Sociology
Associate in Arts for Transfer School of Arts and Social Sciences · Merced College · 2026-2027 Catalog
School of Arts and Social Sciences
The Sociology curriculum is designed to meet the lower division requirements of most universities offering a major in Sociology. Students that complete an AA-T in Sociology from Merced College will be prepared for upper division course work in Sociology at a California State University.
The Sociology Department at Merced College offers students a strong and challenging curriculum. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of how sociological research and theory can be applied to daily experiences and to the issues current to our social milieu. Students also gain insight into the structure, function, and interaction of groups and social institutions, and of the social forces that impinge on the behavior of individuals and of the cultures in which they live. The primary goals of the Sociology Department are: 1) To enable students to achieve their educational goals; 2) To teach students about the various approaches to the scientific study of society and its components; 3) To help students develop critical thinking skills when examining questions and issues; and 4) To help students better serve their communities through greater awareness of the roles played by such factors as social stratification, gender, ethnicity, and cultural values. Upon completion, students with an AA-T in Sociology will be eligible to transfer with junior standing into an equivalent major within the California State University (CSU) system.
Program Student Learning Outcomes:
A. Compare and contrast the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist models of sociological thought.
B. Describe the essence of “culture” and the myriad forms this essence may take in terms of the institutions of family, education, medicine, religion, government, and economic systems.
C. Analyze the dynamics of a social problem or issue in terms of such social factors as race, gender, sociopolitical status, and ethnicity.
For an Associate in Arts in Sociology for Transfer (AA-T), students must complete the following:
60 semester CSU-transferable units.
the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) pattern.
a minimum of 18 semester in the major or area of emphasis as determined by the community college district.
obtainment of a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
earn a grade of C (or P) or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis.
Note: Students are not required to complete any additional local graduation requirements for the AA-T (e.g., PE and Computer and Information Literacy courses).
Program Requirements:
Program Core: (18 Units)
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI-C1000 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOCI-02 | Contemporary Social Problems | 3 |
| STAT-C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| orPSYC-05 | Introduction to Statistics in Psychology | 3 |
| List A: Select a minimum of 6 units from the following: | ||
| SOCI-03 | Marriage and the Family | 3 |
| SOCI-04 | Introduction to Gender | 3 |
| SOCI-05 | Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality | 3 |
| SOCI-06 | Introduction to Crime | 3 |
| orCRIM-01 | Criminology | 3 |
| List B: Select a minimum of 3 units from the following: | ||
| Any course from List A not used above (3) | 3 | |
| ANTH-02 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH-10 | Southeast Asian Culture: Hmong | 3 |
| HIST-07 | History of Southeast Asia | 3 |
| HIST-09A | China: Introduction to East Asian Civilization | 3 |
| HIST-09B | Japan: Introduction to East Asian Civilization | 3 |
| HIST-10 | History of the Middle Ease | 3 |
| HIST-19 | Women in American History | 3 |
| HIST-22 | History of African Americans | 3 |
| HIST-23 | Chicana/O American History and Culture | 3 |
| PSYC-C1000 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| orPSYC-C1000H | Introduction to Psychology Honors | 3 |
| PSYC-22 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PSYC-23 | Personal and Social Adjustment | 3 |
| PSYC-36 | Developmental Psychology: Adolescence | 3 |
| Total Units toward the Major | 18 | |
Total Units that may be double counted: (6-9 Units)
General Education (Cal-GETC) Units: (34 Units)
Elective (CSU Transferable) Units: (14-17 Units)
Total Degree Units: (60 Units)