The primary aim of the Department of Social Sciences is to provide a broad education for students preparing for teaching, research, and service. Through its various curricula, the department seeks to achieve the following specific objectives:
- To expose students to an historical knowledge of great issues and institutions, past and present, and to culture and society from the viewpoint of their dynamics, structure, and organization;
- To develop within students a sharpened sensitivity to the socio-cultural, economic, and political problems confronting the American democracy in a global society;
- To prepare students to teach the Social Sciences in elementary and secondary schools of the state and nation;
- To create within students the competence for gainful employment within the Social Sciences and allied fields;
- To prepare students to continue their education in graduate and professional studies.
The aim and objectives have been formulated in harmony with the functions and purposes of Alcorn State University. All students majoring in a Department of Social Sciences program will arrange their course sequence in consultation with a departmental advisor and/or the Chairperson of the Department.
Departmental Exit Exam
An exit examination, to be conducted in the student’s senior year, is required of all social sciences majors. To be eligible for graduation, a student must pass the departmental exit examination with a grade of 70 or better out of a total of 100 points. The exam is given in November and March of the academic calendar year.
Degree Programs
The Department of Social Sciences offers baccalaureate degrees in four curricula areas: (1) Criminal Justice; (2) History/Social Sciences Education; (3) Political Sciences/Pre-Law; (4) Sociology. Courses are required to be taken in sequence as listed in the degree programs. Summer school is designed for program catch-up providing needed courses are offered.
Special Features
In addition to offering a bachelor’s degree in five curricula areas, the Department of Social Sciences seeks to address individualized academic interests by providing for the following:
- An Internship Program: Internship programs are offered by the Department of Social Sciences for capable and interested majors. The student is screened through a preparatory process and placed in an internship in federal, state, and local government agencies or public and private agencies and organizations. The internship is part of degree requirements for majors in criminal justice and sociology. Other students may select the internship program as an elective credit course.
- Areas of Concentration: For the social science student who wishes to have a more specialized knowledge base within a broad curriculum degree program, the Department of Social Sciences offers concentrations in the following areas: history, pre-law, and sociology.
Graduation Requirements
To receive the bachelor’s degree, candidates must (1) complete the semester hours required for graduation as identified per curricula area, (2) successfully pass all specified concentration courses with a grade of “C” or better, included among those courses are SS 307, SS 375 and SS 476, (3) pass the departmental exit examination with a score of 70 or better (out of a total of 100 points), and (4) meet general university requirements for graduation.
The four major curricula are: (1) Criminal Justice; (2) History/Social Sciences Education; (3) Political Science/Pre-Law; (4) Sociology.