Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership

Department of Behavioral Sciences & Leadership Sociology

Sociology

Army Sociology News Letters

Army Sociology 2012

Army Sociology 2009

Army Sociology 2007

Why Major in Sociology?

The Sociology Program at West Point is perhaps the most broadly encompassing in the BS&L curriculum.

Courses range from the study of both the causes and consequences of human social behavior in small groups to examining the basic organizing principles of entire societies. Specific courses represent the core of sociology. As a result they examine a variety of topics including social inequality, crime, the family, organizational systems, and the institution of the military.

Sociology as offered by the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership, contributes to West Point's academic program goals in profound and meaningful ways through its role in preparing future Army leaders for the 21st century. Some of the ways that the program contribute to the Academy's goals include:

The utilization of math, science, and technology
Increasing cultural awareness
Developing a social historical perspective
Understanding human behavior
Fostering methods to communicate
Developing moral awareness
Encouraging life-long learning
Valuing creative and critical thinking

Studying sociology at USMA is not as an end in itself, but rather is a key part of the overall development of military leaders and informed citizens of character.

Would you like someone from the Sociology Major to contact you?
COL Irving Smith (845) 938-5630 or Dr. Morten Ender (845) 938-5638

Sociology Goals

Sociology is the scientific study of human society and culture. We examine films, culture, McDonalds, New York City, foreign militaries, single parenting, dating, cadet life, women in the military, funeral homes, Iraq, adolescence, peace movements, AIDS, and a host of other topics in social life. To be effective leaders, all officers must understand the society they are serving, as well as the various social backgrounds from which their soldiers come. Increasingly, they must also understand the beliefs, values, and institutions of foreign societies. The goal of the sociology program at USMA is to develop the cadet’s ability to make sense of the entire cultural range of social behavior.

Sociology Coursework:

PL372 - Marriage and Family	PL393 - Criminology and the Criminal Justice System
PL384 - Leadership Theory and Development	PL399A - AIAD For Credit
PL470A - Deviance & Social Control	PL470 - War & Military Cinematic Imagery
PL497 - Advanced Individual Study	PL470B - Social Network Analysis
PL498 - Advanced Individual Study

Enrichment Electives (Pick five courses * from the following list)

* NOTE: List NOT exhaustive - See DAC for more info

EP333 - Cultural Studies	EP365 - Ethics of the Military Profession
EP369 - Contemporary Creativity	EP374 - The Arts of War
EV365 - Cultural and Political Geography	HI363 - Europe in Transition and Revolution
HI377 - History of Asian Warfare	HI381 - History of Revolutionary Warfare
HI383 - History of Middle Eastern Warfare	HI385 - War and its Theorists
HI386 - Korea, Vietnam, and the American Experience	HI391 - History of World Religions
HI397 - History of Cold War America	HI398 - Society and Culture in American History
LA382 - Military Readings in Arabic	LA483 - Arab Civilization I
LA484 - Arab Civilization II	LC382 - Military Readings in Chinese
LC483 - Chinese Civilization I	LC484 - Chinese Civilization II
LF382 - Military Readings in French	LF483 - French Civilization I
LF484 - French Civilization II	LG382 - Military Readings in German
LG483 - German Civilization I	LG484 - German Civilization II
LN380 - The Nature of Modern Languages	LP382 - Military Readings in Portuguese
LP482 - Civilization of the Portuguese Speaking World	LR382 - Military Readings in Russian
LR483 - Russian Civilization I	LR484 - Russian Civilization II
LS382 - Military Readings in Spanish	LS475 - Spanish Civilization and Culture
LS476 - Spanish American Civilization and Culture	LW474 - Law of War
LW495 - Legal Philosophy and Jurisprudence	MS455 - Comparative Military Systems
PL373 - Life Cycle and Human Development	PL376 - Personality and Adjustment
PL379 - Group Dynamics	PL385 - Organizational Systems
PL387 - Foundations of Counseling	PL470 - Special Topics in BS&L
PL479 - Leading organizations through change	SS370 - Mass Media and American Politics
SS381 - Political and Cultural Anthropology	SS472 - American Civil-Military Relations, Post Cold War
PL383 - Social Psychology	SS464 - Homeland Security
SS474 - Terrorism - New Challenges

External Links Disclaimer - The appearance of hyperlinks to external sites does not constitute endorsement by West Point or the Department of the U.S. Army of the linked web site or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sites, West Point and the Department of the U.S. Army does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this Department of the Army web site.

Only questions or comments regarding the technical aspects of the Web site should be sent to the web master. If you are reporting a broken link, please help us by identifying the page or Web site where you found the link or web address.

Please click here to send an email to the West Point web team.