Undergraduate Program

Program Description

The undergraduate program in Sociology/Anthropology emphasizes the comparative study of peoples of the world, the Americas , and South Florida. The curricula for the B.A. or Minor in Sociology/ Anthropology prepare students for careers in any field by emphasizing critical thinking and analytical skills, and by providing training in theories and methods for understanding cultures and societies.

The B.A. and Minor in Sociology/Anthropology provide excellent preparation for a wide spectrum of careers such as teaching, social work, public administration, and metropolitan planning. The undergraduate curriculum prepares students to enter the Department's M.A. and Ph.D. program in Comparative Sociology. It also prepares students for admissions into other graduate programs in sociology and anthropology or in other social sciences; or for entering professional schools such as Law, Social Work, International Relations, Public Health, Medicine, and Business. Students can also opt for a combined BA/MA program. This program allows qualified full time students to earn both degrees in five years.

The program offers state-of-the-art training in a wide array of specializations. Among these are (1) the social construction of identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and nationality; (2) migrations and diasporas; (3) globalization, transnationalism, development, and social change; (4) environment and sustainable communities; and (5) applied social research. Course offerings are exceptionally strong in the Americas, including the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, and South Florida.

NEW: Academic Learning Compact (click to read)

INTRODUCTORY COURSES

The required courses provide a solid foundation in the theories, methods, and perspectives of Sociology and Anthropology. Major and Minor students must begin by taking either ANT 2000 (Introduction to Anthropology) or SYG 2000 (Introduction to Sociology).

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

For the Major, there are five required core courses:

For the fifth required core course, Major students choose one of the following:

The Senior Capstone Seminar synthesizes and builds upon the Major curriculum's other courses and should be taken in the student's last semester. Students conduct their own individual research projects, write a major research paper, and present their research orally to a forum of students and faculty. Please note: SYA 3300, ANT 3034,or SYA 4010, and Senior Standing are prerequisites for the Senior Capstone Seminar.

Major students also take the following courses:

MINOR REQUIREMENTS

To minor in Sociology/Anthropology, students take two of the following core courses:

The Minor also requires students to take three additional upper-division courses within the Department, for a total of five upper-division courses (15 credits).

DOUBLE MAJORS AND A MINOR IN ANOTHER PROGRAM

Some students pursue a double major or a minor in another program. This can be done in conjunction with any other FIU undergraduate degree.

4+1 BA/MA PROGRAM

The combined program allows qualified full time students to earn both degrees in a shorter time than would otherwise be possible. Students using the program to develop M.A. level job qualification will be able to obtain advanced research and analytic skills more quickly. The combined degree will also allow faster movement to the Ph.D. for students pursuing that goal. Entry to the program may affect eligibility for some types of financial aid and students are advised to investigate this issue before applying to the combined program.

For information on this program click here: 4+1

OPTIONAL CONCENTRATION IN SOCIOLOGY OR ANTHROPOLOGY

The combination and integration of Sociology and Anthropology are the strength of FIU's program, and differentiate it from other sociology and anthropology programs at other universities. Students who prefer to focus on either Anthropology or Sociology can do so by mainly selecting courses in either discipline. For example, students who want to emphasize anthropology would be advised to take ANT 2000 (Introduction to Anthropology) while those who want to emphasize sociology should take SYG 2000 (Introduction to Sociology).

At the upper-division level, the required core courses are the same for either field of study. But students most interested in Anthropology could select ANT 3212 (World Ethnographies) and those most interested in Sociology could select SYP 3456 (Societies of the World).. Beyond the required core courses, students could select mainly anthropology or sociology courses.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships are designed to provide majors with career-related work experience prior to graduation. Students may earn department credits for either paid or unpaid internships. The Department, in collaboration with FIU's Office of Career Planning, facilitates the student's placement and learning experience. Students should discuss such interests with the Department Internship Coordinator in order to receive permission to enroll in SYA 3949 (Cooperative Education in the Social Sciences).

To enroll a student must have a minimum of 3.0 GPA (both overall and in major), and have taken SYA 3300 (Research Methods) and either ANT 3034 (Anthropological Theories) or SYA 4010 (Sociological Theories).

SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHING PREPARATION

Students who want to teach social science at the elementary or secondary level should combine the B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology with Teacher Certification courses in the College of Education .

FOR STUDENTS CONSIDERING GRADUATE OR PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

Many students may want to continue beyond the undergraduate Major or Minor by pursuing graduate studies in Sociology, Anthropology, other social sciences, or a profession such as Law, Social Work, Public Health, Medicine, or Business.

Students intending to pursue graduate studies in Sociology or in many related fields are advised to take an introductory course in statistics and courses in research methods. Among the relevant statistics courses are STA 3111 or STA 3145 in the Department of Statistics, and PAD 4704 in the Department of Policy and Management ( College of Health and Urban Affairs). Among the relevant research methods courses are GEO 3176 (Applications of Geographic Information Systems) and URS 4153 (Applied Research Methods for Policy and Management).

Students interested in Anthropology who want to broaden their training in its four subdisciplines could select ANT 3500 (Introduction to Physical Anthropology), ANT 3640 (Language and Society), and ANT 3100 (Introduction to Archaeology). Other archaeology courses are offered in the History Department. Linguistics courses are offered in the English Department, and relevant human biology and anatomy courses are offered in the Biology Department.

Upper division courses outside the Department of Sociology/Anthropology meet the Major curriculum requirement for 29 elective credits.

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

B.A. and Minor students are encouraged to obtain an academic certificate in any of FIU's certificate programs. Certificate programs involve academic concentration in a particular theme. Sociology and Anthropology courses are part of the curricula of many certificates and thus meet the requirements for both the Sociology/Anthropology degree and the certificate. Certificates are awarded at the time of graduation. For certificate requirements, see the Undergraduate Catalog .

Academic certificates that include sociology and anthropology courses are:

Other certificates of possible interest are:

UNDERGRADUATE CLUB

Whatever your interests may be in the human experience – and whatever your career aspirations may be – the Department of Sociology/Anthropology offers a rich array courses to expand your knowledge and skills.

The faculty and staff of the Department invite Major and Minor students to join the Sociology/Anthropology Undergraduate Club. Club members join with us to organize and participate in special events and to ensure that the Department's offerings are responsive to students' interests and needs.

Welcome to our Department!