This dramatic growth in undergraduate majors resulted primarily from the dedication of two FTE faculty lines to a criminology option. The department offers 17 courses that contribute to the General Education Requirements for UM-M students, attesting to the centrality of the discipline. About one-fifth of the students enrolled in these 17 courses are undergraduate sociology majors. Eleven academic departments require the completion of selected sociology courses for their majors. The research and scholarly contributions of Sociology s faculty are greater today than at any time in the Department s history.
Research projects vary from local studies in Montana to regional and international projects.
Public recognition of the significance of these research projects, both locally and national, has been on the increase. Present faculty have expertise in 30 of the 70 subdisciplines recognized by the American Sociological Association. In an attempt to respond to the limits on their time and resources, Sociology s faculty recently completed a three-year evaluation and revamping of their curriculum. Based on 3 quarters. Both the criminology and rural and environmental change emphases have two faculty FTE each committed to their growth and development at the undergraduate and graduate levels.