Ministry

Sociology is a good choice of major for students who are considering the ministry or other religious careers. The department offers a number of courses concerning religion and moral culture. The student can also prepare themselves for pastoral counseling by taking many of the same courses we offer our pre-social work students. There is also a substantial number of courses in international sociology for students considering a career in mission work. Note that sociology generally provides a secular interpretation of ethical values and social regulation. That said, these social scientific materials can be made consistent with a wide variety of more personal religious perspectives. Lay and clerical training can complement each other in a constructive fashion.

The study of social values and the moral regulation of society is one of the central concerns of sociology. Some of our coursework concerns religion and culture per se. Other courses address the problem of deviance and social control, such as Law or Criminology. The pre-ministry student can also benefit from our training in social theory. Classical and modern social theory explicitly addresses the problem of order in society and how societies construct institutions and systems of values that provide structure and meaning to everyday life.

SOCI 326: Sociology of Religion
SOCI 327: Morality and Society
SOCI 445: Sociology of Law
SOCI 304: Criminology
SOCI 404: Sociology of the Community
SOCI 230: Classical Sociological Theory
SOCI 430: Contemporary Sociological Theory

Clergy are often expected to have a sympathetic understanding of the causes of a wide variety of personal problems. Some of these problems concern romantic and family life. Others involve more generalized sources of social stress, such as financial difficulties, health problems or conflicts at work. Ministers working with diverse congregations or communities may find that courses in ethnicity can facilitate communication.

SOCI 314: Social Problems
SOCI 411: Social Psychology
SOCI 425: Medical Sociology
SOCI 315: Marriage and the Family
SOCI 207: Introduction to Gender and Society
SOCI 316: Sociology of Gender
SOCI 419: Social Class in Contemporary Society
SOCI 317: Minority Groups

Students contemplating working in foreign missions should get as much training as they can in third world society, politics and culture. Such students may want to seriously consider obtaining a global sociology certificate. Note that international business courses are nontrivially useful because they often include useful material on general social interaction overseas. Third world oriented coursework includes:

SOCI 206: Global Social Trends
SOCI 340: Post-Soviet Societies
SOCI 350: Islamic Societies
SOCI 312: Population and Society
SOCI 324: Social Change
SOCI 328: Environmental Sociology
SOCI 330: Sociology of Nutrition
SOCI 413: Social Movements
SOCI 423: Globalization and Social Change
SOCI 325: International Business Behavior
SOCI 329: Pacific Rim Business Behavior

Note that future ministers may want to consider SOCI 415: Sociology of Education if they anticipate being responsible for a religious education program.

Also, additional areas where students may find helpful coursework include History, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Education, Music and the Arts.