The Department currently has two programs, namely Sociology and Anthropology, but grants an undergraduate degree, BA, in Sociology. For now, the Department offers Anthropology courses for those minoring in Anthropology. The curriculum of the Department covers courses in four areas: Required General Courses, Elective Courses, Anthropology Courses, and Sociology Courses. There are 26 required general courses that students must complete before graduating. For elective courses, students are required to complete two three-semester-credit-hour courses based on their interests or areas of study. There are seven Anthropology courses, of which students minoring in Anthropology are required to complete six. There are 16 Sociology courses, of which students are required to complete 13 before graduating.
Cumulatively, students are required to complete 124 semester credit hours in order to be eligible for graduation with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology within four years’ time. Below is the breakdown of the 124 semester credit hours needed for graduation:
| CATEGORY | CREDIT HOURS |
|---|---|
| Liberia College Required General Courses | 64 |
| Elective Courses* | 6 |
| Courses in Minor Areas of Sociology Majors | 18 |
| Required Sociology Courses | 36 |
| CUMULATIVE CREDIT HOURS: | 124 |
Note: *Sociology majors are required to do SOCI 202 (Sociology of Information & Communications Technologies) as a mandatory elective.
Here are the Anthropology and Sociology courses we offer.
| COURSE | DESCRIPTION | TOTAL CREDIT | PRE-REQUISITE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOCI 201 | Introduction to Sociology – This course introduces students to the field of sociology. Historical forces that helped give rise to sociology as a discipline are explored in this course. A variety of topics are covered in the course. For example, the course will examine culture and society, socialization and social interaction, groups and organizations (social institutions), sociology of the family, urbanization and industrialization, social inequality, social stratification, social change, etc. Emphasis will be on helping the student develop or improve his or her “sociological imagination” by considering and looking at the social nature of issues and behaviors in society. Students will be challenged to think better on their own, not to be told what to think. | 3 | SOSC 102 & ENGL 102 |
| SOCI 202* (This is a mandatory elective for Sociology majors) | Sociology of Information & Communications Technologies (ICT) – In this course the instructor and the students will explore the use, advantages & disadvantages, and social implications of information and communication technologies, including social network sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, YouTube, etc. The course will specifically explore processes associated with various human communications. It will cover topics about how ICT has helped shape societies and social interactions over the years. Students will be introduced to different forms of ICT and to the ethical use of them. The course will also familiarize students with the basics of Microsoft Applications needed for word processing and data analysis. | 3 | SOSC 102 & ENGL 102 |
| SOCI 206 (formerly called DEMO 201) | Social Statistics – This course covers element of scientific logic procedures, basic statistical techniques in social science, including central tendencies, normal curves probability and statistical inference, chi-square test, correlation and regression analysis, and general parametric and non-parametric tests. | 3 | MATH 101 & MATH 104 |
| SOCI 300 | Social Institutions – This course focuses on the study of social institutions, such as the family, religious institutions, Government or political institutions, educational institutions, and the economy. Students will learn the critical roles social institutions play in society and how they relate to one another. Large-scale organizations are also discussed in this course with focus on understanding the nature, conditions of growth and consequences of large-scale organizations for industrial development. The course further discusses basic theories of large-scale organizations and implications for social order. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 301 | Sociology of Marriage & the Family – Families are critical social institutions worldwide. Nearly all families in every society share some things in common, such as, for example, having biological and social identities, caring for and protecting one another, and sharing residences; notwithstanding, the specifics of how families go about accomplishing these differ significantly over time, space, and region. In this course, focus is on families in contemporary Liberia. The course will introduce students to how sociologists study families scientifically and will cover a variety of topics ranging from the history of Liberia past and present families, the structure and functions of the family in various cultures (including and with emphasis on Liberia) to topics such as mate selection, intermarriages, cohabitation, types of marriages, challenges in marriages, the changing structure of the family, parenting, gender, sex and sexuality. Emphasis will be on the issues of diversity and change, that is, the many ways families have changed and continue to change around the world (Liberia in particular) will be discussed. Sociological theories that help people understand families will be discussed in this course as well. Also, focus will be on the experiences of families, especially on how changes in families are socially and politically influenced and on relationships between men and women, parents and children, work and family, and the influence of the marketplace on families. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 302 | Social Change – The focus of this course is social issues and problems. It discusses theories of social, cultural and institutional changes as well as the impact of change on social behavior, personality development, rural and urban activities with emphasis on changes in Africa (Liberia in particular). The impact of globalization is considered as well. Historical and contemporary social problems are discussed with emphasis on social issues and problems, including land-related issues, religious and ethnic diversity, violence, corruption, etc. Emphasis is placed on problems in modern African societies, including Liberia. Other topics the course covers include but not limited to intolerance, social injustice, poverty, and misuse of power. Students will differentiate social problems from personal problems and will develop an understanding of how deal with social problems and issues. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 303 | Sociology of Criminal Behavior –This course involves understanding collective behavior, criminal behavior, and crime control measures, with emphasis on understanding cultural, biological, and social factors that lead to the commission of crime. It covers a wide range of topics, including diagnosis and treatment of criminal behavior, major theories of crimes and their implications for Africa and Liberia in particular. Studies in the areas of mental health, juvenile delinquency, and collective behavior are considered and analyzed in this course. Spontaneous group formation, including crowds, mass behavior, panic behavior, public and social movements, and their implications for the individual and for social action are looked at as well. Basic theories of collective behavior are discussed. The role law plays as a tool for social control in society is discussed in this course as well. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 304 | Rural Sociology – This course analyzes the structures and functions of rural societies, institutional mechanisms of rural societies, roles, behavior and rural personality growth; with emphasis on Africa and Liberia rural societies, including how their social, religious, economic, political, the concept of African time and legal systems function. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 305 | Urban & Industrial Sociology – Urbanization and industrialization are global phenomena that have advantages and drawbacks. In this course, the instructor and the students will discuss urbanization and industrialization, and explore problems associated with urban and industrial processes. The issues of high population density, inadequate infrastructure, affordable housing, pollution, crimes, income disparity, health, and poverty, which are often found in urban areas, will be discussed in this course. Emphasis will be on environmental, financial, and social problems associated with urbanization and industrialization. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 306 | Social Stratification – This course deals with the studies of major theories of social stratification (gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, class, caste etc) in contemporary societies and the implications for social actions and social development in Liberia. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOSC 201 |
| SOCI 400 | Community Development – This course looks at the history, principles, and theories of community development. Specific community development processes, strategies, and challenges are discussed in this course. Detailed analysis of community structures and functions, roles community development workers play, participatory processes employed in community development, and local governance structures are discussed as well. Decision-making and other relevant topics are covered in this course also. The course covers major theories of development and underdevelopment. It explores the origins of development and underdevelopment from the perspectives of the theories of social change, modernization, world systems, globalization, etc. The roles of AID and multilateral financial institutions in less developed countries are analyzed. Attempts at promoting sustainable development in the world, such as the SDGs, are looked at as well. Emphasis is put on the implications of development theories to Africa and to Liberia in particular. | 3 | SOCI 300/306 |
| SOCI 401 (formerly called DEMO 401) | Elements of Population Studies – This course involves discussions on world population growth and distribution; components of population growth-fertility and migration (pattern and trend in the world’s major regions, and countries): population theories and policies; population growth and changes in demographic components. | 3 | SOCI 201 & SOCI 206 |
| SOCI 402 | Social Theory – Major sociological theories, including classical sociological theories, neoclassical sociological theories, as well as modern and postmodern sociological theories are discussed in this course. The instructor and students specifically look at contributions by the classical theorists like Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Contributions by the neoclassical, modern, and postmodern social theorists like, for example, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Georg Simmel, W. E. B. Du Bois, George Herbert Mead, Talcott C. Parsons, C. Wright Mills, Robert K. Merton, Erving Goffman, Patricia Hills Collins, and others are also discussed. The course enables students to understand the central role theories play as an important foundation of social science and their functions in research and in social life. | 3 | SOCI 300/ 306 |
| SOCI 403 | Social Research – Social Research – Social research is an inquiry launched by social scientists, including sociologists, to learn about people and societies. Sociologists often investigate human behavior and question the world that humans have created and live in. This content-and-knowledge-application course will introduce students to the fundamentals of social research and will prepare students for Sociology 405 (Practical Research). The course familiarizes students with the scientific method of inquiry, different approaches to sociological research, research designs and methods, and ethical issues considered and addressed by social researchers. Students will be introduced to the three types of research, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research. Sociological research methodologies and key research terminologies will be discussed. Students will be challenged to develop and apply critical thinking skills as well as learn how to apply sociological knowledge and research methodological skills to social problem identification and analysis. Students will be required to develop and submit at the end of the semester research project proposals containing chapters 1, 2, and 3 of their thesis or research papers to be submitted in Sociology 405 in the next semester. | 3 | SOCI 206 & SOCI 202 |
| SOCI 404 | Sociology of Health – As a broad field of study, sociology is the only social science covering a variety of human activities, including but not limited to the economy, employment, organization & government, family issues, social inequality, religion and belief systems, environmental issues, as well as health. This course provides an analytical framework for students to understand the social contexts of health, illness, and healthcare delivery, with focus on Liberia. Its objective is to make students see how social life affects morbidity and mortality rate, and how morbidity and mortality rate affect social life, again with focus on Liberia. History of medical sociology and other relevant topics are explored in this course as well. | 3 | SOCI 300/306 |
| SOCI 405 | Practical Research – This course is an extension of SOCI 403. It involves the practical application of research techniques learned in SOCI 403. | 3 | SOCI 403 |
| ANTH 201 | Introduction to Anthropology – This course introduces students to the study of anthropology and familiarizes them with the various branches of the discipline: archaeology, classical and “new” physical anthropology, cultural and social anthropology. Particular attention is given to the concept of biological evolution, racial classification, cultural change, traditional societies, social structure, acculturation and the impact of western-type of culture on traditional societies. Assumption and values in western and non-western cultures are highlighted, while the students are also introduced to field work methods. | 3 | |
| ANTH 300 | Social Anthropology – Social Anthropology looks at the ways in which people live in different social and cultural settings around the world. It further explores how societies differ enormously in how they organize themselves relative to their cultural practices, as well as religious, political and economic arrangements. It is a comprehensive study of societies and their institutions. | 3 | |
| ANTH 301 | Cultures & Religion – World religions and traditions as well as the relationship between religion and culture are considered and discussed in this course. Concepts such as deity and divinities; ancestors in traditional Africa; ritual and the relationship between magic/witchcraft and religion; the role of religious practitioners in societies; voodoo, cults and secret societies are examined in this course. The emergence of African independent churches and that of Islam and Islamic cultures is discussed as well. Various theories are critically evaluated. | 3 | |
| ANTH 302 | Ethnology & Ethnography of Africa – Ethnology & Ethnography of Africa – This course begins by focusing on a single culture and how it uses data obtained from ethnographic research. It compares and contrasts various cultures in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an in-depth analysis of model societies. | 3 | |
| ANTH 305 | Cultures of Liberia – This course focuses on the various cultures of Liberia, including language, families, kingship and marriage, traditional religious and educational systems; power and authority; as well as the Poro, Sande and other secrets societies. The history and theory of anthropology in Liberia will be explored as well. | 3 | |
| ANTH 402 | Theory & History of Anthropology – This course focuses on the analytical discussions of the major and minor theoretical schools of thoughts in anthropology and their proponents. | 3 | |
| ANTH 407 | Economic Anthropology – In this course, students discuss how people in societies without written language, a commonly accepted monetary symbol, and technology make a living. Emphasis is on economic activities, how they are organized, and the values that sanction technology and how social organization motivates a society to perform its economic role. The course introduces students to economic processes and practices of modern capitalist societies with special consideration given to economic and non-economic variables in the processes of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. | 3 |