Psychology

OVERVIEW

SUA’s concentration in Social and Behavioral Sciences strives to understand human lives, behaviors, and institutions in their social, historical, and cultural environments. The concentration embraces an interdisciplinary approach to examining the human condition, incorporating perspectives from anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Our courses provide students with theoretical and methodological tools to examine and address social issues and concerns from multiple comparative perspectives. Overall, our goal is to empower students to become actively engaged and knowledgeable participants in their local and global communities.

Students who select the Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration must take five courses, of which (1) three must be upper-division courses (i.e., 300-level or above) and (2) one must be a research methods course (i.e., SBS 210, SBS 340, SBS 341 or SBS 342).

Students may opt to focus on one of the disciplines represented in the concentration or take a broader array of Social and Behavioral Sciences courses focusing on a social issue or area of study.

Student learning outcomes for the Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration are:

1. Articulate an understanding of social scientists’ theories, concepts, and views.
2. Evaluate critically social scientists’ theories and perspectives.
3. Formulate insightful questions and apply social scientists’ theories and methods to investigate various aspects of the social world.
4. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in a manner appropriate to the social sciences.
5. Share work with others in a manner that reflects an active engagement in local and global communities.