Certain courses in sociology require a selection or application process in order to gain admission. These courses are listed below along with the relevant instructions and/or links to the application.
Sociology 101 & 102
Sociology 190 (Capstone Seminar)
Sociology H190A/B (Honors Thesis Program)
Soc 98, 197, 198, 199 (Special Studies and Independent Study Courses)
Soc 198 Career Planning in Sociology
Sociology 101 and 102 (Sociological Theory I and II).
Sociology 101 and 102 (formerly 101A and 101B) is a yearlong sequence course in sociological theory. As this is a required course for all sociology majors, priority is given to declared Sociology Seniors and Juniors.
Sociology 101 (Sociological Theory I): The only students who will be able to add during Phase I are declared Sociology seniors (entering their 7th semester, with 90 or more completed units). In Phase II, declared Sociology juniors (entering their 5th semester, with a minimum of 60 completed units) will be able to add the course. Sophomores and intended majors must wait-list in Phase II. We will begin processing the wait-list after Phase II ends. Intended seniors have priority off the wait-list, then intended juniors, then declared and intended sophomores. There is a required discussion section which you must enroll in through Cal Central.
Sociology 102 (Sociological Theory II): Restricted to students who have completed Sociology 101 with a C- or better. Students should add to the course directly and enroll in a discussion section no later than the end of Phase II. Anyone who is not eligible for the course because they have not completed Soc 101 will be dropped.
Sociology 190 (Capstone Seminars).
Students are unable to directly enroll or wait-list themselves into a Sociology 190 capstone seminar via Cal Central during Phase 1. Instead, students must fill out a 190 Placement Request form. Enrollment permission into seminars is done manually to ensure placement for those who are graduating seniors in the Sociology major and those considered high priority. However we are usually able to accommodate most interested Sociology seniors. Please see an advisor for assistance.
THE PROCEDURES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
1) Review the course descriptions for the 190 seminars and identify the courses you are interested in. https://classes.berkeley.edu/
2) Complete the Sociology 190 Placement Request Form online: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SP23_SOC190
** Be sure to submit your request online by or before DECEMBER 2, 2022. You must submit this request by the deadline in order to ensure placement in a course.
3) Students are recommended to list at least their top 3 preferences on the online request form. We will do our best to assign students to their top choice, but cannot guarantee this. You may take more than one seminar course only after all other students are added AND if space permits. Additional seminars count as electives in the major.
4) We will assign most of the available space in each seminar prior to the beginning of classes. Priority is given to declared sociology seniors who have not satisfied the seminar requirement – graduating seniors first, then seniors graduating the following semester, etc. After these students are accommodated, other students may be considered by the instructor during the first day of instruction, if space permits. Students will get an email informing them of their seminar placement.
5) During the break, you will be granted permission to add the seminar you were assigned to. Students must enroll into their assigned seminar course via Cal Central before the first day of instruction. In order to retain your placement, students must also attend the seminar class during the first 2 weeks of instruction or you will be dropped from the course.
6) After the first class meeting, any remaining seats in each seminar will be filled with interested students who have been attending the class, and meet the priority groups listed above in item #4. Enrollment into the course is at the discretion of the department.
SOCIOLOGY H190A & H190B (Senior Honors Thesis Program)
The Sociology Senior Honors Program provides an opportunity for senior sociology majors who are accepted into the program to write an honors thesis. Honors students participate in the yearlong Senior Honors Seminar, Sociology H190A (4 units) in the fall and H190B (5 units) in the spring. Each student conducts an independent research project as part of their participation in the seminar, and writes an honors thesis (minimum 35-page paper of acceptable honors quality). One grade is assigned for 9 credits upon completion of H190B, based primarily on the thesis paper and participation in the course. Sociology H190A fulfills an elective in the major, and H190B fulfills either a seminar or elective requirement. Students earn honors in the sociology major by successfully completing this course and the thesis, as well as maintaining the required 3.5 GPA in the major and 3.3 cumulative GPA.
Sociology H190A/B is offered as two small sections, limited to 15 students each. Both sections will meet on Thursdays from 12-2pm.
SAMPLE SYLLABI
Sample Syllabus for H190A
Sample Syllabus for H190B
ELIGIBILITY: Minimum 3.3 cumulative g.p.a and a minimum 3.5 major g.p.a. at the time of application. Successful completion of at least 4 upper division Sociology classes. Students must have completed at least 75 units and plan to graduate no later than the Fall following completion of the program. Acceptance of strong honors proposal submitted with application.
Admittance into the Senior Honors Thesis Program is determined by a committee, which includes the two instructors. This committee conducts a holistic review of the applications and decides which students will be admitted to the course. The selection process is based on the information provided in the application, including the proposed research question. The committee will consider topic areas, possible research methods, degree of preparation, and clarity of expression in making these decisions. The committee will also decide which section/instructor to assign each admitted student to, usually based on subject and method areas indicated in the proposal.
INFORMATION SESSIONS: We have historically offered an INFORMATION SESSION for students who are interested in applying to the Honors Thesis Program:
1. Faculty Panel - MAY 3, 2022 @ 2 PM (Virtual) - this session touches upon course content and structure for the honors thesis program. The professors facilitate this meeting and applicants are strongly encouraged to attend. If you missed our 2022 Information Session faculty there are SLIDES AVAILABLE! as well as a VIDEO AVAILABLE!
SENIOR HONORS APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications for the Sociology Senior Honors Program will be accepted from declared sociology majors during the summer. However students also have the option to submit a draft of their application prior to the deadline in order to receive feedback from the committee.
The Thesis Draft Proposals may be submitted no later than 4 PM June 6, 2022. Drafts will be reviewed by the committee in mid-June and students will be notified by email of any comments or suggestions that the committee may have. Submission of a draft is optional and students are not required to submit a draft in order to be eligible to apply by the final deadline.
The final application deadline will be 4 PM, July 15, 2022. Students may submit their application electronically at the application link provided below. If you will be eligible to apply to the Honors Program after taking summer session courses, please specify the summer session courses you plan on taking in your application. Students will be notified via e-mail of their status in August before the first day of instruction in the fall semester.
SENIOR HONORS APPLICATION:
Please review the following Google Form for more information about application eligibility and selection.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15FnndvYKBc8T5wbPN7F_2SM02Kfdwf6ioebZ9SO8mN0/edit?usp=sharing
The 2022 - 2023 application is now available. You may review the application using the link below.
2022 - 2023 SOCIOLOGY HONORS THESIS PROGRAM APPLICATION
Sociology Special Studies Courses: 97/197, 98/198, 199
Special Studies Courses:
*Do not count for Sociology Major Requirements
*Can be taken for 1-4 units
*Must be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis
*May be repeated for credit
*Have prerequisite: Soc 1 or 3 or 3AC
Further Requirements:
*Students must have completed at least 60 units and have a 2.0 GPA (Soc. 98 is the exception.)
* Students may complete only 4 units of Special Studies per semester and apply only 16 units of Special Studies towards graduation
* Students are required to be sponsored by a professor or visiting faculty from the Department of Sociology. A list of faculty and their areas of specialization and research interests is available for reference here: http://sociology.berkeley.edu/regular-faculty
*Unit value of a particular Special Studies course is arranged with the faculty sponsor. The workload determination is as follows: 1unit =3 hours of work per work, over the 15 week semester (to include meetings with the faculty member, research, etc.)
DEADLINE FOR SPECIAL COURSES APPLICATIONS:(except De-Cal, 98/198: Contact rebeccaisme@berkeley.edu for de-cal deadlines.): If you plan to do an independent study then the deadline is one week prior to the Add/Drop Deadline of the semester for which you plan to do an independent study. Please submit the application to Curriculum Coordinator, Rebecca Chavez, via email at rebeccaisme@berkeley.edu. Once the application is submitted, it may take two weeks or longer to be evaluated by the Department Chair. If approved, the student/s will be emailed a Course Control Number to add the course.
APPLICATION FOR INDEPENDENT STUDY: Independent Study Application (PDF)
Sociology 97/197 (Field Study in Sociology): Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of Sociology in off-campus organizations. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required. Please see an Undergraduate Advisor in 424/426 Social Sciences Building if you have further questions.
Sociology 98/198 (Directed Group Study,DeCal, etc.): Group studies of selected topics which vary over time. If you would like the Department of Sociology to host your DeCal, please contact the Curriculum Coordinator, Rebecca Chavez, via email at rebeccaisme@berkeley.edu for more information.
Sociology 199: (Independent Study). Independent Study is specialized study arranged by a student/s in conjunction with a faculty member or visiting lecturer in studying a particular are of interest within Sociology. Please see an Undergraduate Advisor in 424/426 Social Sciences Building if you have any further questions.
Sociology 198 Career Planning for Sociology Majors.
This is a group independent study course that provides students the opportunity to explore ways in which to translate their sociology education and interests into meaningful employment or volunteer work. Students will do self-assessment exercises and activities to clarify their own interests in sociology and in work.
Assignments will provide the opportunity for students to learn about resources available for career planning and to explore a career or volunteer area in depth. By conducting research on a selected career area, and participating in class discussions, students will learn about a number of different occupations and the variety of resources available for career information. The class meets once a week for 1 1/2 hours over 12 weeks.
Soc 198, Career Planning for Sociology Majors was last taught Fall 2014 by Cristina Rojas, M.S., Undergraduate Advisor for the Department of Sociology.