Positive or things we should keep

• Open door policy remains a strength.
• Solid in their knowledge.

Negative or things we should change

• Need more support for the Sociology Club.
• The objectives of the Professional Seminar Class needs to be clarified—is it a course for sophomores or seniors.
• There is a desire for more special topics classes.
• Need to service transfer students better. Be certain that they know which classes they need.
• There is a desire for more Anthropology courses.

The following changes will be made:

• A tentative 3-year rotation has been drafted and will be finalized in the fall. This is in response to a concern in last year’s report.
• New advisors for the Sociology Club will be chosen in the fall.
• An advisor will be assigned transfer students who will ensure that transfer students are fully aware of which courses they need.
• The research methods courses will be reviewed this fall by the Curriculum Committee.

Positive or things we should keep

• Open door policy remains a strength.
• The Student Advisory Board that was create in early part of the semester is working well and should be kept.

Negative or things we should change

• Again, students request a 3-year course rotation plan.
• Sociology Club is good but needs support.
• Sociology Speaks is good but prefer to do local e-mail.

The students want a honor society chapter.

Changes
This report will be shared with the Student Advisory Board. The following changes will be made:

• A tentative 3-year rotation will be constructed in January 2002. The rotation will be easier to construct once the Department has elected a new chair. The present chair and the chair elect will cooperate in creating the rotation plan.
• The advisory board will be asked for their input on how to improve the support the Sociology Club.
• Sociologists Speaks has been discontinued with the BlackBoard upgrade. A BlackBoard course has been added but yet utilized.
• We plan to complete the application for honor society chapter this academic year, but the application will not be submitted until Fall 2002.

Positive or things we should keep

• Faculty are accessible and open.
• Courses complement each other and make sense.
• The diversity within the department is a plus.
• Students are content with the service they get from the department.

Negative or things we should change

• Transfer students need to know what courses will be offered.
• Students want to know what courses will be offered in the next 3 years.
• Theory needs to be structured differently.
• Restructure the stats experience in which SPSS would be taught.
• Would like to see a more active Sociology Club. Faculty need to make announcements about the club.

Changes
In the fall of 2001, the chair summarized the focus group report from the previous spring and discussed issues that had been raised.

• The chair agreed to develop a checklist form so students can easily monitor the classes they need for graduation.
• Since we were in process of hiring a replacement for Dr. Pigott and the extent of Dr. Wysocki’s involvement with Women’s Studies was unknown, a reliable course rotation can not be developed at this time. Once stability has been reestablished a 3 year course rotation plan will be developed.
• Theory is a difficult course and Dr. Enns has reviewed the concerns that were expressed in the student evaluations of the course and has made changes. He is offering fewer readings and spending more in-depth time with the theorists covered.
• Stats is currently offered by the math department or psychology. Most of the problems that were raised in the fall meeting about SPSS were equipment problems rather than curriculum matters. The chair will more closely monitor the lab in Copeland 240 to make certain that the SPSS program is functional. Also upgrades will be requested for the IBM PCs.
• Ultimately the success of the Sociology Club is the responsibility of the students. The chair has establish a special projects courseinfo course called “Sociologists Speaks.” Majors can enroll in the course which will allow the chair and the club officers through the chair the opportunity to relay information to all majors via e-mail.

• Numerous research opportunities
• Diversity of faculty types and views
• Take time to get to know the students one on one
• Faculty are very available
• Have created good active learning environment that includes discussions, dialogues, community feeling, encouragement to participate in conferences

Areas that need improvement included:

• Need more classes and greater variety of classes
• Want an anthropology minor
• Start research sooner
• Need more attention to internships
• Need a Sociology Honors Society
• Need summer courses for majors
• Faculty need to be more positive about the career potential for future sociologists and need to be better informed about non-academic jobs

Many of the concerns voiced by the students can only be adequately addressed with a new position in Sociology/Anthropology and that is unlikely to happen with the decline in enrollments. The above concerns, however, will be discussed at the first departmental meeting in the fall. Afterwards the chair will meet and discuss the issues at an open Sociology Club meeting. A new contract for the internships is being created to make requirements clearer and standardized. The department has begun the application for an Honors Society. The new capstone course, SOC 468, Senior Seminar, will be offered as a summer course in 2000.

Focus Group
In the spring of 1998, Dr. Roger Davis conducted a focus group in Social Survey course in which all graduating seniors were invited to participate. Again, interpersonal relations with faculty was recognized as a strength. Research opportunities that are provided students was also noted as an important strength of the major. Students reported to Dr. Davis the following areas that need improvement:

• there is confusion about the sequencing of courses,
• the theory class covers too much material,
• there is a need for better communication in regards to events, opportunities, sociology club activities, etc.,
• there is a need for more career training and internships.

Many of the improvements suggested by students had already been identified by faculty. During the last academic year, we revamped the curriculum which addressed some of the concerns of students. Course sequencing has been improved and career information has been increased by adding a one-hour seminar which will address career opportunities of sociologists. We also added to our collection of pamphlets from the ASA. During the last year, sociology club officers were provided with notes conferencing and in the coming year the sociology club will maintain a website on our homepage which will increase flow of information to students on upcoming events.

In part a faculty addition comes in answer to the observation of students during earlier years (Exit Interviews, 1994-95) that an additional faculty person was needed. The new faculty person is engaging students in the replication of some studies done by her when she was an undergraduate student. The students will become better prepared for graduate school and the job market in terms of research experience and writing skills.

• Program structure
• Faculty

  teaching
  advising
  personal attention

• Skills developed

  critical thinking
  communication
  research

Students voiced concerns about:

• Need for another faculty member
  
• More research experiences
  
• More short papers or technical ones
  
• More three- to-five minute presentations
  
• More opportunities to learn how to summarize information and interpret data
  
• More opportunities for internships
  
• More upper level classes during the summer schedule

In response to student suggestions from the Exit Interviews, several departmental changes are in place. With our access to the new Social Science Laboratory in the Copeland Hall Wing, we have been able to correct one of the major deficiencies noted by our students. Our catalog listing has undergone a revision to clarify our Secondary School Sociology Endorsement. The Department of Sociology Student Handbook has undergone a complete revision with updated forms and helpful suggestions for Majors. Three departmental courses have been accepted as Cultural Diversity designated courses, as well as an equal number that are proposed to the General Studies committee for acceptance as Writing Intensive courses.

Our efforts were less successful so far as Sociology Club is concerned. Following the assignment of an second advisor for Sociology Club, it has been ascertained that student interest was less focused than we had hoped. Therefore, the group has become inactive until Spring or even Fall Semester, when it is expected that the cycle of interest will again be on the upswing.

As a consequence of student suggestions from the exit interviews, departmental responses are emerging. The department is in the process of making at least some minor changes in the Student Handbook, e.g., suggestions encouraging students to name advisors in departments where they declare their major(s) and minor. In Fall 1994, Sociology Club has named a new advisor who expects that organizational structure will undergo some new directions. A club representative will be encouraged to attend departmental meetings and respond to some of the suggestions made by graduating Sociology majors.