Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice
Social Work | Criminal Justice

The Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice Department at Adrian College offers students the opportunity to major or minor in any of these three exciting disciplines.

SOCIOLOGY
Dr. Yanhong Wu, sociologist and international scholar, will help you develop and solidify your “sociological imagination.” Through coursework such as sociological theory, stratification and research methods you will learn to understand and apply sociological concepts to the world outside the classroom. You will study the behavior of, and interaction among groups, organizations, institutions, and nations and learn to analyze how social influences affect different individuals. As a senior you will develop, conduct and present your own research project, deepening your understanding of sociology and its application to the every day world. As a graduate in sociology, you will be well prepared for graduate school or for employment in the many fields of applied sociology.

SOCIAL WORK
The Social Work Program is directed by Professor Charles Vanderwell, a social worker with a great deal of experience as a therapist, supervisor, administrator and teacher. Once accepted into the program, you will take courses that will develop your understanding of human behavior in the social environment, help you comprehend, analyze and develop social policy, and learn the theories and skills needed to design and implement interventions. In your senior year, you will spend 400 hours working in an organization or agency under the direct supervision of a social work professional. This practicum experience will be planned with Professor Susan Nichols, an experienced social worker and clinician directing the field education portion of the program. If you have a desire to help others, as a social worker you can work in a multitude of settings, and in many roles to help individuals, families, organizations and communities solve complex problems.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Dr. William Tregea and Nathan Goetting, as full-time professors, most ably lead the recently re-designed and enriched Criminal Justice Program that includes five additional working professionals teaching evening classes. The Criminal Justice degree offers you a set of Core courses, and three pre-professional Tracks to prepare you for work in 1) treatment and corrections, 2) police, investigation and forensics, and/or 3) law, legal research and courts. It is possible to complete two tracks as part of the major. A rigorous research methods course, internship experience and capstone senior research project also prepares criminal justice students for graduate school or entry into the field.