Department Co-Chair: Michelle Naffziger-Hirsch, 847.376.7269, mnaffzig@oakton.edu
Department Co-Chair: Katherine Schuster, 847.376.7118, schuster@oakton.edu
The following guide to course selection is intended for students who are considering pursuing an Associate in Arts degree and as a way for students to deepen their knowledge of social sciences, as well as their overall understanding of individuals, societies and cultures. The following list of courses will allow students to complete their general education requirements, as well as begin to pursue their interests in the social sciences.
This Pre-major is also designed for students who have not decided upon a specific four-year college or university. Once a transfer school is selected, students are strongly encouraged to consult the Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success and the transfer institution’s catalog to select courses that will meet both Oakton and transfer institution requirements.
While completing the pre-major, students can also complete the requirements for one or more of Oakton’s concentrations. When registering for courses, students are advised to select Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS), Global Studies (GS), Peace and Social Justice Studies (PSJ) and Environmental Studies (ESC) designated course sections. Students meeting the Concentration requirements will have a notation added to their transcript. The completion of one of the concentrations appears on your transcript similar to a “minor” at a four-year institution.
Courses that fulfill the concentration requirements are marked with the respective concentration abbreviations (above). Additionally, some course sections are designated to a specific concentration on a semester-by-semester basis. Students interested in completing a concentration should check the course schedule.
For more information on course selection or program-specific advising, contact the department co-chair. Part time students should also consult the Office of Advising, Transitions, and Student Success for part-time pre-major recommendations. General Education courses should be selected from the list of IAI General Education Courses.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester One | Hours | |
| EGL 101 | Composition I | 3 |
| SSC 101 | The Individual in Modern Society | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Education Mathematics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Contemporary Culture and the Arts | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies (WGSS) 1 | ||
| Women and Creativity 1 | ||
| Logic | ||
| Ethics (PSJ) | ||
| Environmental Ethics (ESC) 2 | ||
Modern Language course (202 2 or higher) 3 | ||
or other Humanities course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Art History: Renaissance to Modern | ||
| Art History: Modern Art (Twentieth Century) | ||
| Art History: Art of the Non-Western World 2 | ||
| Music Literature and History | ||
or other Fine Arts course | ||
| Hours | 16-17 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| EGL 102 | Composition II | 3 |
| SPE 103 | Effective Speech | 3 |
| SSC 105 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies 1 | 3 |
| Select one Science course with lab: | 4 | |
| One science course must be from the Life Sciences (LS) and one science course must be from the Physical Sciences (PS) | ||
| Introduction to Life Science (LS) | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Science (LS/ESC) 2 | ||
| General College Biology I (LS) | ||
| Introduction to Earth Science (PS) | ||
| Physical Geology (PS) | ||
| Historical Geology (PS) | ||
| Hours | 13 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Semester One | ||
| SSC 201 | Introduction to Global Studies (GS, PSJ) 2 | 3 |
| Select one Science course without lab: | 3 | |
| One science course must be from the Life Sciences (LS) and one science course must be from the Physical Sciences (PS) | ||
| Human Genetics (LS) | ||
| Plants and Society (LS) 2 | ||
| Introduction to Weather and Climate (PS) | ||
| Environmental Geology (PS) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology 2 | ||
| Introduction to Physical Anthropology | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| United States History from 1877 | ||
| History of Contemporary Non-Western Civilizations 2 | ||
| American Government | ||
or other Social and Behavioral Science course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Social Psychology 1 | ||
| Introduction to Sociology 1 | ||
| Social Problems 1, 2 | ||
| Sociology of Marriage and Family 1 | ||
| Sociology of Sex and Gender 1 | ||
| Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 1 | ||
or other Social and Behavioral Science course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Drama | ||
| Introduction to Fiction | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
| Multicultural Literature in the U.S. 1 | ||
| LGBTQ+ Literature 1 | ||
| Women and Literature 1 | ||
| Introduction to African-American Literature 1 | ||
| American Literature II (from The Civil War To The Present) 1 | ||
or other Humanities or Fine Arts course | ||
| Hours | 15 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Latin American Civilization and Culture | ||
| Contemporary China And Japan | ||
| Environmental Ethics (ESC) 2 | ||
| Now that you have completed the required general education courses as well as the Social Science courses to prepare you for a future major in Social Sciences, you choose electives in order to reach 60 total credits. We recommend you choose one to three courses from Social and Behavioral Sciences and/or one to three courses from Humanities/Fine Arts from those listed in the previous semesters that you have not yet taken or from other IAI General Education courses. | 13 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Total Hours | 60-61 | |
- 1
Course fulfills the U.S. Diversity Studies requirement. At least one U.S. Diversity Studies course is required for degree completion.
- 2
Course fulfills the Global Studies requirement. At least one Global Studies course is required for degree completion.
- 3
Any Modern Language Intermediate II course can meet the Humanities and Global Studies requirements. Transfer institutions may have a language requirement.
Note: Pre-major is a recommended sequence and selection of courses. For degree requirements see Associate in Arts (A.A.) page.