engaging students both inside and outside the classroom with problem-based learning, research opportunities, and an active sociology and criminal justice student club.
Three sociology students and Professor Susan Smith-Cunnien traveled to Mali in West Africa for J-term 2009 to complete a project for the Mali Agribusiness Center in conjunction with a government agricultural research center and an agricultural college in Mali.
My degree from St. Thomas has led to some great opportunities. Since graduating from UST I worked as a Deputy Sheriff, spent a summer working for NYPD’s Counterterrorism Division and Deputy Commissioner of Operations, and earned my Master’s Degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University.
Professionally, I have worked as a Security Training Supervisor and Security Account Manager at Seagate Technology. My current position is as the Physical Security Manager at Goodrich Sensor Systems in Burnsville, MN.
In January 2011, 15 students had the chance to study abroad in Ghana and had the experience of a lifetime. That opportunity is going to be available again in January 2013. The class, titled Ghana Today and Yesterday, focuses on what is happening in the different segments of Ghanaian society today and how this is grounded in Ghana’s past – including slavery, colonization, independence and current global influences. You can receive sociology elective credit for the major or minor and the course meets the Human Diversity Core requirement. Co-directors of the trip are Professor Smith-Cunnien in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice (slsmithcunni@stthomas.edu) and Professor Lawrence in the Department of English (dtlawrence@stthomas.edu). You can contact either of them for more information. There is an information session in 235 Anderson Student Center during the convo hour on Thursday September 13, 2012. Applications are accepted through October 3, 2012 (apply at http://studyabroad@stthomas.edu)
