Over the years, students have asked similar questions about the best ways to successfully complete their requirements for the Sociology major or minor. To alleviate students’ anxiety and to better share departmental procedures and guidelines, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions and their answers. The department may periodically change these guidelines described below; as such, students should check back regularly for any updates.
- Q: When should I declare my major?
A: In order to ensure that a sociology major or minor is the appropriate track for students, prospective majors or minors are strongly advised to have taken a 100-level and a 200-level sociology course before declaring Sociology as their major or minor. You should take a 100-level course in your first year and at least one 200-level sociology course before the spring semester of your second year. Students are required to declare at least one major by the end of their sophomore year. - Q: What are the differences among Soc 101, Soc 102 and Soc 103?
A: Soc 101, 102 and 103 should be considered equivalent course credits; students may only take one for the major or minor. Students are required to take one of the three 100-level courses as a prerequisite for all other courses in the major or minor. - Q: Is there a minimum grade I need to earn in one of the Soc 100-level courses?
A: Sociology majors and minors must earn a C or higher in a Soc 100-level course to continue in the major or minor. If you earn lower than a C in Soc 101, Soc 102, or Soc 103, you may enroll in intermediate-level courses but they will not count towards a sociology major or minor. - Q: As a prospective sociology major or minor, what should I do if I did not earn a C or higher in one of the Soc 100-level courses?
A: If a student does not earn a C or higher in their introductory course, they have two options. You can choose to immediately retake the course to earn the required minimum grade, or you can choose another major or minor. - Q: What is pre-preregistration and should I participate?
A: Each spring, the Sociology Department conducts pre-preregistration for declared majors and minors to help place them into the sociology classes they want and need. If you haven’t yet declared a major or minor, note that you should do so prior to the beginning of pre-preregistration in March. This allows the department to balance sections of courses and make accommodations if necessary. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the departmental pre-preregistration; the department cannot guarantee preferences regarding topic or semester of choice for advanced courses for those who do not participate.
- Q: How should I plan ahead to fulfill my major or minor requirements?
A: Prior to or just after declaring the major or minor, students should review the major flow chart and outline their multi-year course trajectory using the online CNAV tool. You should also plan to meet with your assigned sociology advisor on a regular basis to ensure that you are progressing well in the major. If you plan to study abroad you should plan to meet with the Center for Global Education no later than the fall of your sophomore year in order to check eligibility requirements and course offerings. - Q: If I think I have a valid reason, can I request to take courses out of sequence?
A: The sociology major is organized with a series of prerequisites and intentional sequencing of courses to help students progress from elementary sociological analysis to more complex and sophisticated analyses. This sequencing is not negotiable. - Q: How early can I take Soc 296, Soc 298 and Soc 299?
A: Technically, you can fulfill the qualitative methods requirement (Soc 298) and the quantitative methods requirement (Soc 2990 in the semester after completing your introductory course, but it is not recommended. Students are required to take at least one 200-level course before taking Soc 296. We strongly suggest that students complete one or more 200-level elective or inequalities courses prior to enrolling in either theory (Soc 296) or methods (Soc 298/299), as a greater breadth of knowledge will help you excel in these core courses. - Q: How often are Soc 296, Soc 298, and Soc 299 offered during an academic year?
A: Theory (Soc 296) and Field Methods in Social Research (Soc 298) are routinely offered every semester. Statistics and Data Analysis (Soc 299) is currently only offered once a year, usually in the fall semester. - Q: How often is an advanced theory course offered during an academic year?
A: At least one advanced, 300-level theory course is offered every year, often each semester, but the topics of the course may vary. Students will be able to choose their preferred course depending on their interest, whether they have the prerequisite, and their course load in that semester. You should plan to participate in pre-preregistration, where you will be given the opportunity to state your preferred semester for advanced theory if the class is offered in multiple semesters. While we cannot guarantee you will be placed in your preferred semester, we will try our best to accommodate your preferences. - Q: How often is Soc 400, the senior seminar, offered during an academic year?
A: Soc 400 is offered each year, usually each semester but occasionally only in the spring. Most students should plan to take this seminar in their senior year. During spring pre-preregistration, you will be given the opportunity to state your preferred section for seminar. While we cannot guarantee that you will be placed in your preferred section, we will try our best to accommodate your preferences. - What should I do if I need to graduate early or late?
A. Graduating a semester or year early or late will require careful planning and course sequencing. Students must meet frequently with their advisor to ensure that they are on track to graduate in their desired semester. The department can guarantee only that Soc 400 will be offered each spring, so you must plan accordingly.
For those who need to graduate early in three or three-and-a-half years: you will need to complete Soc 296, Soc 298 and Soc 299 by the end of the fall of the 3rd year so that you can take Soc 400 in the spring of that year.
For those who need to graduate late, in four-and-a-half years: you should plan to complete Soc 296, Soc 298 and Soc 299 by the fall of your 4th year so that you can take Soc 400 in the spring of that year.
For those who need to graduate late, in five years: you should plan to complete Soc 296, Soc 298 and Soc 299 by the fall of your 5th year so that you can take Soc 400 in the spring of that year. You can also complete Soc 400 in your 4th year if all prerequisites have been completed. - Q: What do I do if a required course conflicts with my second major, a minor, or an important co-curricular activity?
A: Even with planning, the department may not be able to offer courses at times that best fit students’ schedules. As a result, you may need to delay taking a particular course, which may affect the timing of other courses. In the worst-case scenario, students may face the tough decision of discontinuing their co-curricular activity or focusing on completing fewer majors and/or minors. Only one major is required to graduate from Gettysburg College.
- Q: When should I take the required intermediate course in inequalities?
A: A number of courses count towards the inequalities course requirement, including Soc 202, Soc 209, Soc 217, Soc 240, Soc 243, and Soc 244. You may fulfill the requirement at any time once you have completed your introductory course. At least one such course is offered each semester, so you will likely be able to choose the course(s) that most interest you. - Q: Should I take theory (Soc 296) or methods (Soc 298/299) first?
A: Students are generally encouraged to follow the suggested sequence, taking Soc 296 prior to Soc 298 and Soc 299. You are not required to take theory before methods, but you may find that the knowledge gained in Soc 296 will help you in conducting and writing up your sociological research in Soc 298 and Soc 299. A 200-level course is a prerequisite for Soc 296. - Q: Are there minimum grade requirements for any intermediate or advanced courses in the major?
A: Students must earn a C or higher in Soc 296 in order to continue into the advanced theory course and complete the major. - Q: What happens if I fail to get a C or higher in Soc 296?
A: Students have only one chance to earn the required grade. If you fail to earn a C or higher in Soc 296, then you will be expected to change your major. - Q: How many advanced sociology courses are required for the major?
A: The sociology major has two required upper-level courses, an advanced theory course and a senior research seminar, Soc 400, both of which students must complete at Gettysburg College. - Q: When can or should I take the two advanced sociology courses?
A: The prerequisite for advanced theory is Soc 296, so advanced theory can be taken once Soc 296 is completed with the requisite C or higher. The prerequisites for Soc 400 are Soc 296, Soc 298, and Soc 299, so you should plan on completing these three courses by the end of your junior year. If this sequence is delayed due to study abroad or second major requirements, you should plan on completing them in the fall of your senior year and taking Soc 400 in the spring of your senior year. - Q: Can I take any of these required intermediate and advanced sociology courses outside of Gettysburg College?
A: Our policy is that the six core courses—Inequalities, Soc 296, Soc 298, Soc 299, Advanced Theory, and Soc 400—must be completed at Gettysburg College.
- Q: I’m a sociology/WGS double major. Are there any WGS courses that count towards my sociology major?
A: Sociology has experienced a close historical relationship with the department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, as two of our faculty were instrumental to the founding of the program at Gettysburg College. As a result of this close relationship, any of the following six courses can be counted towards the 3-course sociology elective requirement. In addition, WGS 300/310 can be used in place of our advanced theory requirement for Soc/WGS double majors.- WGS 231: Gender and Change in Africa and Afro-Latin America
- WGS 226: Feminism in Global Perspective
- WGS 230: Women and Development
- WGS 290: Practicum in Theory and Collective Action
- WGS 300: Theories
- WGS 310: Queer Theories
These course substitutions are available only to students who double major in WGS and Sociology. This policy does not apply to Soc or WGS minors or those who take the above WGS courses on an ad hoc basis. - Q: I’m a double major or a sociology minor. Can I count one or more courses from my other major, like methods or statistics, towards my sociology major or minor?
A: We do not currently accept non-sociology courses towards the sociology major, with the exception of the above accommodations for Soc/WGS double majors. Students should not expect their research methods or statistics courses in another department, like Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Management, or Mathematics to count towards their sociology major or minor. - Q: How many courses can I take outside of Gettysburg College that will count toward my sociology major or minor?
A: In total, Sociology accepts no more than two courses taken outside of Gettysburg College for credit towards the major or minor. Please keep this in mind when you are planning to transfer credits from summer school, January terms, or are study abroad. Courses accepted for transfer will qualify as intermediate-level electives for the major or minor. - Q: I need to take classes over the summer to improve my GPA or course credit count. Does Sociology accept online courses?
A: Students should not take online sociology courses for credit towards the major or minor. Though they may be accepted for general transfer credit by the College, they are not currently accepted by the department. - Q: If I plan to take courses at another institution, what should I do?
A: Students are responsible for verifying with the Registrar’s Office whether a course taken outside of Gettysburg College will be equivalent to a full credit at Gettysburg College. Many courses at other colleges do not count as a full course credit toward graduation at Gettysburg College and may transfer as .75 of a credit. The Sociology department is only responsible for approving whether the course will count towards the major, not the credit value. - Q: Are there any courses for the major or minor that cannot be taken outside of Gettysburg College?
A: These six courses cannot be taken outside of Gettysburg College: the inequality course, Soc 296, Soc 298, Soc 299, the upper-level theory course, and Soc 400.
- Q: What is pre-preregistration?
A: Each spring, the Sociology Department conducts pre-preregistration for declared majors and minors to help them get into the sociology classes they want and need. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the departmental pre-preregistration; no special accommodations in sociology course selection will be made for those who do not participate. - Q: Can I study abroad as a sociology major or minor?
A: Sociology majors and minors can benefit significantly from a semester-long study abroad experience through the Center for Global Education (CGE) or a short term or summer immersion program through the Eisenhower Institute or the Center for Public Service. If you are interested in studying off-campus, you should plan to meet with a CGE advisor by the fall of your sophomore year and work with your sociology advisor to develop a course trajectory for your time both on and off campus. - Q: Does the faculty member teaching a course make a difference?
A: Students are strongly encouraged to take classes with full-time faculty. This will help students to develop mentoring relationships with department faculty and may open doors to research opportunities. In the past, students have attended conferences and presented their research across the US and in Thailand, Singapore, Sweden, and Trinidad and Tobago. - Q: Are there other activities sponsored by the department that can improve my experience as a sociology major or minor?
A: The department offers many opportunities for students to develop as a scholar and professionally. Students can get involved with the Gettysburg Social Sciences Review, or develop a mentoring relationship with a faculty member to benefit from research opportunities, professional conference presentations, and field trips. To get more information on various opportunities, please consult Sociological Experience, our student club, for more information.