What type of course is Sociology

[FightingIrish01]

Hey,

Sorry for bringing this up again, but is sociology more of a memorization of concepts course like psychology or something or is it more of a literature/writiing course because I'm not such a great writer.

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[WantsThisBad]

It totally depends on the professor you get. I think for the most part it ill be reading and writing papers though.

 

[stereochemistry]

Literal Answer: Social Science

 

[8744]

Hey,

Sorry for bringing this up again, but is sociology more of a memorization of concepts course like psychology or something or is it more of a literature/writiing course because I'm not such a great writer.

"Mickey Mouse."

The sociology department at most universities is a vehicle by which students who should be in trade school (or flipping burgers when you look at the effort they put into their studies) are kept in the financial aid pipeline thus ensuring a constant flow of federal dollars into the voracious maw of higher education.

Sociology and its ******ed cousin, psychology, are probably responsible for most of the bloated growth of American universities. If these programs didn't exist they would have to be invented otherwise there would be no place for people who just want the college lifestyle without the work to go.

Glad I could help.

 

[texaspremed]

I am a sociology major. Do I think that it is the easiest? No. Do I think that it is the hardest? No. Sociology is a very reading and writing intensive major at the majority of universities. I happen to love people and learning things about them and the situations that they are in. In ways, it is more difficult than a science such as biology because there is not one specific answer to a problem. It takes much critical thinking and understanding what goes on behind the scenes. Sociology is like biology, etc. in ways of the research aspect. It's like combining both a liberal arts and a science degree in my mind.

 

[junqu]

Panda Bear might be a little bit too extreme. It's easy, yes. But I think there are probably some hardworking and talented social scientists out there...as far as psychology, there's definitely legitimacy to the field.

Are they easy majors? Yes. Are they what all the athletes major in? Yes.


BTW, fightingIrish, why are you on such a mission to figure out which majors and classes are the easiest????


For one thing, you need to PICK WHAT YOU LIKE THE MOST. I'd probably have a harder time with sociology personally than physics or something else I actually like and am talented at.

 

[8744]

Panda Bear might be a little bit too extreme. It's easy, yes. But I think there are probably some hardworking and talented social scientists out there...as far as psychology, there's definitely legitimacy to the field.

Are they easy majors? Yes. Are they what all the athletes major in? Yes.


BTW, fightingIrish, why are you on such a mission to figure out which majors and classes are the easiest????


For one thing, you need to PICK WHAT YOU LIKE THE MOST. I'd probably have a harder time with sociology personally than physics or something else I actually like and am talented at.

Well look, a Sociology degree from Georgetown is probably a rigorous academic undertaking. But this is the exception. I think most of you either realize this or should be starting to suspect that higher education is a racket, operating primarily to perpetuate the inexplicable growth of the universities by engaging in diploma trafficing. You could probably shut down seventy-five percent of the universities in our country with no appreciable effect.

The other thing is that public education is so shoddy, generally speaking, that the high school education of fifty years ago was probably more rigorous than most of the degree offerings at colleges.

I'd as soon have my children go to trade school and learn to be plumbers or carpenters (both respectable jobs) than have them get a vanity degree.

 

[premedgirl07]

Panda Bear is absolutely correct.

Sociology is essentially political indoctrination. They indoctrinate you with feminism, politically correct, feel-good socialism and marxism, and attempt to disguise under the guise of some "assignments" and "essays" which they give no one above 85% to make it seem like it's hard and academically challenging.

Sociology is the biggest load of BS I have ever heard in my life, and it is used to convince women that men "oppress" them and to indoctrinate political beliefs of socialism in students.

Why do you think Universities in this country are so left-wing? I'll let you all figure it out...

 

[Mac11]

Sociology and its ******ed cousin, psychology, are probably responsible for most of the bloated growth of American universities

they aren't the only two. community health, political 'science', even some business majors...

and psychology isn't /all/ trash...

about the actual sociology class, a big part of it will be writing. it most likely depends on the prof.

the prof at my school has this ******ed system where every paper you turn in counts as 5 points on your grade; so technically you can just write 20 papers and never show up to class. or you could show up to class, ace the exams, and never write a paper.

 

[Karina 07]

Awesome post, troll .
Not the OP. Maybe the OP, too. But we all know what threads premedgirl has started recently.

 

[qtpai]

I am at UT Austin, and I have a degree in Anthropology and am in the process of completing majors in Neurobiology and Biochemistry. I lead my chemistry and biology courses in grades (scored a high score on organic final out of 296 students and was top 3 in several of my classes -- I took 20 hours of math and science this past semester). Yet in spite of my education that is becoming increasingly science-heavy, I continue to respect the social sciences. Mediocrity is ubiquitous and just as prevalent in the natural sciences as in the social sciences. That you are "indoctrinated" in many social science courses is true; that you are also indoctrinated in natural sciences courses is also true (there is a fundamental paradigm of biological determinism and implied ontological materialism in the natural sciences). One of the most important skills in any course you take is your ability to question what the professor is saying, write what he wants you to hear, and then, when you are home, call him a *****.

You will never escape dogma no matter what major you are; it is fundamental to academia and in fact, to the human experience. If your primary qualm is with what the paradigms of the social sciences have to offer and not the dogmatism, then there is not much left for me to say here except that I am sorry. I think the ways that the social sciences have helped to change my thinking have been spectacular, and dare I say, much of this "liberal nonsense" critique of society is simply true.

 

[airshad8]

Remember kids, don't let schooling get in the way of your education.

 

[racerx]

sociology = 'the "man" is keepin' me down in america'
anthropology = 'the american "man" is keeping me down all over the world.'

the two together? "Workers of the world, unite!" But, unite in as a touchy feely way as you can. Pfft...

Anthropologists don't even use the word american. They use the term "nacirema"...america backwards. If you are a white, adult, american male, you're ultimately responsible for all that is wrong in the world according to most of the indoctrination of sociology and anthropology classes.

 

[airshad8]

sociology = 'the "man" is keepin' me down in america'
anthropology = 'the american "man" is keeping me down all over the world.'

the two together? "Workers of the world, unite!" But, unite in as a touchy feely way as you can. Pfft...

Anthropologists don't even use the word american. They use the term "nacirema"...america backwards. If you are a white, adult, american male, you're ultimately responsible for all that is wrong in the world according to most of the indoctrination of sociology and anthropology classes.

Haha...I love these apologetic notions of the white man...anthro, AA, etc...NOT.

 

[Tired]

Sociology is the last, desperate hope for failing premeds to pull up their GPA.

 

[8744]

I am at UT Austin, and I have a degree in Anthropology and am in the process of completing majors in Neurobiology and Biochemistry. I lead my chemistry and biology courses in grades (scored a high score on organic final out of 296 students and was top 3 in several of my classes -- I took 20 hours of math and science this past semester). Yet in spite of my education that is becoming increasingly science-heavy, I continue to respect the social sciences. Mediocrity is ubiquitous and just as prevalent in the natural sciences as in the social sciences. That you are "indoctrinated" in many social science courses is true; that you are also indoctrinated in natural sciences courses is also true (there is a fundamental paradigm of biological determinism and implied ontological materialism in the natural sciences). One of the most important skills in any course you take is your ability to question what the professor is saying, write what he wants you to hear, and then, when you are home, call him a *****.

You will never escape dogma no matter what major you are; it is fundamental to academia and in fact, to the human experience. If your primary qualm is with what the paradigms of the social sciences have to offer and not the dogmatism, then there is not much left for me to say here except that I am sorry. I think the ways that the social sciences have helped to change my thinking have been spectacular, and dare I say, much of this "liberal nonsense" critique of society is simply true.

Whoa whoa whoa. Easy, trigger. Learning the dogma of your particular field is what formal education is all about. Then, once you know the dogma you can perhaps work a little original thinking into it. Learning the dogma is the same as self-discipline and the necessary condition of subordination to authority without which education is impossible.

With that being said, some dogma is harder to learn than others. The dogma of engineering, as it requires a proficiency in statics, dynamics, differential equations, fluid mechanics, and physics is a lot more difficult than the dogma of sitting around opining about how the white man has dumped his oil on the traditional Inuit hunting grounds.

The problem with all of that "liberal nonsense" is that it is promulgated in the sheltered enclaves of academia without regard to whether it is true or not, just that your hairy anthropology professor has believed it ever since he was granted tenure back in the sevneties.

 

[sunset823]

they aren't the only two. community health, political 'science', even some business majors...

and psychology isn't /all/ trash...

about the actual sociology class, a big part of it will be writing. it most likely depends on the prof.

the prof at my school has this ******ed system where every paper you turn in counts as 5 points on your grade; so technically you can just write 20 papers and never show up to class. or you could show up to class, ace the exams, and never write a paper.

People, people, be nice! My thoughts:
- Anthropology/Sociology - look at Paul Farmer - hardly the paragon of political correctness (e.g., Cuba has one of the most advanced health systems in the world), but a truly amazing person - Also analyze the fact that many people coming out of Harvard Med end up doing social service, so they probably have, overall, one of the lower average alumni incomes out of the US allopathic med schools
- Political 'Science' - This was my very pleasing and rigorous major at one of the top poli-sci universities in the nation
1) for starters, my honors thesis involved tons of statistical analysis, many of the professors I worked with basically had Math PhDs, and in a recent graduate school course I got the same grade as a mechanical engineer from MIT
2) Every year at my university, two of the five or so nominees for Rhodes/Marshall scholarships have been political science majors, and several have reached finalist status
- Community Health - umm, considering you want to be a doctor, don't you think you'll need to know how to deal with populations with health problems?

And, yeah, the system Mac11 is describing is ******ed - for my own cynical nature, don't diss the majors, diss the mediocre schools, or more accurately, the people who entered those schools not for truly financial reasons or because they offer unique programs, but just to get an easy ride..

 

[AppleseedCast]

I doubt any of you guys dissing sociology could write even one well written, well thought out paper on a sociological topic...

my opinion is that any idiot can memorize mechanisms, reactions, forumulas, biologcial facts, etc., however it takes real ingenuity and intelligence to critically write on a topic.

but of course this is just an opinion

 

[PsychEpathic]

I have a BA in sociology and I can write good .

 

[racerx]

I doubt any of you guys dissing sociology could write even one well written, well thought out paper on a sociological topic...

my opinion is that any idiot can memorize mechanisms, reactions, forumulas, biologcial facts, etc., however it takes real ingenuity and intelligence to critically write on a topic.

but of course this is just an opinion

I doubt many of the liberal, comrade-professors that teach sociology could write a well written, well thought out paper either. As long as "the man" is blamed, their peers simply nod their heads in elitest agreement.

Apparently you have never had to perform biological research and the associated papers that are required of most bio majors in upper level courses. The memorizing of material only gets you past bio 101/102.

Again, sociology = Indoctrination of "The man" is keeping me down in america.

 

[8744]

...hardly the paragon of political correctness (e.g., Cuba has one of the most advanced health systems in the world...

Uh...saying that Cuba has one of the most advanced health systems in the world is the ultimate in political correctness. I don't think you understand what political correctness means.

If he said, on the other hand, that Cuba was a repressive police state where the living conditions were so bad that thousands of people would rather try to paddle inner-tubes 90 miles through shark-infested waters to escape...well..that would be both true and politically incorrect.

 

[maestro1625]

I doubt many of the liberal, comrade-professors that teach sociology could write a well written, well thought out paper either. As long as "the man" is blamed, their peers simply nod their heads in elitest agreement.

Apparently you have never had to perform biological research and the associated papers that are required of most bio majors in upper level courses. The memorizing of material only gets you past bio 101/102.

Again, sociology = Indoctrination of "The man" is keeping me down in america.

you sound bitter. professor didn't like you?

 

[8744]

you sound bitter. professor didn't like you?

Hey, try being an "out" conservative in any typical university sociology-type class. I never let it bother me because I am an abrasive bastard and once even made a liberal professor cry but not everybody is as cynicall and bloodthirsty as your Uncle Panda.

 

[dutchman]

The following majors need to be scrapped as degree programs.

-Sociology
-Spanish
-Biology
-anthropology
-psychology

Before I get eaten up I will say that I base my opinion on the number of jobless folks I have met with those majors. The departments should exist and offer calsses but the degree programs(especially bachelors) need to be scrapped.

 

[airshad8]

The following majors need to be scrapped as degree programs.

-Sociology
-Spanish
-Biology
-anthropology
-psychology

Before I get eaten up I will say that I base my opinion on the number of jobless folks I have met with those majors. The departments should exist and offer calsses but the degree programs(especially bachelors) need to be scrapped.

Why Spanish? If Spanish is up there so should English. I know quite a few people that have Spanish degrees in medical school. To say we should scrap these programs sounds pretty dumb...no offense. If you were only going by 'joblessness' I think there would be many other degrees up there. Joblessness depends on what the person decides to do oneself in UG, not just the major. For instance, the Spanish majors I know in Medical school, made that degree work for them - it gave them an edge on the whole diversity thing, especially in Cali.

Also, if you didn't offer degrees in these programs, there wouldn't be research and funding for them either...

 

[Tired]

The following majors need to be scrapped as degree programs.

-Sociology
-Spanish
-Biology
-anthropology
-psychology

So if you're not interested in it, it has no value?

It's okay, I mean, what have "Biologists" ever done for us anyway? And what the hell do "Psychologists" do? And why study Spanish literature, it's not like they ever wrote anything worth reading . . .

Before I get eaten up I will say that I base my opinion on the number of jobless folks I have met with those majors. The departments should exist and offer calsses but the degree programs(especially bachelors) need to be scrapped.

Really, all a University is for is training for premeds. They should only offer classes that will prep you for the MCAT and make your transcript look good. I'm not even really sure who all the other people on campus are, because there's only like 20 people in the Premed Club . . .

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

For one thing, you need to PICK WHAT YOU LIKE THE MOST. I'd probably have a harder time with sociology personally than physics or something else I actually like and am talented at.

i second this, as well as the remark that it depends on the professor. since getting back in school, my only non-A (B+) has been in sociology. the professor was truly awful. i know it sounds like a cop-out to say that i got a lower grade because he was bad, but he really was very bad. i won't bore everyone with the details, though

i never expect any of my courses to be cake and work hard on all of them. i had a near-100 average in biology, and a B+ in freaking sociology 101. it smarts. while i made an A in psychology, it was more difficult than my math and science courses. this is one of the reasons i decided on the MD route: i vastly prefer math and science to humanities, and i'm better at them. there's a lot more black and white in math and science...most of the time, your answer is either right or wrong (i'm generalizing, of course). with humanities, your grade depends on the teacher's opinion of what you've written. you could have two different teachers, submit exactly the same work, and get two different grades. the subjectivity of it drives me nuts.

as others have said, pursue what you enjoy and that's where you will excel.

 

[racerx]

you sound bitter. professor didn't like you?

Don't worry about me. I have taken craps that instill more bitterness in me; the opinion of some academic that has never had to make his/her way in the real world really never worried me.

Actually, despite being from opposing viewpoints (not always, but quite often), my sociology prof and I got on quite well and enjoyed many interesting conversations/debates. As I made an A in both of the classes I took from the professor, and got along well, I asked for and recieved a nice LOR for my med school apps from said prof.

My opinions spring from the bullcrap contained within the indoctrination textbooks and "research" papers I have read for sociology and anthro classes.

Don't assume that because I opine sociology and anthropology classes are simply for left-wing indoctrination into the evils of the white, adult, american male that I didn't do well in the class or the prof didn't like me. I lucked out and found a (very rare) prof that valued healthy debate. However, I would assume back at ya' that you would be one of those snide, give 'em an F for daring to disagree with you, lefty profs if you were given half a chance.

 

[Mac11]

for starters, my honors thesis involved tons of statistical analysis, many of the professors I worked with basically had Math PhDs

then why didn't you go for a math degree instead of the lame political science degree?

- Community Health - umm, considering you want to be a doctor, don't you think you'll need to know how to deal with populations with health problems?

find out what a community health degree is, then whine. its a watered down cocktail of bio, nursing, etc.

And, yeah, the system Mac11 is describing is ******ed

you would feel right at home in it

don't diss the majors, diss the mediocre schools, or more accurately, the people who entered those schools not for truly financial reasons or because they offer unique programs, but just to get an easy ride..

i say diss the *****s that get into prestigious universities and then waste their time there majoring in **** 101

 

[maestro1625]

rant

ironically enough, IIRC the Journal of Applied Sociology had an article this fall about students watering down the education system by majoring in useless subjects and leaving college with no useful skills.

 

[maestro1625]

I would assume back at ya' that you would be one of those snide, give 'em an F for daring to disagree with you, lefty profs if you were given half a chance.

if I ever end up a professor, it sure as hell wont be in a subjective subject.

and besides, those who deserve Fs get them. "OH NOZ! teh LIEberal Prof DISAGREES with me!" is basically an excuse for those not capable of defending their arguments and developing coherent points.

 

[AppleseedCast]

This thread is filled with a lot of winners. I love SDN

 

[Phil Anthropist]

Stay on topic and keep off the personal attacks, peeps.

If you're interested in discussing politics, have at it at SDN's Sociopolitical forum.

 

[^=^]

I just took a intro to soc. class this semester. Imo, it's not as fun as psychology, but oh well. In soc. you'll study about society, culture, and the process of socialization. Hope this helps!

 

[searun]

"Mickey Mouse."

The sociology department at most universities is a vehicle by which students who should be in trade school (or flipping burgers when you look at the effort they put into their studies) are kept in the financial aid pipeline thus ensuring a constant flow of federal dollars into the voracious maw of higher education.

Sociology and its ******ed cousin, psychology, are probably responsible for most of the bloated growth of American universities. If these programs didn't exist they would have to be invented otherwise there would be no place for people who just want the college lifestyle without the work to go.

Glad I could help.

Sociology is cake and a disgrace to American academia. Do not major in sociology if you have any self respect and ever hope to get a date with a hot woman. No girl respects a guy who majors in sociology.

 

[Mac11]

No girl respects a guy who majors in sociology.

...yep, they go for nerdy premeds majoring in biochem

 

[searun]

...yep, they go for nerdy premeds majoring in biochem

I majored in biochem. Damn, how did you know?

 

[Arc]

^^^ lol.

 

[8744]

Sociology is cake and a disgrace to American academia. Do not major in sociology if you have any self respect and ever hope to get a date with a hot woman. No girl respects a guy who majors in sociology.

Not so fast. Since you won't need to study, sociology is the ideal major for someone who just wants to party. You will get lots of dates with hot women.

I didn't say there were no good reasons to major in sociology. If you are bound and determined to party for four or five years with little or no inconvenieces like studying then sociology is for you.

 

[8744]

if I ever end up a professor, it sure as hell wont be in a subjective subject.

and besides, those who deserve Fs get them. "OH NOZ! teh LIEberal Prof DISAGREES with me!" is basically an excuse for those not capable of defending their arguments and developing coherent points.

Hang on. Academia provides a refuge for professors who are not capable of dedending their arguments and developing coherent points. That's part of the reason they call it the Ivory Tower, that is, it is protected from the rationality of the outside world. You can believe anything as a university professor and teach it too, once you are granted tenure.

Now, I am a reasonably intelligent guy with both a BS and an MD. I think I'm able to defend my point of view on most things coherently and elegantly. I've had my share of run-ins with incredibly close-minded university professors, all in the social sciences. They were all liberals, too, because the university is to the left wing idiot what the trailer park is to the right wing idiot. (Their natural habitat.)

The more time you spend in higher education the less respect you will have for many of its purveyors.

 

[GreyBlueEyes]

Hang on. Academia provides a refuge for professors who are not capable of dedending their arguments and developing coherent points. That's part of the reason they call it the Ivory Tower, that is, it is protected from the rationality of the outside world. You can believe anything as a university professor and teach it too, once you are granted tenure.

Now, I am a reasonably intelligent guy with both a BS and an MD. I think I'm able to defend my point of view on most things coherently and elegantly. I've had my share of run-ins with incredibly close-minded university professors, all in the social sciences. They were all liberals, too, because the university is to the left wing idiot what the trailer park is to the right wing idiot. (Their natural habitat.)

The more time you spend in higher education the less respect you will have for many of its purveyors.

why don't they have an applause icon? i need an applause icon. i guess i'll settle for