The Major in Sociology is designed to expand students’ sociological imaginations by challenging them to think critically about the ways in which society is created, maintained, and changed. Through courses that explore the historical, philosophical, and theoretical development of the discipline, students will be exposed to the conceptual and methodological tools required to conduct critical and reasoned analyses of all areas of social life from small-scale micro-level social interaction to large-scale macro-level social institutions. Sociology at Mount Royal focuses on the study of social power and inequality, exposing the ways in which interlocking systems of domination shape and define the individual and the collective social condition and on strategies of social resistance to that domination. Apart from the intrinsic value of learning to think critically about the taken for granted world, a BA in Sociology helps prepare students for graduate school and/or a wide range of careers in areas such as independent research, social services, community advocacy, and teaching.

Mount Royal’s BA in Sociology aims to provide students with the following competencies:

1. Sociological imagination and an intimate familiarity with core Sociology concepts in order to examine critically the taken-for-granted world.
2. The ability to locate, read and critically analyze primary and secondary sociological sources (theoretical and empirical).
3. Knowledge of the use of social theory in Sociology and a familiarity with the central sociological perspectives.
4. An understanding of all of the components of the research process both qualitative and quantitative.
5. An understanding of how social life is structured by inequality and shaped by factors such as social class, gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, and subcultural membership.
6. An understanding of the interaction between individuals, and historical, cultural, and social forces.