- 60 required credit hours
- 27 general education credit hours
- 41 elective credit hours
The social science major offers an overview of the social sciences – the foundation for a strong liberal arts education – providing both breadth and depth in the social science disciplines. This non-track major (i.e. not designed to prepare students for a specific profession/career) allows students to gain a solid understanding of the social sciences. Furthermore, it encourages students to integrate these disciplinary approaches and decipher how each contributes to our understanding of human behavior. The major prepares students to consider, observe, and analyze behavior critically in many contexts and to form multiple perspectives.
Learning Goals for the Social Science Program
Upon completion of the program, students should:
- Have developed critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills in order to understand and make decisions regarding social and political issues.
- Understand the use of interdisciplinary approaches to study, research, and analysis of social phenomena, and how those various approaches contribute to the different perspectives of social reality and methods of addressing social issues.
- Be able to demonstrate effective written and verbal communication of social science concepts, terminology, research analyses, and conclusions.
- Be able to formulate an integrated analysis of social issues and/or social reality by synthesizing concepts and research methods from the different social science disciplines that relate to the particular social reality or social issue under investigation.
Students are required to take the following courses:
| ANSO 1010 Introduction to Sociology | 3 hours |
| ANSO 1070 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | 3 hours |
| PSYC 1100 Introduction to Psychology | 3 hours |
| ECON 2010 Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 hours |
| LEGL 2080 Topics in Law | 3 hours |
| ANSO 2825 Introduction to Research Methods | 3 hours |
| ANSO 3550 Theories of Social Science | 3 hours |
| ANSO 4900 Senior Seminar | 3 hours |
One course from the following:
| INTL 1500 World Systems since 1500 | 3 hours |
| POLT 1050 Introduction to International Relations | 3 hours |
| POLT 1060 Introduction to American Politics | 3 hours |
Additional Requirements:
ANSO Electives: Students must complete nine additional credit hours in anthropology/sociology. Six of the nine credit hours must be at the 3000 level or above.
PSYC Electives: Students must complete nine additional credit hours in psychology. Six of the nine credit hours must be at the 3000 level or above.
HIST/INTL/POLT: Students must complete 15 additional credit hours from History, International Relations, or Political Science. Six of these 15 credit hours must be at the 3000 level or above.
Students are strongly encouraged to take ANSO 2750 Introduction to Measurement and Statistics.
No more than 6 credit hours obtained in practica, independent learning experiences, reading courses, and assessment of prior learning may be applied toward the 60 credit hours required for a major.
Transfer students must complete a minimum of 36 approved credit hours of academic work at Webster within the major.
Courses completed with a grade below a C- do not count toward fulfilling the specific course requirements of the major.
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