Sociology + Journalism B.A.

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior.

Journalism is the process of fact-based storytelling that informs a community.

An integrated major in sociology and journalism provides students with not only an historical and theoretical understanding of social issues pertinent to a community, but also the means to address them through journalism-oriented communication, including related fields such as public relations and advocacy. The integrated major emphasizes socially oriented research and analysis, and production of content in print, video and audio, including podcasting, web design and production and content production for social media.

Job Outlook

A degree in sociology and journalism is an excellent entry to careers at the intersections of sociology, journalism, advocacy and social justice. Career options include staff positions with news organizations, especially public service and non-profit news organizations and philanthropic research positions. Alternately, students who pursue the B.A. in Sociology and Journalism could pursue careers in the media and community relations departments of companies, non-profits, and government entities, such as the criminal justice system, or working for or collaborating with research institutes and think tanks.

Finally, the B.A. in Sociology and Journalism provides strong preparation for professional schools, including law and social work, and for graduate training in Journalism, Sociology, and other social science disciplines.

Curriculum

College requirements
All degree programs in the college require a minimum of 120 credit hours. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the college must complete at least 36 credit hours of upper- division (300- and 400-level) courses.

Major-field requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 39 credits and maintain a 2.25 GPA with an integrated major in Sociology and Journalism.
Transfer students must obtain at least 20 (of 39) credit hours from Communication or Sociology courses at Cleveland State University.

Required Core Sociology and Journalism Courses (10 courses):

• SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology
• SOC 352: Sociological Theories
• SOC 353: Methods of Social Research
• COM 102: Adobe CC: Digital Content Creation in Communication
• COM 224: Foundations of Journalism and Promotional Communication
• COM 225: Media Writing
• COM 326: Advanced Reporting and Editing
• COM 335: Multimedia Storytelling
• COM 358: Media Law, Economics, and Ethics
• COM 427: News Media Lab: The Stater (Sociology + Journalism capstone, taken concurrently with semester 1 of the existing journalism capstone)

Electives (3 courses required):

• SOC 201: Race, Class and Gender
• SOC 203: Sociology of Poverty
• SOC 210: Developing Societies in a Changing World
• SOC 220: Marriage and the Family
• SOC 222: World Population and Society
• SOC 250: Diversity in Sports
• SOC 260: Deviance in the United States
• SOC 305: Urban Sociology
• SOC 306: Urban Ethnography
• SOC 307: Community Organizing and Leadership Development
• SOC 309: Sociology of Global Health and Diverse Healthcare
• SOC 311: Social Interaction
• SOC 312: Sociology of Mental Illness
• SOC 313: Mental Health Services and Policy
• SOC 314: Sociology of Sports
• SOC 316: Sociology of Aging
• SOC 317: Sociology of Gender
• SOC 319: Sociology of Religion
• SOC 320: Globalization
• SOC 321: Sustainable Communities, Environments, and Development
• SOC 322: Genocide an Interdisciplinary Perspective
• SOC 327: Emotions in Health and Health Care
• SOC 328: Health and the Good Life
• SOC 329: Food, Health, and the Environment
• SOC 343: Medical Sociology
• SOC 345: Social Control
• SOC 380: Racial and Ethnic Inequality
• SOC 493: Special Topics in Sociology

Internship Elective: Students are strongly encouraged, but not required, to take an internship in either Sociology or Journalism:

• COM 490- Internship in Communication
• SOC 490- Sociology Internship