Sociology & Criminology

The requirements for a major in Sociology, whether choosing the General or Public Sociology concentration. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the major!

Please contact the department coordinator Dr. Sarah Gaby for Sociology and for Criminology. In the summer months please contact the chair, Dr. Julia F. Waity.

Our faculty page has information about all of our faculty members including their areas of research, courses they teach, their personal websites and course syllabi.

If you are interested in joining the Sociology and Criminology Club or applying for a scholarship, visit Clubs & Scholarships to find out about club meeting schedules, available scholarships, requirements and deadlines.

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts.

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It typically takes a minimum of two years to complete the requirements for a major in Sociology, whether choosing the General or Public Sociology concentration. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the major!

Public Sociology

Public Sociology involves taking sociology beyond the boundaries of the university: it is a sociology that "seeks to bring sociology to publics beyond the academy, promoting dialogue about issues that affect the fate of society" (Burawoy 2004). In the Public Sociology Program, students learn how to use sociology to inform real life social issues.

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Criminology is the study of crime and justice as social phenomena; we use social science training to theorize and empirically examine why some activities are considered crime and others aren't, what the pattern of that activity is in society and what the social responses to that activity include. It's broad and means to understand the social conditions that generate crime, with an aim to informing how to curtail it (maybe).

Criminal justice is a social science examination of the criminal justice system as a social institution. So, with CJ we use theory and empirical analysis to understand how the social institutions meant to handle criminal offenders and victims are set up, how effective they are, and what impact they have in society as well as on crime rates.

Criminology is a social science approach to studying law making, law breaking, and the social responses to crime .

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Helpful Resources

University Studies The Core Curriculum

We hope that you will join us in support of the UNCW Department of Sociology and Criminology. Your generosity ensures a rich experience for everyone in our department.

Please consider a financial gift to the UNCW Sociology and Criminology Department. Annual or one-time gifts designated to the department support student scholarships and hands-on applied learning experiences, like the WHA-UNCW Community Campus, that prepares students for successful internships and post graduate careers.

Find several ways to make a tax-deductible gift to UNCW in support of Sociology and Criminology department. For more information please email us.

Give to UNCW Sociology and Criminology