2024-2025 Samford University Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Dec 01, 2024  
2024-2025 Samford University Undergraduate Catalog

Geography & Sociology


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Faculty

Jennifer Speights-Binet, Chair, Professor, Geography
Theresa C. Davidson, Director, Professor, Sociology
Don E. Bradley, Professor, Sociology
Charles (Chuck) Stokes, Professor, Sociology
Jonathan Fleming, Associate Professor, Geography
Jennifer M. Haraway, Associate Professor, Sociology
Jennifer L. Rahn, Associate Professor, Geography
Carol Ann Vaughn Cross, Associate Professor, Sociology
Jordan R. Cissell, Assistant Professor, Geography


Undergraduate Programs and Requirements

Majors
Geography Major (B.S.)  
Geography Major (B.S.) w/a Concentration in Geographic Information Science (GIS)  
Sociology Major (B.A.)  

Minors
Environmental Studies Minor  
Sociology Minor 
Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice Minor   
Traditional Geography Minor  

Interdisciplinary Major
Global Studies Interdisciplinary Major (B.A.)  

Interdisciplinary Minors
Global Studies Interdisciplinary Minor *
Latin American Studies Interdisciplinary Minor *

Certificate
Geographic Information Science (GIS) Certificate (CRT) 
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The Department of Geography and Sociology offers a major in geography plus a major in geography with a concentration in geographic information science (GIS), both leading to a bachelor of science degree. Additionally, the department offers a major in sociology leading to a bachelor of arts degree. A certificate in geographic information science is also available and can be added to any undergraduate program.

The department also offers minors in environmental studies; race, ethnicity, and social justice; sociology; traditional geography; and, in cooperation with other departments, interdisciplinary minors in global studies and Latin American studies. An interdisciplinary major in global studies is also available.*
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*The global studies interdisciplinary major and minor are offered in cooperation with the Department of History . The Latin American studies interdisciplinary minor is offered in cooperation with the Department of History  and the Department of World Languages and Cultures . See those catalog sections for more information.


General Education: University Core Curriculum and Distribution Requirements

See General Education Overview  in the Howard College of Arts and Sciences introductory pages for a list of required and applicable courses.

Geography majors cannot use geography to satisfy the general education natural and computational science or social science requirement.

Sociology majors cannot use SOCI 100 (Introduction to Sociology)  to meet the general education social science requirement.


Department Minors

The geography and sociology department strongly recommends that students select a minor.

The department offers two options for a geography-related minor and one for sociology:

  • A traditional geography minor for students seeking one to complement history, political science, global and cultural studies, international relations, public administration, public health, education, or other disciplines and programs.
  • An interdisciplinary environmental studies minor for students interested in the relationship between humans and the environment. Students examine ways that politics, economics, the sciences, history, ethics, and philosophy influence human behavior in the natural world. Students pursuing this program must complete a field-based May or summer term course.
  • A sociology minor which offers a foundation in understanding relationships among persons in groups, as well as relations between groups.

Geography majors may complete the environmental studies minor but may not pursue the traditional geography minor. Sociology majors cannot pursue a sociology minor.


Geography Certificate

The geography and sociology department also offers a 16-hour certificate in geographic information science (GIS) which can be incorporated into any major program. Our GIS certificate provides a highly marketable set of technical and analytical skills used to gather, manage, and view data about geographic places, analyze spatial relationships, and model spatial processes.

Geography majors may complete the geographic information science certificate.


Programs

    MajorMinorCertificate

    Courses

      GeographySociology

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