Department of Sociology & Rural Studies

Mary Emery, Department Head
Department of Sociology and Rural Studies
Hansen Hall 004
605-688-4132

Faculty

Professors

Mary Emery, Meredith Redlin

Associate Professor

Abdallah Badahdah

Assistant Professors

Maaz Gardezi, Candace May, Annelise Pietenpol, Weiwei Zhang

Senior Lecturer

Patricia Ahmed

Emeritus

Geoffrey Grant, Donna Hess, Diane Kayongo-Male, Robert Mendelsohn, James Satterlee, Ron Stover

Overview

The Department of Sociology and Rural Studies is a doorway to a number of exciting opportunities for students. They may choose from several programs in which they develop the skills sought by social service, human services, and criminal justice agencies as well as private, government and nonprofit employers. The courses offered by the Department have been organized with two objectives in mind: (1) a sequence for those who may wish to earn an undergraduate major or minor in sociology; and (2) basic service courses that will be of interest and practical help to students in any college.

Programs

Majors

• Sociology (A.S.)  
• Sociology (B.A./B.S.)   
• Sociology (B.S.) - Teaching Specialization  

Minors

• Criminal Justice Minor  
• Social and Human Services Minor  
• Sociology Minor  
• Youth and Community Work Minor  

Graduate Programs*

• Community Development Certificate
• Native Communities and Economic Development Certificate
• Sociology (M.S.) - Community Development Certificate

* Graduate degrees are offered in collaboration with the Graduate School. For details, see the Graduate Catalog.

Facilities & Services

The Sociology Department also administers the Census Data Center, which provides businesses, organizations, news media, and local and county agencies with the latest census and rural life information.

Student Support & Engagement Opportunities

Both graduate and undergraduate students can participate in a number of out-of-class activities such as clubs, associations, internships and events.