All three emphases require the completion of core courses in the principles of sociology, research methods, and classical theoretical orientations. Graduate students focusing their work in criminology are annually offered one course in criminological theory and an alternate year seminar in crime and deviance. Graduate students focusing on the area of rural and environmental change are offered a seminar in odd-numbered years. All graduate students receive training in qualitative and quantitative research methods, computer data analysis, and contemporary sociological theory. Faculty in the Department of Sociology have been increasingly active in research and service projects which address public issues.
Several faculty hold research affiliate or adjunct status in other departments.
Several members of the Department were instrumental in the development of an excellent research facility - The Social Science Research Laboratory, which is shared with several other Social Science departments. The laboratory has provided excellent opportunities for both faculty and students to work collaboratively with representatives of other departments. The large number of sociology majors has caused problems in meeting the student demand for required core courses in research methods and statistics. This problem arises because of the high demands placed on a small number of faculty to meet not only the needs of their sociology majors, but also the extensive pressure to offer courses that meet General Education Requirements for majors and non-majors alike. The heavy demands in meeting the needs of undergraduate students have reduced efforts to recruit and maintain a larger population of graduate students.