Sociology

Below you will find programs suggested by both CGIS & the Department of Sociology. Please note that all LSA students receive in-residence credits when studying abroad through CGIS.

The Department encourages students to pursue opportunities abroad in order to enhance their sociology education and gain global perspectives on the lives and backgrounds of others. An excellent range of study abroad options exist for students at Michigan.

Study Abroad courses are often used for Sociology requirements. Students can fulfill major or minor requirements through study abroad elective courses. For the major, we recommend taking 200-level and 300-level approved sociology electives abroad. SOC 310 and 305 must be taken at U-M.

For LJSC and SHM minor requirements: The classes must focus on minor topics as they do at U-M. For example, a course in criminology with enough sociological content will likely count in the LJSC minor. A course on local healthcare perspectives with enough sociological content will likely count in the SHM minor.  

Process for approval: Reach out to us at socadvisor@umich.edu to determine if the course has been previously approved to count towards the major, LJSC, SHM, or SSW. If the course has not been approved, submit a department petition.  

To petition to include a course toward your Sociology major or LJSC/SHM minor requirements, submit the following to socadvisor@umich.edu: 

1. A completed course petition form (PDF)

2. A current syllabus (MUST have reading list and weekly topics) - please translate to English, if needed.

A non-Sociology course (transferred or taken on campus) must meet at least one of the following criteria. Meeting one of these criteria does not guarantee that the course will be accepted, but it does increase the likelihood.

• The course is offered through a sociology department at another university

• The course was taught by a sociologist. This means the course was taught by someone who holds an appointment as an instructor, lecturer, or professor in a sociology department or who holds a PhD in sociology.

• The course readings listed on the syllabus are primarily (75%) sociological. This means that the books and texts are written by sociologists and articles are from sociological journals.

• The course syllabus looks like the syllabus of a course in the U-M Sociology Department. The syllabus covers the same topics, has similar readings, and requires similar assignments. You must not have already taken the U-M course which the petitioned course resembles. 

Once you transfer in your study abroad credits and they post on your transcript, remember to contact the department advisor at socadvisor@umich.edu to request for a degree audit exception so that the courses approved by petition populate correctly on your LSA Audit Checklist.

Contact: socadvisor@umich.edu is a good place to start if you have questions, or you can set up an advising appointment here: https://myadvising.lsa.umich.edu/appointments/offices/SOC

Funding opportunities: Financial aid and scholarships are available for many programs and the LSA Study Abroad Scholarship is also available to all eligible LSA students. Find Sociology funding opportunities here.

Next Steps: Once you've spoken to your Sociology advisor, attend a First Step session where you will learn general information about studying abroad through CGIS. Once you've attended a First Step session, you can schedule an appointment with a CGIS advisor who will be able to help you through the application process and can address any of your questions or concerns in relations to curriculum, navigating your identity, navigating through a specific country, and so much more! CGIS advisors also offer open advising throughout the week for quick questions you may have.

Check out the following regions below for an incomplete list of programs that major or minor students have participated in: