Sociology
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Sociology programmes leading to qualifications

Programme Purpose

The programmes provide training in sociology of interest to those who use sociology skills in their work or who would like to learn about this field related to ministry. The advanced programmes offer a professional training in sociology for those who wish to work as sociologists or who need to have a substantial amount of knowledge of sociology as part of their existing work role.

Through the programmes we strive to:

Describe, explain and understand how the social world works. To explore and understand the overall influence of social structure, social institutions, social class, groups and social interaction on individual behavior, to develop the ability to see how overall social structure of society influences individual behaviours and circumstances.

Underlying sociological training is the commitment to understand human relationships in every kind of social group. However, sociologists develop their interests in different ways. They pursue diverse specialty subjects within the field as a whole. Thus, sociologists may specialize in families, adolescence, or children; the urban community; education; health and medicine; aging and the life course; work and occupations; the environment, science, and technology; economics, social inequality, and social class; race relations, ethnicity, and minorities; sex and gender; sports; culture and the arts; politics, the military, peace, and war; crime, delinquency, law, and justice; social change and social movements; and any other area of human organization.

Calvary University courses reflect these interests, as well as research methods and theory building. Some of the most fascinating subjects explored by sociologists include:

• Sex and gender: Do men and women have different hiring, employment, and promotion experiences? This would be a research question for a sociologist specializing in how sex and gender affect the workplace.
• Medical sociology: How is AIDS transmitted (and thus prevented) in different subgroups of the population? How has public opinion about AIDS shifted? These are the concerns of medical sociologists.
• Organizations and occupations: Which management styles increase productivity and worker satisfaction would engage the attention of an organizational sociologist.
• Racial and ethnic minorities: Do minority children get "tracked" within the public schools? Do minority parents get "cooled out" from participating in and knowing about the informal power structure within schools? Someone specializing in minority relations would explore these questions.
• Family: Are children of divorced parents more likely to divorce, or to reject marriage themselves? What factors predict whether abused children would fare better in foster care or reunited with their birth family? These would be possible subjects for a family sociologist.

Programmes

In the field of Sociology, Calvary University offers courses which are combined into prescribed programmes to form the backbone of its Sociology qualifications (e.g. Bachelor of Sociology). Several course combinations are possible on under-graduate and post-graduate levels.

These same courses are available for more flexible combinations with courses from other faculties. The range of these courses is indicated by the term Sociology for endorsement credits or for a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology programme (390 credits).

For Studies in Sociology we offer:

• A range of standard Sociology qualifications: Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor, Honours, Masters and the Doctoral in Sociology (see the next two headings)
• A range of Bachelor of Arts qualifications: Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor, Honours, Masters and the Doctor of Arts in Sociology,
• a Sociology endorsement (70+ credits),
• a 150+ credit post-graduate Diploma in Sociology.

Note: The post-graduate diploma is taken in order to change focus from one field to another.
The masters leads to the final qualification, the Doctor of Arts in Sociology, or alternately a PhD if an interdisciplinary study is undertaken.

Detailed Description of Studies

Undergraduate Programmes

The undergraduate learning programmes are specifically designed to develop the competence of beginner and full time counsellors (sometimes under supervision) to apply the structures, principles and practices of Sociology various levels. Thus, the courses are theoretical, operational and practical in nature and are presented at these levels.

The Undergraduate Programmes comprise the following:

• Certificate in Sociology (Cert Soc)
• Diploma in Sociology (Dip Soc)
• Bachelor of Sociology (B.Soc)

Postgraduate Programmes

The postgraduate learning programmes are specifically designed to develop the competence of advanced sociologists to apply the structures, principles and practices of sociology at all levels. Thus, the courses are strategic in nature and are presented at an academic and strategic level.

The Postgraduate Programmes comprise the following:

• Bachelor of Sociology (Honours) (B.Soc(Hons))
• Master of Sociology (M.Soc)
• Doctor of Sociology (D.Soc)

M.Soc Programme

The programmes preceding the M.Soc programme are designed in such a way that they do not only serve as the basis for the M.Soc programme, but are also regarded as part of the M.Soc programme. Students who have successfully completed the five preceding programmes will be credited for the courses that would normally be included as part of the M.Soc programme. This implies that students who are granted the undergraduate and B.Soc (Hons) qualifications are in fact also completing parts of the programme and working towards the M.Soc qualification.

Students with the necessary credentials who wish to enter the M.Soc programme directly, will be assessed and credited according to the RPL system. Such students must in any case fulfil the requirements for all courses in the undergraduate and B.Soc (Hons), either by recognition for prior learning, transferred credits or taking the courses included in the programmes. Thus, students who obtained the undergraduate and B.Soc(Hons) qualifications will have a distinct advantage over those who apply for direct entry to the M.Soc programme.

Should you be interested in the syllabus of each programme and its courses, please refer to the programme descriptions.
Click on the box below to see a detailed list and summary of all the courses presented in the faculty of Sociology:

A List of All Courses

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