Sociology Major & Minor

The Sociology program at Stonehill College considers the relationship between micro contexts such as individuals and small groups, and larger institutions such as education, politics, religion, media and the family.


Program Type Undergraduate Major, Undergraduate Minor
Degrees Offered B.A.
Mode of Study On Campus
Department Sociology & Anthropology Department
School May School of Arts & Sciences
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Program Overview

Students in the Sociology program will critically analyze relationships between individuals, groups, cultures and social institutions. Such analyses provide our students methodological, theoretical and experiential tools to understand human experiences, the roots of inequalities, and pathways toward justice in the U.S. and throughout the world. 

The program prepares students for engaged citizenship and careers. Our graduates work and have continued their education in fields such as education, criminal justice, law, health, social work, human services and related areas. 

Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Projects

The Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is a valuable opportunity for students who have completed their first year at Stonehill to perform significant, publishable full time research under the guidance of and in collaboration with an experienced faculty researcher.

  • Lena Ottati ‘19 and Emma Patten ‘19 worked with Professor Jungyun Gill on Feminism in the Era of Trump. 
  • Melissa Mardo ’17 worked with Professor Chris Wetzel on Students in Action: Changing Forms and Foci of Engagement in an Era of Globalization.  
  • Paige Campbell ’18 worked with Professor Jungyun Gill on Is Gender Equality Good for Mental Health? 
  • Linsey Malia ’18 worked with Professor Jungyun Gill on Racism and Mental Health: An Application of Critical Race Theory. 
  • Olivia Osiecki ’16 worked with Professor Erica Tucker on Examining Readers’ Interpretations of Historical Violence in Children’s & Young Adult Literature. 
  • Emma Lorusso ’16 worked with Professor Jungyun Gill on Stories of Asian Adoptees: Interviews and Letters to Birth Families. 
  • Prithak Chowdhury ’15 worked with Professor Christopher Wetzel on Students in Action: Changing Forms and Foci of Engagement in an Era of Globalization.  
  • Matthew Attaya ’15 worked with Corey Dolgon on Youth Leadership Development in Brockton. 

Learn more about SURE. 

Faculty – Student Research Collaborations

In addition to SURE, faculty work with students to conduct research in other types of projects. This might include working with faculty on their own research, but also includes the work students do on their own research projects and on their thesis projects.

  • Paige Campbell ’19 conducted her senior thesis in applied sociology with Professor Chris Wetzel on Creating an Effective Diabetes Intervention in Native American Populations.
  • Lena Ottati ’19 conducted her senior thesis with Professor Jungyun Gill on Feminist Identities of Participants of a 2017 Women’s March. 
  • Emma Patten ’19 conducted her senior thesis with Professor Jungyun Gill on Exploring the Intersection of Feminist and Environment Movements through Participants in a 2017 Women’s March. She presented at the Eastern Sociological Society 2019 Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • Angela Farias ’18 worked with Professor Erica Tucker on “I Refuse to Inherit All Your Sufferings”: Changing Gender Ideologies in an Intergenerational Azorean Immigrant Family.
  • Yamilex Gonzalez-Baez ’18 conducted her senior thesis on applied sociology with Professor Jungyun Gill on Gender Roles in Romantic Relationship. 
  • Jameilen Jones ’18 worked with Professor Jungyun Gill on Child Welfare and Education. 
  • Andrea Mancuso ’17 conducted her senior thesis in applied sociology with Professor Jungyun Gill on A Cross-Cultural Study of Mental Health Stigma: The Cases of India, South Africa, and Brazil. 
  • Emma Lorrusso ’16 did her senior thesis in applied sociology with Professor Jungyun Gill on Exploring Transracial Adoption: An In-depth Look into the Experiences of Korean and Chinese Adoptees. She presented with Professor Gill at the Eastern Sociological Society 2016 Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • Emma Lorusso ’16 worked on another study with Professor Jungyun Gill on Asian Adoptees. 
  • Olivia Osiecki ’16 worked with Professor Jungyun Gill on a study of Girls’ Education. 
  • Alexandra Keohane, Bretton Keohane, and Gabrielle Peruccio, all class of ’15 conducted applied research with Professor Chris Wetzel on School as a Social Institution.
  • Kelli Brodbeck ’14 conducted her senior thesis in applied sociology with Professor Chris Wetzel on Patrolling Borders: Symbolic Boundaries and the Culture of Campus Policing. 
  • Laura Dzgoeva ’14 conducted her senior thesis in applied sociology with Professor Chris Wetzel on What’s in a Game? The Popularization and Legitimization of ‘League of Legends’ and eSports.
  • Michelle Renna ’14 conducted her senior thesis in applied sociology with Professor Chris Wetzel on Real Teachers?: A Comparative Analysis of Meaning Making and Professional Perspectives Among Urban Educators.

Sociology students presented their research at the Eastern Sociological Society 2019 Annual Meeting. Pictured left to right: Denis Osvaldo Garcia Reyes '19, Emma Patten '19, Lilah Meehan '20 and Lauren Wallace '19

Student Presentations at Recent Conferences

  • Lauren Wallace ’19 and Lilah Meehan ’20 presented on The Effects of Gender and Racial Stereotypes on Relationship Initiation: Are Women Who Make the First Move Seen as Desperate? at the Eastern Sociological Society 2019 Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. 
  • Denis Osvaldo Garcia Reyes ’19 presented on The Complexities and Intersectionality of Race and Immigrant Status at the Eastern Sociological Society 2019 Annual Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. 
  • Jungyun Gill and Linsey Malia ’18 presented on Gender, Inter-Parental Disrespect, and Children’s Life Course Depressive Symptoms at the Society for the Study of Social Problems 2017 Annual Meeting in Montreal, Canada. 
  • Jungyun Gill, Olivia Osiecki ’16 and Matt Pini ’16 presented on Liberal Arts College Students’ Attitudes toward a Neighboring City and the Implications for Service Learning at the Eastern Sociological Society 2015 Annual Meeting in New York, New York. 

Recent Accolades

Organizations involved in assessing U.S. colleges and universities continually cite Stonehill as being among the best in the nation when it comes to value, outcomes and a commitment to making the world a better place. See full list of accolades.

Sample Sociology Courses

Survey of Research Methods for Sociology

Required Course
This course serves as a survey of quantitative and qualitative research methods employed in sociology. Topics include problem selection and definition, the relationship between theory and practice, literature review, research design, ethical issues, sampling, data collection, analysis, interpretation and representation. Research methods considered include surveys, content analysis, interviewing, ethnography and multi-method research.

A Great Society?

This class explores society’s social and political debate over what role society should have in social welfare, examines the principles of President Johnson’s Great Society, and seeks an understanding of those forces that create and perpetuate social class problems. Issues include poverty, child abuse and mental illness.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity

This course is an introduction to the study of race and ethnicity in America. Beginning with the social construction of race we explore how the categorization of individuals and groups has changed and continue to create and limit opportunities and rights. Drawing from critical race theory and research from scholars and activists across disciplines, this course also looks at the intersectionality of race and ethnicity with other categories of difference.

Capstone Internship in Sociology

The Capstone course for the major, the Internship provides an academic experience in which the third- or fourth-year student (only) contributes to the ongoing organizational process while learning to apply sociological theories to observations of structure, function, and process in a social service agency or institution.

Where Our Sociology Graduates Work

Stonehill students who graduate with a B.A. in Sociology move into myriad professions, agencies, graduate schools and service opportunities. Continue exploring where our graduates work.

  • AmeriCorps NCCC
  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Massachusetts Board of Education
  • Massachusetts Department of Correction
  • New England Center for Children
  • Teach for America

The faculty in the Sociology & Criminology Department do an incredible job mentoring students, recognizing their potential, and guiding them to pursue certain activities that will fulfill that potential.

Student of the Year Award Recent Winners

  • 2019: Emma Patten and Lauren Wallace 
  • 2018: Madison McGlone and Melissa Parker 
  • 2017: Melissa Mardo and Marla Aboujaoudi 
  • 2016: Hannah Krueger 
  • 2015: Kayla O’Brien and Breanne Penkala 
  • 2014: Kelli Brodbeck and Laura Dzgoeva 

Lauren Wallace ’19, Sociology Student of the Year Award winner

Outside Partnerships & Special Programs

Stonehill College has developed academic affiliations with colleges and universities that enable our students to augment the degree they earn at Stonehill with graduate and undergraduate degrees that further enhance their opportunities.

Save Money: Earn Two Degrees in as Little as Four Years

The Skyhawk Accelerated Dual Degree allows Stonehill students to earn a bachelor's degree and master's degree from Stonehill College in as little as four years. Eligible students receive early and expedited admission to their graduate program of interest and can begin working toward a master's degree in education, data analytics or marketing. Stonehill students also receive 20% off for remaining graduate tuition through the Skyhawk Rate.

Contact Information

Jungyun Gill

Jungyun Gill

Associate Professor of Sociology, Sociology Department Chair
jgill@stonehill.edu
508-565-1985
Martin 236
Sociology

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