In addition, students in the media and society class have visited a local television station to study firsthand the production of an evening news program and have had the opportunity to quiz a panel consisting of concert promoters, a radio program direct or and a musician about the intricacies of the music business. In the course on law and society, students may visit a maximum security prison where they talk with guards, administrators and even inmates. Other sociology courses give students a chance to work or intern off campus with social agencies, city and county planning commissions, or community action programs. These field experiences offer students the opportunity to put into practice the theorie s learned in the classroom. Majors may also arrange to conduct independent projects off campus with the consent of the department.
Faculty members pursue a variety of interests in sociology.
Their work in the classroom is strengthened by an active program of research, often involving students as junior colleagues. On occasion students join professors in co-authoring articles for p ublication in professional journals or make presentations about their research at regional or national conferences, where they benefit from the opportunity to associate with the professional community of sociologists. The department provides its majors with a handbook that offers specific information on courses, plus advice and guidelines about research, reading materials, careers and graduate programs. Furman also sponsors a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the interna tional honor society for students who achieve academic excellence in sociology. The field of sociology combines scientific and humanistic perspectives in the study of such areas as urban and rural life, family patterns and relationships, social change and class, and intergroup relations.