Course information 2024-2025

First-Year Student Course Selection

Students must complete SY101 in their first year, and usually take SY103 as well. You may defer SY103 until the fall term of your second year, however. Your other first-year courses will be drawn from other departments and courses across the university, and we recommend that you take a wide range of courses from different disciplines.  The maximum number of credits you may take at first-year level is 7.

A course you take as part of a second major can count towards your Sociology degree. This is called "double counting" and you may do this with any course that is approved for Sociology. You are advised to check with your other department/program to make sure you have their approval as well.

Note: You only receive credit for the course once, even when it “counts” towards two program’s requirements.

Courses at Other Universities

You can take a course at another university with what is called a “Letter of Permission,” and you must seek permission in advance from the Sociology undergraduate advisor and the Office of Enrolment Services. Courses you take at other universities must not overlap with something you have taken here at Laurier, and there is a minimum acceptable grade to transfer credits to Laurier. The applicable forms and instructions are available from the Office of Enrolment Services.

Undergraduate Course Offerings

The course list can be found in LORIS Browse Classes, and a description of courses can be found in the Sociology area of the undergraduate academic calendar.  Please note: not all courses listed in the calendar are offered each year and courses offered may be subject to change.

Fall 2024 Sociology Courses

• SY101: Introduction to Sociology: Foundations
• SY103: Introduction to Sociology: Social Life
• SY201: Sociology of Families
• SY207: Social Theory I
• SY210: Social Inequality
• SY211: Sociology Of Sport
• SY213: Sociology of Globalization
• SY215: Health and Illness (Online)
• SY216: Aging in Social Context
• SY232: Sociology Of Mental Illness
• SY242: Crime: Interpretive Perspective (Online)
• SY280: Quantitative Methods
• SY281: Qualitative Methods
• SY305: Sociology & Cultural Forms
• SY316: Sociology of Education
• SY317: Social Policy Analysis
• SY321: Sociology of Medicine
• SY332: Sociology of Race & Ethnicity (Online)
• SY334: Sociology of Gender
• SY382: Social Statistics
• SY389: Contemporary Social Theory
• SY405: Poverty
• SY412: Constructions of Parenthood
• SY416: Social Justice Education
• SY417: Social Inequality in Canada
• SY419: Migration, Globalization & Transnationalism in Canada
• SY489: Advanced Qualitative Methods

Winter 2025 Sociology Courses

• SY101: Introduction to Sociology: Foundations (Lecture and Virstual Synchronous options)
• SY103: Introduction to Sociology: Social Life
• SY201: Sociology of Families (Online)
• SY207: Social Theory I (Online)
• SY208: Social Theory II (Online and Lecture options)
• SY210: Social Inequality
• SY211: Sociology Of Sport
• SY216: Aging in the Social Context
• SY218: Constructions of Deviance
• SY224: Sociology of Work (Online)
• SY241: Sociology of Crime: Structural Perspectives (Online)
• SY280: Quantitative Methods
• SY281: Qualitative Methods
• SY303: Sociology Of Youth
• SY321: Sociology of Medicine (Online)
• SY324: Sociology of Food & Culture
• SY332: Sociology of Race & Ethnicity
• SY338: Women & Development
• SY339: Disability & Abnormality
• SY382: Social Statistics (Online and Lecture options)
• SY389: Contemporary Social Theory
• SY408: Sociology of Sexualities
• SY413: Sociology of Embodiment/Disability
• SY414: Social Movements
• SY421: Advanced Sociology of Mental Health
• SY423: Children, Parents & Schools
• SY452L: Research Ethics
• SY452M: Interviews & Focus Groups
• SY490: Advanced Quantitative Analysis

Spring 2025 Sociology Courses

• SY215: Health and Illness (Online)
• SY224: Sociology of Work (Online)
• SY241: Sociology of Crime: Structural Perspectives (Online)