Have you ever wondered why some people go hungry in the midst of plenty? How population changes and new industrial production practices affect Wisconsin’s environment? Do you care about the survival of community cultures or local food production in an increasingly globalized and homogenized world? Would you like to learn about new strategies for promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability?
If so, a major in Community and Environmental Sociology may be what you are looking for.
Requirements for the major:
Many students pursue an internship to reinforce their academic studies and gain insight into a future career. Students in C&E Soc can enroll in an Independent Study (Freshmen and Sophomores: C&E SOC 299 | Juniors and Seniors: C&E SOC 699) or a Coordinative Internship/Cooperative Education C&E SOC 399. Make an appointment with your advisor and CALS Career Services with any questions and to help keep you on track.
Please note that no more than 4 such credits may be counted toward the major.
Students wishing to complete an internship for credit must find a professor in C&E Soc who will agree to be their advisor. They also must complete 80 hours of work per credit.
Please see the Internship Handbook for everything you need to know about completing an internship for credit. You must complete an Internship Agreement Form before your position begins and your supervisor must fill out the Performance Evaluation Form at the end of your internship.
We strongly encourage our majors to take C&E SOC/SOC 360 Statistics for Sociologists I, if they have not already taken a statistics course at time of major declaration. Acceptable statistics courses other than C&E SOC/SOC 360 Statistics for Sociologists I are: STAT 301 Introduction to Statistical Methods, STAT 371 Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences, ECON 310 Statistics: Measurement in Economics, PSYCH 210 Basic Statistics for Psychology, GEOG 360 Quantitative Methods in Geographical Analysis, and MATH/STAT 310 Introduction to Probability and Mathematical Statistics II. Please note that statistics courses taken outside the major do not count toward the credit requirement in the major.
All students must complete the capstone requirement to obtain a degree in C&E Sociology. C&E SOC 500 is a 3 credit course that must be taken in the spring of a student’s senior year.
The capstone experience involves the application of sociological concepts and methods to concrete social and environmental problems. Involves working in teams, and engaging in problems using approaches such as service learning, community-based research, and interdisciplinary approaches.
Certificate Programs:
Community and Environmental Sociology students often build on their major by selecting one of the certificate programs available from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences or from other UW-Madison colleges. Listed below are common certificates that C&E Soc students choose to add on with their major. See the UW Guide for a complete list of certificates offered.
Food Systems Certificate
This 16-credit certificate offered through the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology is open to all undergraduate students. It assembles an interdisciplinary curriculum, integrating different paradigms across all aspects of food production, distribution, and consumption, along with the context and values inherent to the system.