Sociology & Criminology
The sociology and criminology programs at Benedictine prepare students to understand and engage with the challenges of modern society. By applying the tools of theory and data from a Catholic perspective, students will learn the ways that human beings are shaped by, and in turn shape, their social environments. Our courses offer a foundational understanding of the nature of social institutions, such as the family, religion, and the justice system, as well as social problems, such as inequality, polarization, and crime. These insights will provide students with a holistic understanding of social welfare and how this can be promoted in a complex, pluralistic society. We aim to provide students with the transferable skills of communication and critical thinking needed for success in a variety of pursuits, including graduate scholarship, social research, and helping professions.
Our sociology and criminology curricula offer innovative and unique challenges to students:
- We prioritize Catholic Social Teaching over naturalism in all our courses.
- We offered the first Marriage and Family course taught in the United States.
- We offered one of the first courses in Crime Analysis at a 4-year institution in the United States.
- We offer Distinctive service learning, internship, and research opportunities in both programs.
Careers in Sociology
Careers in sociology include the following: Administration (hospital, mental health, social agencies, voluntary services), social systems analysis, business and industry (advertising, employee relations, marketing, personnel, research), community planning, counseling (alcohol, drugs, employment, guidance, mental health, rehabilitation), environmental research and planning, government (data analysis, personnel, research), market research, minority and race relations staff, public housing staff, public opinion research, public relations, regional planning and development, research advertising, census, marketing research, public opinion research, teaching, aging (geriatric aides, area agencies on aging, planning and research services to aging), urban affairs, policy analysis, planning and coordination, human resources development, health services administration, program analysis, staff aide, management of public systems, and others.
Careers in Criminology
Possible careers in criminal justice include the following: Criminal justice administration (law enforcement or corrections), crime analysis, law enforcement at the local, state, or federal level, community corrections, juvenile justice, homeland security, private security (including corporate security, private police and private prisons), fraud investigation, counseling (alcohol, corrections, delinquency, drug, employment, guidance, mental health, rehabilitation), policy analysis, planning and coordination, and others.