Department of Community and Environmental Sociology, University of Wisconsin Madison

Undergraduate Program

Overview:

Have you ever wondered why some people go hungry in the midst of plenty? How population changes and new industrial production practices affect Wisconsin's environment? Do you care about the survival of community cultures or local food production in an increasingly globalized and homogenized world? Would you like to learn about new strategies for promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability?

If so, a major in Community and Environmental Sociology may be what you are looking for.

Sociology is the study of how societies are organized and change, and how the organization of society and social changes affect individuals, groups, and communities. Faculty and staff in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology provide a broad view of how forces such as new technologies, globalization, changing social values, public policies, and the rise of new social movements are related to each other. In addition, we study local and practical issues such as community change, the interaction of humans and the environment, applied demography, the social issues of science and technology, and the design of more locally oriented food systems.

Faculty in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology teach about a wide range of issues, including agrofood systems, community development, environmental sociology, applied demography, science and technology studies, and the sociology of labor markets.

The faculty in the our department are committed to providing a quality educational experience for undergraduates. Each of our majors is assigned a faculty advisor, and professors meet with their advisees each semester to provide guidance in course selection and the overall design of each student's academic program.

Community and Environmental Sociology faculty teach a wide range of courses for both beginning and advanced students. A set of 200-level courses, open to freshmen, is designed to offer students without previous exposure to sociology an introduction to the discipline through the exploration of particular subject areas. Taking one of the following courses may be a good way for you to explore what Community and Environmental Sociology has to offer. The Department's introductory offerings currently include:

Students who choose to major in Community and Environmental Sociology take a common core of theory and methods courses, but they also select an area of concentration from among three options:

These concentrations allow students to choose a curriculum best suited to their particular needs and interests. Many courses offered by the Department of Sociology are cross-listed with the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology, and Community and Environmental Sociology majors thus have a very wide range of courses available to them for satisfying degree requirements. In addition, Community and Environmental sociology students often build on their major by selecting one of the certificate programs available from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences or from other UW-Madison colleges.

What Are They Doing with a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology?

Findings from the 2007 follow-up of a 2005 survey of senior sociology majors show that more sociology BAs are working, that many are employed in social services or administration and management, and that how closely current activities are related to sociology impacts overall satisfaction with the major. Download this and other free data and research briefs from the online ASA Research Program page.

Requirements for major:

Certificate Programs:

In addition, Community and Environmental Sociology students often build on their major by selecting one of the certificate programs available from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences or from other UW-Madison colleges.

Relevant options include:

Program Advising Service

For departmental advising services, questions and inquiries please contact:

Jack Kloppenburg
340a Agricultural Hall
1450 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 262-6867
jrkloppe@facstaff.wisc.edu

Information regarding the Community and Environmental Sociology major in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.