Sociology Department

College of the Sciences
Ellensburg
Samuelson, room 201
Mail Stop 7545
509-963-1305
Fax: 509-963-1308
www.cwu.edu/sociology
See website for how sociology may be used for educational and career purposes.

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Pamela McMullin-Messier, PhD

Professors
Eric Cheney, PhD, deviance and social control, economic sociology, organizations, statistics and urban sociology
Delores Cleary, PhD, criminology, the life-course, American society, minorities, ethnic studies, American Indian issues
Judith Hennessy, PhD, social welfare and poverty, gender, sociology of work, sociology of family
Nelson Pichardo, PhD, ethnic studies, social movements
Griff Tester, PhD, gender, social inequality, aging, health

Associate Professors
Michael Harrod, PhD, social psychology, criminology theory, intimate partner violence, statistics, research methods
Pamela McMullin-Messier, PhD, demography, aging, collective action, social justice, environmental studies, family, gender, and sexuality

Assistant Professors
Nikolas Summers, PhD, stats, methods, inequality
Baiqing (Cythnia) Zhang, PhD, criminology, statics

Lecturers
Tracey Hoover, PhD, gender and identity, feminist movements and theory, family and socialization, media, religion
Connie Robinson, PhD, historical sociology, political sociology, social movements, race, ethnicity and nation
Jessica Strawn, MA, criminology and communities, juvenile rehabilitation, social welfare

Staff
Kelly Zakel-Larson, secretary supervisor

Department Information
The Department of Sociology provides opportunities for students to understand the conceptual and methodological tools used by sociologists to understand society. Students will be encouraged to: 1) see society as concrete day-to-day behavior of human beings; 2) grasp the relationship between history, society, and the individual’s life; 3) realize that social patterns are tools for the accomplishment of human ends and not necessarily unalterable facts of life; and 4) develop the ability to critically analyze social phenomena.

Department Standards
Students who major in sociology and social services are required to register with the department, at which time an advisor will be selected. In order to develop a program of study, students are required to meet once a quarter with their advisor. Further information on specific courses, the faculty, and career opportunities are available in the department office.

Exit Requirements
Students are required to have a 2.3 cumulative grade point average for all majors.

Honors in Sociology and
Social Services
1. The sociology department’s honors program is designed for students who wish to explore a particular research problem in depth.

2. Admission to the program

     The student must:

      (a)  Have a 3.50 or higher cumulative GPA in sociology courses
      (b)  Be at least a junior
      (c)  Have a faculty member sponsorship; the faculty member would submit student’s name to the department for admission

3. Requirements

     The student is required to:

      (a)  Maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA in sociology coursework (including any approved outside electives) applied to the sociology degree
      (b)  Enroll in SOC 495 beginning fall quarter of the senior year (minimum of 10 credits over the course of that year)
      (c)  Complete a research project under the supervision of a faculty
      (d)  Participate in a public presentation of the research project (such as SOURCE, a professional conference, or other departmental-approved venues)

4.Those who fail to maintain a 3.5 GPA in the major, or who fail to participate in a public presentation will not receive honors.

Sociology Core Requirements
Required Courses
SOC 107 - Principles of Sociology     5
SOC 350 - Social Theory I     5
SOC 363 - Methods of Social Research     5
SOC 364 - Data Analysis in Sociology    5
SOC 489 - Senior Seminar    1
Sociology Core Total Credits: 21

Program Outcomes
For information on program outcomes, please go to: www.cwu.edu/mission/assessment-improvement/slo-assessment-plans. 

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: www.cwu.edu/sociology or by contacting the department directly.

Programs

• Sociology Major, BA (45 credits)
• Sociology Major, BA (60 credits)

• Social Services Major, BS

• Ethnic Studies Minor
• Social Services Minor
• Sociology Minor

Courses

• ETS 296 - Individual Study
• ETS 298 - Special Topics
• ETS 299 - Seminar
• ETS 325 - Race/Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Education
• ETS 339 - Muslims and Muslim Americans
• ETS 354 - Minority Experiences
• ETS 369 - The Social Construction of Whiteness
• ETS 396 - Individual Study
• ETS 397 - Honors
• ETS 398 - Special Topics
• ETS 399 - Seminar
• ETS 446 - Sociology of Immigration
• ETS 490 - Contracted Field Experience
• ETS 491 - Workshop
• ETS 496 - Individual Study
• ETS 497 - Honors
• ETS 498 - Special Topics
• ETS 499 - Seminar

• SOC 101 - Social Problems
• SOC 107 - Principles of Sociology
• SOC 109 - Social Construction of Race
• SOC 291 - Workshop
• SOC 296 - Individual Study
• SOC 298 - Special Topics
• SOC 299 - Seminar
• SOC 300 - Introduction to the Major
• SOC 301 - Introduction and History of Social Service Agencies
• SOC 305 - American Society
• SOC 307 - Individual and Society
• SOC 310 - Social Service Methods and Casework
• SOC 320 - Death and Dying
• SOC 322 - Sociology of Food
• SOC 325 - Aging
• SOC 326 - Social Demography
• SOC 327 - Health and Society
• SOC 331 - Sociology of Sport
• SOC 338 - Political Sociology
• SOC 343 - Child Abuse
• SOC 344 - Juvenile Delinquency
• SOC 345 - Deviance
• SOC 346 - Criminology
• SOC 348 - Women and Crime
• SOC 349 - Law and Society
• SOC 350 - Social Theory I
• SOC 351 - Sociology of Work
• SOC 352 - Punishment and Corrections
• SOC 354 - Minority Experience
• SOC 356 - Sociology of Gender
• SOC 357 - Sociology of Families
• SOC 358 - Sociology of Sexualities
• SOC 359 - U.S. Feminist Movements
• SOC 362 - Social Movements
• SOC 363 - Methods of Social Research
• SOC 364 - Data Analysis in Sociology
• SOC 365 - Minority Groups
• SOC 366 - Sociology of American Indians (Put on Reserve 9/1/2020)
• SOC 367 - Sociology of Religion (Put on reserve 9/16/18)
• SOC 369 - Mass Media and Society
• SOC 370 - Social Change
• SOC 371 - Globalization
• SOC 375 - Sociology of Conflict
• SOC 376 - Sociology of the Military and Veterans in U.S. Society (Put on reserve 9/16/19)
• SOC 380 - Environmental Sociology
• SOC 382 - Sociology of the Future
• SOC 386 - Seminar on Racism
• SOC 396 - Individual Study
• SOC 397 - Honors
• SOC 398 - Special Topics
• SOC 399 - Seminar
• SOC 415 - Urban Sociology
• SOC 425 - Sociology of Education
• SOC 442 - Social Welfare Policy
• SOC 445 - Social Inequality
• SOC 446 - Sociology of Immigration
• SOC 447 - White-collar and Organization Crime
• SOC 449 - Contemporary Native American Cultures and Issues
• SOC 459 - Organizations
• SOC 460 - Community Structure and Organization
• SOC 489 - Senior Seminar
• SOC 490 - Cooperative Education
• SOC 491 - Workshop
• SOC 492 - Sociology Teaching Experience
• SOC 494 - Research Practicum
• SOC 495 - Sociological Research
• SOC 496 - Individual Study
• SOC 497 - Honors Thesis
• SOC 498 - Special Topics
• SOC 499 - Seminar