Concentrations

What are concentrations?

As a discipline, sociology values what C. Wright Mills called the "sociological imagination", that is, the ability to see beyond ourselves and to understand our private troubles from the vantage point of current events and our social location in the world. At UVic, Sociology Majors participate in an exciting and rigorous program that emphasizes both critical thinking and practical skills. In addition to core courses in sociological theory and methods, a vast range of electives is available.

Sociology Majors have the option to declare an area of concentration if they so choose, or continue in the program without a declared concentration. The Department will award a program concentration certificate to students who complete a set of required interconnected courses. The chosen area of concentration appears on their transcripts.

A concentration groups together a set of thematically aligned courses, enabling students to develop expertise in a field of particular interest to them. As a credential that forms part of your degree, a concentration sends a clear signal to graduate schools, professional schools and potential employers, that you have expertise in a particular field of sociology.

Concentration in health and aging

The sociology of health and aging incorporates the sociology of health and health care (including medical sociology), the sociology of aging, and the intersection of these areas. It includes topics such as changing population characteristics; health practices and the lived experiences of wellness, illness, and dying; health policies and health care systems. It considers particular age groups as well as the whole life course, and is not exclusively focused on old age. Inequalities of age, class, gender, and race/ethnicity are addressed in all topical areas.

Doing a concentration in Health and Aging requires the same number of total units as for a Major or Honours Degree in Sociology. Students must also complete the core course, SOCI 285, Health over the Life course, and choose 3 electives from the following courses:

SOCI 343	Population Dynamics
SOCI 345	Sociology of Mental Health
SOCI 385	Sociology of Aging
SOCI 443	Population Problems and Policies
SOCI 445	Sociology of Health and Illness
SOCI 488	Sociology of Death and Dying

Concentration in social justice and social change

This concentration highlights a family of approaches to sociology that view the discipline as engaged with the issues, problems, and struggles of our times. It is critical of social inequality, emphasizes the power that social actors have to change these social inequities, and is engaged in developing solutions to social inequity. Topics include social injustice, social inequality, the transformative potential of social movements, the relationship between sociological research and social policy, and historical perspectives on the ways in which sociology has been engaged with social control, social reform, and social activism.

Doing a concentration in Social Justice and Social Change requires the same number of total units as for a Major or Honours Degree in Sociology. Students must also complete the core courses, SOCI 450, Sociology and Social Justice, and SOCI 373, Critical Research Strategies, and choose 2 electives from the following courses:

SOCI 328	Diversity and Equity
SOCI 307	Regulation and Social Control
SOCI 315	Class, Status, and Power
SOCI 316	Social Movements
SOCI 335	Racialization and Ethnicity
SOCI 381	Sociology of Gender
SOCI 401	Sociology of Law
SOCI 418	Social Change
SOCI 481	Feminist Theory