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Sociology Program Review Self Study Fall 2005 Section I: Program Description A. Description of Program Sociology is currently a non-major, elective discipline at LPC. All courses currently CSU/UC transferable. B. Program’s Mission Sociology develops critical thinking, writing and research skills in its students. It particularly focuses on the current effects of globalization on identities, economies, and political realities. In addition to these “hard skills”, sociology also offers a level of social understanding which can enhance the softer “people” skills. These skills can be transferable to almost any occupation. C. Relationship to LPC’s Mission and D. How It Fulfills LPC’s Mission Sociology reflects the academic mission of the college in numerous ways. It fulfills requirements for both associate and bachelor degrees. All classes are CSU/UC transferable and Sociology 3 satisfies the Americans cultures requirement. It contributes to the community by offering classes that explore the quickly diversifying population, fostering tolerance between and within groups. E. Program’s Connection to Other Programs Several of Sociology’s classes are part of the requirements for other disciplines’ majors: Psychology, Nursing, ECD, Social Work. Section II: Program Function and Assessment A. Program Access Sociology offers both evening and daytime classes, and has offered Saturday classes (with varying levels of success). Sociology could fill more daytime classes had we the space and staffing to do so). Semester Daytime Evening Saturday Fall 02 5 3 2 Spring 03 7 3 1 Fall 03 6 2 0 Spring 04 7 3 0 Fall 04 8 2 0 Spring 05 6 2 0 The Distance Education Program is strong, with 3-4 sections being offered each term. This is really the area with great potential for growth. We could offer many more DE classes providing we had the staff to do so. Even course with traditionally lower enrollments – Sociology 3 Cultural and Racial Minorities, and Sociology 6 Social Problems - fill to the maximum very quickly when offered on-line. Semester DE Sections Fall 02 4 Spring 03 3 Fall 03 4 Spring 04 3 Fall 04 3 Spring 05 4 Sociology does not currently have a major, but one will be introduced in the 2007-2008 school year providing its full time faculty member goes on sabbatical in the 2006-2007 school year. This should increase our already high enrollments and FTES. Semester Enrollments FTES Fall 02 508 38.46 Spring 03 585 47.32 Fall 03 595 47.51 Spring 04 540 43.05 Fall 04 624 53.3 Spring 04 594 48.9 B. Program Resources 1. Human There is only one full time faculty member in the discipline. Although it varies from semester to semester there are usually 4-5 part time faculty members. 2. Physical The completion of the Multidisciplinary Building will definitely be an asset to supporting the program. 3. Technology The DE program and its support staff currently helps maintain about 1/3 of Sociology’s offerings. With the institution of a major, the programs technology needs will grow (specifically software and computer access for Methodology courses). 4. Financial Sociology is a relatively inexpensive program to operate, the majority of costs are staffing. With a very small budget (of usually about $400), sociology purchases films and software. C. Program Efficiency Sociology is a very cost efficient discipline, as it is largely lecture and DE based. Semester Average class size Fill rate WSCH/FTEF Fall 02 36 76% 520.54 Spring 03 41 81% 549.23 Fall 03 49 97% 697.57 Spring 04 41 79% 532.08 Fall 2004 48 98% 658.94 Spring 05 49 91% 617.50 Cost per FTEF $1614 D. Program Success Sociology’s “success rates” are appropriate for its transfer level material. When a major is in place, we can more easily track students as they move through the Sociology program. Semester Success Non-Success Withdrew Retention Fall 02 60% 20% 20% 80% Spring 03 61% 18% 22% 78% Fall 03 54% 21% 24% 76% Spring 04 63% 17% 20% 80% Fall 04 59% 22% 18% 82% Spring 05 62% 18% 20% 80% E. Student Input – Year 2 F. Dialogue with Other Programs – N/A G. Other Data Sociology currently has the problem that while all courses are transferable in terms of credits, most are not directly transferable to other universities’ Sociology Departments. UC Davis, the institution that recognizes the most of LPC’s Sociology courses, accepts 4/6. In order to create a major, out courses have to reflect the lower division programs of more universities. Section III: Assessment and Recommendations Sociology’s strengths lay primarily in its content. Despite the fact that Sociology is not a required course for certification, degree or transfer, the classes fill regularly. This is most likely because Sociology, like Psychology, is a “me” course. That is, the content of the class will eventually include the students’ experiences and life challenges. I have tried to take advantage of this natural attraction by keeping a high level of rigor in the course work. In addition to learning sociological research and theory (that they can forget the following semester) the students can come away from Sociology classes with applicable academic/ work skills such as organizing research projects and learning effective argumentative/persuasive writing styles. In my own personal classes I also emphasize punctuality and other forms of accountability as I feel these are crucial work skills (on a recent check of RateMyProfessor.com I found that the only negative posting said I was a “psycho control freak” and listed as evidence my list of student obligations from my syllabus – such as no passing of notes, no coming in late, etc. – I actually found the criticism heartwarming as I’m sure the student will someday come across a boss more “psycho” than me, and he’ll be prepared!) Another of sociology’s strengths from an institutional perspective is its sheer numbers. Both traditional and on-line classes have consistently high enrollments, which in and of itself supports the hiring of a second full-time Sociologist. In the late 1990s a student survey revealed a high interest in having both a psychology and sociology major. Psychology instituted one almost immediately. Sociology has dragged its feet a bit, but is planning on introducing a major for the 20072008 school year. Psychology experienced a positive impact on enrollments after introducing their major, and I hope Sociology can expect the same. There are some barriers, however, to creating a sociology major. Whereas all sociology courses transfer to UCs/CSUs, most do not transfer directly to the sociology departments themselves. There is, of course, some territoriality going on here, I’m sure, but a large part of the problem is that the elective sociology classes (Gender, Marriage and Family, Sexuality, Cultural and Racial Minorities) are upper level courses, not lower level courses in many of California’s colleges. While I do not advocate getting rid of these courses (since, after all, they do fill, and Cultural and Racial Minorities fulfills the American Cultures requirement), I will need to add courses so our offerings match those lower level courses at the four-year institutions. I have chosen UC Davis as our model for several reasons: 1) they have an excellent undergraduate sociology program (with 3 different majors to choose from), and 2) they transfer 4/6 LPC sociology courses, more than any other California institution. To match Davis ’s program I would need to introduce 5 new courses: Sociological Research Methods I, Sociological Research Methods II (both I and II are required for all 3 of Davis ’ major), Globalization and Global Change (also required), Popular Culture and Self & Society (both electives for their majors). Then the LPC sociology program would mirror Davis’s. I could then work on getting Marriage and Family and possibly Gender accepted for direct transfer as well). The biggest challenge to the creation of a major is personnel. Currently we do not have the full time or part time staff to accommodate these offerings (especially if we are to maintain and expand our DE offerings). This is an additional argument for hiring a second full time sociologist (specifically one who could teach the two methods courses). Sociology has completed a number of tasks in the SLO process. The program and course SLOs have both been mapped out. Assessments/measurements for two courses have been completed, and I’m using one course this semester to test out my assessment scale. The biggest problem facing sociology overall is a poor part-time pool. We really struggle to get qualified, let alone good instructional staff (four years ago I agreed to allow someone working on a totally unrelated masters to teach a marriage and family class because it was 3 days before the semester started and the class was full – I just crossed my fingers and let it go). The good part-timers we do have leave after a semester or two, generally to full time positions. Again, hiring a second full time faculty member would alleviate this problem significantly. Section IV: Planning and Implementation Here is the timeline I would like to see: Spring 06, no later than Spring 07 – Hire a new full time Sociologist Fall 07-Spring 08 – Sarah goes on Sabbatical – formulates Sociology Major, sends all paperwork to the Curriculum Committee Fall 08 – Globalization course first offered Spring 09 – Methods I and Methods II first offered as Fast Track courses one right after the other Fall 09 – Popular Culture first offered Spring 10 – Self and Society first offered What can you do with a College Degree in Sociology? Career options for aspiring sociology majors It is common for those with sociology degrees to seek employment in one of the following areas or positions. Administration: A professional with a degree in sociology is well prepared for administrative positions, particularly in government and public agencies that administer human services. Sociologists in leadership roles help define policies toward groups of people in need of public assistance. By leading teams of researchers and social work professionals, sociologists can reshape their communities. Business: A degree in sociology prepares a student for a career in business. Sociologists research consumer trends and work with market researchers to discover new opportunities to meet the public's needs. Some corporations employ sociologists to impact the social effects of major projects like plant relocations or store openings. Sociologists also help product designers understand the overall trends shaping consumer culture in order to inspire tomorrow's hot new products. Corrections: As the prison population in our country continues to expand, many local governments hire sociologists to understand the impact of tougher laws on neighborhoods. Sociologists also help corrections officials determine the effects of new programs and regulations on the prison population. Counseling: Some counselors and therapists study sociology in order to better understand some of the larger trends they see among patients. By using the kinds of pattern analysis techniques that sociologists are known for, counselors can focus their practices on critical needs in their communities. Education: A person with a sociology degree may choose to pursue a career in education. A bachelor's degree and teaching certificate are adequate for teaching classes such as political science, history, and social science at the high school level. Ph.D. level graduates may pursue careers at the college and university level. Investigations: Sociology professionals play larger roles at major investigative bureaus, especially the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Working with detectives and profilers, sociologists help law enforcement officials anticipate crime by identifying obscure patterns. Targeting areas that are likely to be the focus of criminals allows officials to deploy scarce resources more effectively. Therefore, investigators can close cases more quickly while improving the quality of life in previously dangerous areas. Journalism: Sociology majors with a proven ability to communicate well may find a home for their talents in a variety of news gathering organizations. Newspapers and local broadcast news outlets employ sociologists to help understand the kinds of stories that engage readers, viewers, and listeners in a particular region. Sociologists work with editors and market researchers to identify the right balance of news that audience members expect with the stories that need to be reported to uphold civic responsibilities. Politics: Sociology degree holders can play numerous roles in the political community. Campaign managers hire sociology professionals who can identify critical neighborhoods that can make or break an election. By understanding the traditional voting patterns of key districts along with the crucial issues that concern voters, campaigners can deploy volunteers and activists to win over voters. At numerous government organizations, sociologists analyze patterns that can affect the political and economic balance of the county. Examining the trends in housing construction and measuring the number of citizens who move to new cities can provide lawmakers with a clear picture of the challenges facing Americans today. Sociologists can also help lawmakers predict the success or failure of proposed legislation based on voting patterns and current research findings. Most importantly, sociologists manage the process of counting citizens in our census program every ten years. Instead of merely counting individuals in the country, as mandated by law, sociologists use the opportunity to conduct deeper interviews that reveal larger trends when compared to past results. Public Relations: Some sociology majors with an interest in journalism find jobs as public relations officers for major corporations. By reviewing market research data and understanding historic trends, sociologists can anticipate challenges when rolling out new products or building infrastructure. Sociologists who truly understand the motivations of customers, community activists, and journalists can effectively defuse problems in the media by responding to the public's concerns with carefully composed solutions. Research: Some sociology professionals can carve out careers as independent research consultants who examine trends in human behavior for a variety of clients. By carving out a solid reputation for reliable work, these specialists attract interesting problems without having to pursue grants like their colleagues in the academic sector. Senior Services: Over the next few decades, the United States will experience an unprecedented explosion in the number of Americans over the age of sixty-five. Numerous outreach organizations and government agencies are hiring sociologists to study the effects of an again population on our culture. In addition, many researchers hope to anticipate the results of the coming contraction of population as baby boomers die off. Sociologists use scenario planning exercises along with a variety of resources to predict the opportunities for future generations to thrive in a country with far fewer residents. Youth Services: Our society places more value on the lives of children than at any point in our nation's history. A variety of government agencies and nonprofit institutions monitor the impact of policies and parental habits on today's young people. Sociologists examine the challenges that young people face when interacting with people of other generations. They also examine the significant cultural shifts driven by young people's tastes in popular culture.