The social sciences are dedicated to providing a solid foundation of global, cultural, social, economic, historical and behavioral perspectives and principles to help all students achieve their personal and professional goals.

Students majoring in the social sciences often work in government agencies, law enforcement, corrections, personnel management, politics, advertising and marketing, counseling of all kinds, education, organizational planning, and many other areas. Students may go on to acquire advanced degrees and do research in areas of human social behavior as anthropologists, economics, geographers, historians, political scientists, psychologists and sociologists.

The social sciences provide a balance between the practical elements everyone needs and specialized skills for students wanting to pursue advanced degrees by transferring to universities. A solid foundation of course work is available at WVC to satisfy university requirements. Students majoring in the social sciences are advised to complete the general university requirements (GURs) while at WVC. Besides using social science courses to satisfy the distribution requirements, they can continue to take other social science courses as electives to further explore their interests and prepare themselves for future jobs or further studies at the university level.

Course outcomes

Students who complete the social sciences requirement will be able to:

• Apply discipline-specific and scientific approaches to explain contemporary and historical issues in Social Sciences.
• Analyze and evaluate research findings in Social Sciences.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and groups interact and influence one another, our environment, and societies on multiple levels.
• Communicate effectively in a scholarly manner using the processes of invention, organization, editing, and presentation.
• Articulate an understanding of cultural, ethnic, and social diversity in contemporary issues, while learning from different viewpoints.
• Participate effectively in individual reflection and group experiences with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, values clarification, and responding in a respectful manner.