Course information 2023-2024

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 6.

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 2023 Sociology Courses

• SY101: Sociology I: Foundations
• SY103: Sociology II: 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
• SY317: Social Policy Analysis
• SY332: Sociology of Race & Ethnicity (Online)
• SY339: Disability & Abnormality
• SY382: Social Statistics
• SY389: Contemporary Social Theory
• SY405: Poverty
• SY406: Environmental Sociology
• SY409: Sociology of Men & Masculinities
• SY417: Social Inequality in Canada
• SY419: Migration, Globalization & Transnationalism in Canada
• SY423: Children, Parents & Schools
• SY424: Philosophy of Social Science
• SY490: Advanced Quantitative Analysis

Winter 2024 Sociology Courses

• SY101: Sociology I: Foundations (Online and Lecture options)
• SY103: Sociology II: Social Life
• SY201: Sociology of Families (Online)
• SY207: Social Theory I (Online)
• SY208: Social Theory II (Online)
• SY210: Social Inequality
• SY211: Sociology Of Sport
• SY224: Sociology of Work (Online)
• SY231: Sociology Of Suicide
• SY241: Sociology of Crime: Structural Perspectives (Online)
• SY280: Quantitative Methods
• SY281: Qualitative Methods
• SY303: Sociology Of Youth
• SY309J: Research Ethics
• [SY309K: Interviews and Focus Groups] *Now listed as SY327
• SY311: Sociology Of Religion
• SY312: Conversation Analysis
• SY316: Sociology of Education
• SY321: Sociology of Medicine (Online)
• SY324: Sociology of Food & Culture
• SY327: Interviews and Focus Groups
• SY334: Sociology of Gender
• SY389: Contemporary Social Theory
• SY408: Sociology of Sexualities
• SY412: Constructions of Parenthood
• SY413: Sociology of Embodiment/Disability
• SY414: Social Movements
• SY416: Social Justice Education
• SY418: Critical Race & Ethnic Studies
• SY420: Bodies, Bioethics & Boundaries
• SY421: Advanced Sociology of Mental Health
• SY452H: Aging and the Life Course
• SY452J: Environment & Global Dystopia
• SY489: Advanced Qualitative Methods