Overview

As a sociology student at Calvin, you'll study societal structures within the context of a strong liberal arts core curriculum. At Calvin, we believe that God created us to live in community. As Christian sociologists, it is our responsibility to understand human interactions so we are better able to heal them.

Careers in Sociology

• Counselor
• Corrections Officer
• Advocate
• Programmer
• Rehabilitator
• Teacher
• More

See job placement rates for Calvin grads.

Student involvement

Study off-campus in Chicago or Washington D.C.; volunteer in local schools, churches and hospitals; gain hands on experience through a summer internship; assist a professor with sociological research through a research fellowship.

Course Requirements 2012-13

Sociology major

(34 semester hours)

• SOC-151 Sociological Principals and Perspectives
• SOC-255 Social Science Statistics
• SOC-318 Sociological Theory
• SOC-320 Social Research
• SOC-395 Sociology Integrative Seminar
• Six electives

Sociology minor

(21 semester hours)

• SOC-151 Sociological Principals and Perspectives
• Six electives

Scholarships

Dollar amounts reflect awards given for the 2012-13 academic year.

Barbara Gezon Baker Scholarship for Academic Excellence in Sociology and Social Work

• award amount: $2,300
• junior or senior
• GPA 2.50+
• financial need may be considered
• nomination by department members

Dr. Donald H. Bouma Scholarship in Sociology and Social Work

• award amount: $2,300
• junior or senior
• GPA of 3.0+
• financial need required
• apply through the sociology department
  or the social work department

Daniel C. Duyst Memorial Scholarship

• award amount: $1,700
• junior or senior
• GPA of 2.7+
• financial need required; interested in criminal justice programs
• apply through the sociology department

Carl and Sandra Gronsman Family Scholarship

• award amount: $1,900
• junior or senior
• GPA 2.75+
• financial need required
• apply through the Calvin Portal

James and Catherine Haveman Family Scholarship

• award amount: $1,500
• first-year
• HS GPA 2.5+
• financial need required
• automatic consideration

Helping Hand Scholarship

• award amount: $2,000
• junior or senior
• GPA 3.0+
• financial need considered; preference to those with a career interest in serving the homeless; special consideration given to those who have volunteered at Mel Trotter Ministries, God's Kitchen or Degage Ministries
• apply through the sociology department
  or the social work department

Leanne Joy Knot Memorial Scholarship

• award amount: $1,550
• junior or senior
• GPA of 3.0+
• financial need required; demonstrate a deep love for Jesus Christ as expressed by the Reformed faith and a love for others
• apply through the sociology department
  or the social work department

Theodore A. Rottman Scholarship in Social Justice

• award amount: $1,650
• senior
• GPA of 3.0+
• financial need required; be dedicated to a career in social justice
• apply through the sociology department

Roland and Ellen Schroder Family Scholarship

• award amount: $2,700
• sophomore
• GPA 3.0+
• financial need required; at least one parent who graduated from Calvin College
• apply through the Calvin Portal

Sociology and Social Work Faculty Scholarship

• award amount: $1,000
• senior
• GPA of 3.3+
• financial need required
• apply through the sociology department
  or the social work department

Arnold and Janice VanderBok Family Scholarship

• award amount: $2,500
• first-year
• financial need required; speak Spanish fluently; preference to Hispanic students
• prospective students submit a letter to the Financial Aid Office (finaid@calvin.edu) describing your qualifications by February 1; returning students apply through the Calvin Portal

Vanderploeg-Edgerly Scholarship

• award amount: $1,100
• junior or senior
• GPA of 3.0+
• financial need not required; agree to write a major paper on the topic of child sexual abuse
• apply through the psychology department, the sociology department or the social work department

Theodore C. Wagenaar Scholarship

• award amount: $450
• any class level
• GPA 3.0+
• financial need required; planning to participate in an off-campus interim or semester in the Southwest United States; pursuing a degree in social sciences or education, in that order
• automatic consideration

View all scholarship opportunities

Faculty

Cheryl Brandsen Dean for Social Sciences & Contextual Disciplines Professor of Social Work Department of Sociology SC 383B brac@calvin.edu (616) 526-7322 Jonathan Hill Assistant Professor Department of Sociology SC 217 jph27@calvin.edu (616) 526-7259 Michelle Loyd-Paige Dean of Multicultural Affairs, Professor of Sociology Department of Sociology SC 323 lopa@calvin.edu (616) 526-8703 Elisha Marr Assistant Professor Department of Sociology SC 213 emm24@calvin.edu (616) 526-7019 Christopher Morrissey Teaching Staff Department of Sociology SC 219 cam48@calvin.edu (616) 526-6029

Mark Mulder Associate Professor Department of Sociology SC 229 mtm3@calvin.edu (616) 526-6755 Todd Vanden Berg Professor, on leave spring 2013 department chair Department of Sociology SC 227 tvdberg@calvin.edu (616) 526-6705 Rachel Venema Instructor Department of Social Work SC 221 rvenem68@calvin.edu (616) 526-8741 Roman Williams Assistant Professor Department of Sociology SC 237 roman.williams@calvin.edu (616) 526-6026

Teach This

Interested in teaching? You can gain certification in Sociology as a:

• Sociology Minor to teach at the Secondary level - see program requirements

Calvin's teacher education program also contains education-specific course requirements that you must complete prior to certification. See course requirements for:

• Elementary education
• Secondary education