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Sociology Certificate Program with Externship

Program includes National Certification & an Externship Opportunity

The Sociology Profession

The Study of Sociology allows us to understand the structure and dynamics of our society and other societies the intricate connection to human behavior within it and the individual life changes that affect it. Sociology examines the way in which humans interact with each other, whether as individuals, groups, organizations, communities, or various social and economic classifications including sex, age, race, or class, More than that, the course will take a look at other social institutions – family, economic, political, religious – and how they affect human attitudes, interactions and opportunities. Sociology addresses the sources and consequences of change in social arrangements and institutions that can alter or affect individuals and organizations in various ways. Students considering a course of study in sociology, or perhaps entering this profession, have the opportunity to contribute to a wide variety of fields including healthcare, social work, corrections and even criminology.

The Sociology Program

Throughout this program, students will take a look at culture, values, socialization, cooperation, conflict, inequality, deviance, violence, social conflict and control alongside the different social stratifications that make up our existence, our relationships and our everyday lives. The program focuses on globalization, cultural diversity, critical thinking, new technology, and the growing influence of mass media. Students who complete this program will gain a comprehensive understanding of Sociology, its origins, theories, applications and implications. This course explores sociological processes that underlie everyday life.

Program Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, students will be able to:

  • Examine the field of sociology in terms of history, theoretical perspectives, research methods, and ethical issues
  • Explain cultures, religion and family in socialization and their role in social interactions
  • Assess deviance and the reasons for deviant behaviors
  • Analyze the different social stratifications including sexual and racial discrimination
  • Critique inequalities in gender and age and their impacts on society
  • Assess various social groups and organizations within societies, and discuss their origin
  • Analyze poverty and its effects on society
  • Examine factors that influence decision making and choice
  • Analyze the history of politics, globalization, and the effects of transformation
  • Examine diversity in U.S. families and trends in marriages, remarriages, and divorce
  • Examine issues in education and factors that affect the educational system in the U.S.
  • Examine urbanization, evolution of various cities, and growth in global population
  • Analyze the history, theory of population growth, demographics, and social change
  • Examine the effects of growth and technology on social interactions and the environment
  • Use Microsoft Office

THE FIELD OF SOCIOLOGY

  • Define what is meant by the sociological perspective
  • Discuss the origins of sociology and the key thought leaders who shaped the field
  • Describe the history of sociology in North America
  • Discuss the three theoretical approaches to sociology
  • Identify and describe the various research methods used in the field of sociology
  • Discuss how research and theory work together
  • Assess ethical issues involved in sociological research

CULTURE

  • Define culture
  • Differentiate between cultures, subcultures, and countercultures
  • Discuss the role of culture in social interactions

SOCIALIZATION

  • Define human nature and factors that affect human nature
  • Discuss the different agents of socialization
  • Describe sociological interactions in everyday life and the factors that affect them
  • Analyze the role and effects of media on social interactions
  • Compare and contrast gender differences in socialization

LEARNING WITH CHANGE, EXPERIENCE, AND MEMORY

  • Distinguish between the different perspectives on deviance
  • Analyze the reasons for deviant behaviors from a psychological, biological, and sociological perspective
  • Identify the methods of construction of schemas and their use

DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL

  • Define the processes of thinking and reasoning
  • Identify strategies and rules for decision making
  • Identify the different methods of problem solving
  • Examine language as a communication tool

GLOBAL STRATIFICATION AND RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

  • Identify social structures in a group or organization, and the roles of those structures
  • Define global stratification
  • Interpret trends in stratification in the world
  • Compare and contrast between universal and comparative social stratification
  • Identify historical instances of racial discrimination and its effects
  • Discuss sexual and racial discrimination and their role in our daily social interactions

INEQUITITES OF GENDER AND AGE

  • Discuss issues of sex and gender
  • Critique existing inequalities in gender and its correlation to social stratification
  • Discuss females as a minority and the differences in social organizations based on such a differentiation
  • Describe aging from a global perspective

SOCIAL CLASS AND DECISION MAKING

  • Describe social class and its consequence
  • Examine the different sociological models
  • Analyze changes in social class between generations
  • Examine poverty and its effects on society
  • Describe feminization of poverty, the reasons it occurs, and trends related to it
  • Analyze the importance of income, power, and prestige on career choices
  • Examine peer pressure and how it affects decision making

POLITICS AND ECONOMICS

  • Discuss power, authority, and violence
  • Differentiate between the different types of governments around the world
  • Examine the U.S. political system
  • Discuss the causes and effects of transformation of economic systems
  • Discuss war and terrorism
  • Analyze world economic systems and their role in globalization
  • Describe globalization and its effects on society
  • Discuss capitalism in a global economy

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

  • Distinguish marriage and family in a global and theoretical perspective
  • Examine the family life cycle and the impact of family structure, class, and birth order on the raising of a child
  • Describe diversity in U.S. families and cross-cultural variations in marriages
  • Analyze trends in divorce and remarriage in different nations

EDUCATION AND RELIGION

  • Distinguish between the different perspectives on education
  • Analyze problems in United States education and provide recommendations and strategies for improvement
  • Explain religion and the core values in the United States and its reflection on society andthe educational system
  • Discuss norms and values encouraged and discouraged by the United States educationalsystem
  • Discuss the different types of religious groups in the world

POPULATION AND URBANIZATION

  • Define urbanization
  • List problems resulting from overpopulation
  • Discuss urban sprawl and common urban problems
  • Compare evolution of various cities and their populations
  • Explain the new and anti-Malthusian perspectives on population growth
  • Analyze events in history that have favored changes in society

SOCIAL CHANGE

  • Describe the theories and processes of social change
  • Discuss propaganda and social movements
  • Analyze the effects of technology on social interactions
  • Analyze the effects of growth and progress on the environment

Note: This program can be completed in 6 months. However, students will have online access to this program for a 24-month period.

Education and National Certifications

  • Students should have or be pursuing a high school diploma or GED.
  • There are no state approval and/or state requirements associated with this program.
  • There is a National Certification exam available to students who successfully complete this program:
    • Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification Exam.

National Certification

Upon successful completion of this Auburn University program, students would be eligible to sit for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exam. Although there are no state approval, state registration or other state requirements for this program, students who complete this program at Auburn University will be prepared and are eligible to sit for this national certification exam. Students who complete this program are encouraged to complete the externship option with their program. Students who complete this program can and do sit for the MOS national certification exams and are qualified, eligible and prepared to do so. Auburn University works with each student to complete the exam application and register the student to take their national certification exam.

Externship / Hands on Training / Practicum

Although not a requirement, once students complete the program, they have the ability to participate in an externship and/or hands on practicum so as to practice the skills necessary to perform the job requirements of a professional in this field. Students will be assisted with completing a resume and/or other requirements necessary to work in this field. All students who complete this program are eligible to participate in an externship and will be placed with a participating organization near their location. Auburn University works with national organizations and has the ability to place students in externship opportunities nationwide.

Note: No refunds can be issued after the start date published in your Financial Award document.

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