Information for Prospective General Social Science Majors
A Broad View of Society
Social scientists seek to understand how society works. They study issues such as:
- Politics and the power of the government
- Technology, war, and healthcare
- Justice, freedom, human rights
- Power & inequality
- Class, gender, race, sexuality
- The economy and work
- Historical change
- Humans’ Relationship to the Environment
The Social Science General Major is for students who want to study topics like those from multiple perspectives. Students in the major can take courses from more than 13 social science departments:
- Africana Studies
- American Indian Studies
- Anthropology
- Asian American Studies
- Chicana and Chicano Studies
- Economics
- Geography
- History
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Women's Studies
A Flexible, Multidisciplinary Curriculum
The major:
- Immerses you in the gamut of social sciences.
- Gives you the flexibility to study topics that you are passionate about.
- Hones your analytic and communication skills.
The major has several different components:
- Lower-division courses that expose you to a variety of social science disciplines.
- Methods and theory courses that teach you about how social scientists analyze the problems they study.
- Clusters of upper-division courses that focus on specific topics of interest to you.
Example clusters include Violence and Society, Immigration, Social Movements, Health, and Family and Children
Many Skills, Many Careers
Our major is dedicated to developing a broad base of skills that you will use throughout your career. These include:
- Analyzing complex issues.
- Analyzing issues from multiple perspectives.
- Writing, speaking, and presenting clearly and concisely.
- Collaborating with peers to understand issues and achieve common goals.
Our broad skills basis prepares you for a wide variety of careers such as:
- Business, marketing, or project management
- Government
- Non-profit organizations
- Political consultant
- Foreign affairs specialist
- Law School
The College of Arts and Letters offers two career courses specifically targeted for majors in the social sciences and humanities.
CAL 100 helps lower-division liberal arts students explore the diverse career paths open to them. It also helps students learn about what they will need to do to get those careers.
CAL 400 teaches seniors how to develop an elevator pitch, how to write resumes, and how to interview for jobs. Students also complete an online career certificate in a vocational field such as Human Resources or Project Management.