SOC 203 - Sociology in Real Life

This course is designed to give students hands-on experience with the research methods that sociologists use, including: surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation, experiments, content analysis, and more. Each semester, enrolled students will learn to apply these skills to a particular issue at Wheaton or in the larger community, conducting original research and presenting their findings in a public forum. The specific methods included may vary from one year to the next, depending on what is most appropriate to the questions being asked; however, there will be a minimum of two approaches in a given semester, aimed at helping students see the strengths and weaknesses of what each method has to offer. These are skills that professional sociologists use, but they are also relevant to other careers and fields, such as market research and consulting; nonprofit and community organizations; public opinion polling; and more. Aside from the specific research skills being taught, students will also gain experience distilling information into a report and presenting to a general audience. Additionally, we will require the students in this course to be certified by CITI for research ethics in the same CITI courses that faculty and students doing research are required by the Wheaton IRB.

Credits .5

Compass Attributes
Sophomore Experience