New Student Conference Presentation
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New Student Conference Presentation Department of Sociology
Transcript of New Student Conference Presentation
New Student Conference Presentation
Department of Sociology
WELCOME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
SOCIOLOGY AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
← You are here
Undergraduate Advisor Contact Information
Jennifer Runnels Zuleika CarrascoAcademic 306 C Academic 306A979.845.4241 979.862.2523
Undergraduate Advising Office• Appointment scheduling:
•swan.tamu.edu/SOCI
• Location: Academic Building 306
• Website: www.sociology.tamu.edu
• Hours of Operation:•Walk-ins: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.•Appointments: 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The structure of all undergraduate degrees
All Bachelor’s degrees are approximately 120 credits
Major requirements (1/4 to 1/3) SOCI is 33 credits (15 credits from major requirements, 18 credits from major
electives)
Core curriculum (1/2) Communication is 12 credits (ENGL104 (3), Communication (3), Literature (6))
Math is 6 credits (3 of these may be philosophical logic)
Science is at least 9 credits
Arts & Humanities is 9 credits (3 creative arts, 3 language, philosophy & culture, and a third of either)
US History is 6 credits; Political Science is 6 credits
Social/Behavioral Sciences is 6 credits
Bachelor of Arts requires 14 additional credits of a foreign language
Bachelor of Science requires 12 additional credits of science and math
General electives (remainder) SOCI majors have 19 or 21, depending on degree type
Packet Content- Green Sheet
Basics of Sociology Major Course Requirements
5 major courses:
SOCI 205: Introduction to Sociology
SOCI 220: Methods of Social Research
SOCI 230: Classical Sociological Theory (Writing Intensive)
SOCI 420: Advanced Methods of Social Research (Writing Intensive; SOCI 220 prerequisite)
SOCI 430: Contemporary Sociological Theory (SOCI 230 prerequisite)
18 sociology elective hours (approx. 6 courses)
Additional Requirements
Residency requirement: Students must take 36 hours of upper level classes;
12 of those hours must be in sociology
The other 24 may come from anywhere on the degree
Writing intensive requirement: 2 sociology courses must be Writing Intensive
These will be SOCI 230 and SOCI 420
Major courses cannot be used for core or general electives
Packet Content- Blue Sheets
Sociology Tracks and Certificates
Specialize your education, make yourself more marketable for employers
Track and Certificate courses fit in your degree plan as sociology elective requirements (and general electives and core courses, in the case of some tracks).
At this time, the tracks and certificates will not be official parts of your degree; they are just recommendations for those wanting to specialize their degrees
Packet Content – Blue Sheet
Sociology Tracks
Health Care
Organizational Management and Marketing
Non-profit Social Services
Legal Studies
Community Studies
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Detailed lists of the classes for tracks and certificates can be found on the department website.
Certificate Options
Global Sociology
Requires a study abroad experience and foreign language proficiency
Sociology of Gender
Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Teaching: Sociology majors can be certified to teach in public schools. For more information, visit the Department of Teaching Learning and Culture on the 8th floor of Harrington Tower.
Packet Content- Lavender SheetCareers in Sociology (This list can be found on our department website.)
Sociology opens up a wide range of opportunities. The careers listed are where you should start researching – there are many more opportunities related to sociology.
If you are interested in public service, our Department in coordination with the Bush School of Public Service offers a 5 year joint Sociology and Master of Public Service and Administration degree. For more information visit http://bush.tamu.edu/degree/joint/mpsasoci/.
The 4 Year timeline for Career development
Freshman: Exploration
Sophomore: Become informed
Junior: Focus on career field
Senior: Focus on specific career
Packet Contents – Peach Sheet
Sociology Internships
Discover what interests you (or doesn’t)
Obtain real work experience (and maybe some letters of recommendation!)
Internship course counts toward sociology elective upper level credit requirements
100 hours of internship experience
Formal research paper and presentation
Can count as writing intensive
If you are interested, contact Dr. Dietrich at [email protected]
More information can be found on our website
Packet Content- Pink Sheet
Sociology Professional Development Courses
Courses will count towards fulfillment of both sociology major elective requirements and residency requirements
SOCI 478
Designed for freshman, sophomore, and junior sociology majors
1 hour course
Meet with career professionals in a variety of fields
SOCI 479
Designed for senior sociology majors
2 hour course
Prepare for life after graduation, including job fields and graduate studies.
Packet Contents-Navigating the Sociology Major
This is an informational packet published by the American Sociological Association (ASA), which is the largest professional association of sociologists in the world.
Go to http://asanet.org for more information about the ASA and how you can become involved as an undergraduate student.
The packet answers numerous questions you might have, such as:
What should I expect as a sociology major?
What courses should I take?
How should I select professors?
What should I do beyond the classroom in order to obtain my career goals?
How should I present my sociology experience to employers?
What do I need to do in order to apply for graduate school?
In the back of the packet there is a worksheet, which can help you think critically and plan your major and career goals.
Claiming AP courses
Speak with an advisor before accepting your AP credits –there may be reasons to refrain
If your are transferring AP courses, you must choose to accept the transfer.
Log in to your Howdy account by visiting http://newhowdy.tamu.edu.
Click on the My Record tab.
In the Grades and Transcripts box, click on the Credit By Examination link.
Check the AP scores that you would like to accept to be transferred.
Important Course Information
In all instances, if you plan on taking a foreign language, contact the offering department, as you will probably need to take a placement exam
You can obtain course credit for passing the FLPE or a CLEP exam.
Most beginning foreign language courses are restricted to Freshman and Sophomores only, so get started on your foreign language requirement as soon as possible.
The English Department restricts their 200 level literature classes to Freshman and Sophomores, but there are plenty of great upper-level options.
ALWAYS CHECK COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO REGISTER!!!
Your Online Course Catalog As long as you are in the College of Liberal Arts, your course catalog
number will be 139/Fall 2016.
To access the online course catalog, visit http://catalog.tamu.edu and click on your catalog number (right now it is shown first, but will move to “archives” next year).
For University Core Curriculum Requirements, see “University Core Curriculum” under “General Information”, and visit core.tamu.edu for course lists.
For course descriptions, look under each department’s page or course description list.
For a list of Texas Common Course Numbers (TCCN), see Appendix B under “Appendices”.
TCCNs are useful to see if credits from other academic institutions will easily transfer to Texas A&M.
Advanced Schedule Search-Gold Sheet
Look over the course schedule to determine the classes forwhich you would like to register.
Log on to your Howdy account at http://howdy.tamu.edu.
Click on the My Record tab.
In the Registration box, click on the Search Class Schedule Link.
Select the term and campus for which you would like to register and submit.
Click on the blue “Advanced Search” link.
Select the subject in which you are interested.
You can make the search more specific by specifying the instructional method, attribute type (core category), etc.
Be sure to click on the Restrictions link for each section, since some courses are restricted to certain populations such as honors students, and FOCUS groups.
The best way to find all of the courses that fulfill a certain requirement: select the top subject, scroll down and then hold the shift button and select the last subject. Then select a certain attribute and press class search.
Schedule SearchCourse numbers consist of 4 parts:
subject, course, section, and CRN
For example: SOCI- 206- 500; CRN 17405
Sections designate the specifics of the course:
If it is a 200 section course, it is an honors course restricted to honors students.
If it is a 900 section course, it is a writing intensive course.
If it is a 599 or 700 section course, it is a web-based class
If the instructor is marked TBA, the instructor will either be a graduate student or a new faculty member.
If the time and the location are marked TBA, the class is a web
course, or the class may have been cancelled.
Packet Content- Registration To Do List
When making your schedule check to see if:
The class has enough openings
The class fulfills degree requirements
The class doesn’t have restrictions; if so, you pass those restrictions
You have fulfilled any prerequisites
No class times conflict
If a course is almost full, be sure to have a backup.
Keep a list of the Course Registration Numbers (CRNs) of the courses for which you would like to be registered.
If you have any questions regarding your schedule, be sure to ask before registration.
This afternoon at 1:45, meet in Academic Building Room 307. You will need to log on to a computer in order to register at 2:00.
Make sure you bring your signed advising syllabus.
Packet Content- Advising SyllabusYou must sign the advising syllabus and turn it in before
registration.
The advising syllabus describes what you should expect from we as your academic advisors, and what we expect from you as a student.
Key student requirements:
Register to take at least one sociology class each semester.
Bring your degree evaluation to any advising meetings.
Come to advising meetings with questions prepared.
Print and fill out forms that you need your advisor to sign.
Check your email!
Contact your advisor if you ever have any questions or face any problems.
“Things I wish I knew before I started taking classes at Texas A&M…” (Quotes from your fellow SOCI students)
Studying at Texas A&M isn’t the same as studying in high school or at a community college!
For every one hour you spend in class you should spend 2 hours studying outside of class!
Even if you don’t have homework assigned, you have homework!
Try multiple studying techniques!
Figure out how to balance your time!
Obtain a daily planner!
Set up a reward system for following your plan!
Don’t skip class!
Come to class prepared!
Read the assigned material before the class starts!
Don’t procrastinate!
Get to know your professors by visiting them during their open office hours!
Take advantage of your resources!
Stay Connected with Sociology
Like Us on Facebook!
• Visit the TAMU Sociology Undergraduate Program Facebook Page at http://on.fb.me/tamusoci
Become a Member of the Sociology Student Association!
• Meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m.
• Learn about the field of sociology
• Build your professional network
• Go on field trips
• Participate in fun activities!!!
• Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TAMUSociClub/
• Email: [email protected]
