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Welcome

Sociology Mission Statement 

The sociology program at Westfield State College (WSC) is organized around a broad range of courses that offer majors and non-majors an opportunity to learn how the discipline illuminates both the social world and individual biography within a context that stimulates critical thinking and logical analysis.  Sociology at WSC reflects the college mission of providing students with the intellectual breath of a liberal arts education, combined with an orientation towards service to the wider community achieved through the application of sociological knowledge and analytical tools in internships and/and individual research projects.

Sociology faculty are committed to accomplishing these broad goals within an environment that promotes the fair and equitable treatment of all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin.  We share a commitment to educational practices that value diversity within the United States as well as globally.  Where inconsistencies are uncovered, we encourage students to think about, and devise ways of engaging in praxis or action in order to bring about positive social change.

The faculty is also dedicated to improving students’ abilities to express themselves orally and in writing by emphasizing these skills in class assignments and performance evaluations.  In addition, requiring all majors to complete at least one course of research methods signals our intent to improve students’ grasp and use of qualitative and quantitative techniques of data collection and analysis.

Finally, sociology faculty respond to the needs of both the college and the larger community by developing interdisciplinary courses and programs, participating in committees, and engaging in service activities

Sociology Major

     A major in Sociology gives students the knowledge and skills that provide an excellent foundation for careers in community organizations, business, and government agencies, as well as the grounding for graduate work in sociology or a related field. Students learn how individuals behave in organizations, families, and communities, and develop a sense of the contexts in which social policy decisions are made and carried out. Students also acquire a sense of history and different ways of life. 

Degree Requirements

     Students seeking a B.A. in Sociology must complete twelve Sociology courses, including Principles of Sociology, Introduction to Research Methods, Sociological Theory, and Senior Thesis/Internship. The remaining eight electives are chosen from a list of courses that cover many topics, including:

The "Senior Thesis/Internship," which concludes work in this major, gives students an opportunity to write an original research paper or to gain hands-on experience in one of a variety of government, business, and service settings. In either case, students apply the knowledge and skills learned in earlier course work.

Sociology Minor

     Many students choose to minor in Sociology, combining it with such majors as Social Work, Criminal Justice, Psychology, or Education. To satisfy the requirements for a minor in Sociology, students must take Principles of Sociology and five upper-level Sociology courses, no more than two of which may be "200-level" courses.

Gerontology Minor        Coming Soon!

The Sociology program together with the several other departments and programs (Social Work, Movements Science, and others) at Westfield State College is in the process of developing a gerontology minor.  The gerontology minor will prepare students in understanding the needs of our aging population.  

Faculty

Professor Zengie Mangaliso, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Sociology and Social Work & Sociology Faculty
Teaches: Sociological Theory, Family, and Social Change
Interests: Global Stratification and Political Sociology
nmangaliso@wsc.ma.edu

Assistant Professor Tian-Jia (T.J.) Dong, Ph.D. Sociology Faculty 
Teaches: Principles of sociology, complex organizations, small groups, social stratification, social change, cultural anthropology, and senior thesis/internship
Interests: Research: complex organizations and network theory; global and political sociology; comparative and historical methodology. Subjects of Focus: emerging forms of global governance; types of authority; social embeddedness of political institutions; comparative study on American and Chinese social-political-economic institutions.

tdong@wsc.ma.edu

Assistant Professor Tamara L. Smith, ABD, Sociology Faculty & Coordinator of Gerontology Minor 
Teaches: Principles of sociology, Sociology of Children, Social Gerontology, Sociology of Aging, and Sociology of Education
Interests: Gerontology, Carework, Education, Family Policy
tsmith@wsc.ma.edu

Assistant Professor Gabriel Aquino, ABD, Sociology Faculty 
Teaches: Principles of sociology, Race and Ethnicity, Research Methods, Urban Sociology, Latina/o & Latin American Sociology. and the Sociology of Globalization
Interests: Racial and Ethnic Integration, Globalization and Migration

gaquino@wsc.ma.edu

Professor Kate Bagley, M.S.W., Ph.D., J.D., Sociology Faculty Retired
Teaches: Gender, Sociology of Education, Sociology of Law, Cultural Anthropology, and Women and Religion
Interests: Feminist Theory, the Law of Sex Discrimination, and Sociology of Religion

kbagley@wsc.ma.edu 

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