Sequence of Courses

Students should complete all other required SOA courses before (or concurrently with) taking the Senior Seminar. Each required course is offered once each year, on a regular rotation of day and evening classes (see below). We do this in an effort to make our major accessible to both full- and part-time students, including those who come to UIS as transfer students and those who begin their college education here.

The recommended sequence for all majors is to begin with the 300-level core courses, SOA 302 Understanding Cultures and SOA 302 Human Evolution. Each offers important instruction on essay-writing (SOA 304) or research papers (SOA 302) which will be helpful for other courses. The Inequality/Diversities requirement (SOA 231, SOA 301, or SOA 441) should also be taken early in the course sequence if at all possible, as these courses provide foundational perspectives on systems of social inequality that can be applied in later coursework.

Finally, SOA majors may take the 400-level core courses (SOA 405 Sociocultural Theories and SOA 411 Social Research Methods) in any order, usually in the junior or senior year. These should not be the first courses you take in SOA.

This sequence is flexible and can be adapted to each student’s particular scheduling needs. Students should work closely with their advisors to develop a plan for completing their degrees.

When Courses Are Offered:

Inequalities/Diversity courses: At least one course fulfilling this requirement is offered each semester– choose from SOA 231, SOA 301, or SOA 441.