General sociology involves the study of group dynamics and its impact on human populations and individuals. As a social science, the discipline analyzes the patterns of behavior in all types of social relationships. This field has broad scope and relevance. The undergraduate program in general sociology is designed to complement UAB’s location in a large metropolitan area with a major medical center. Such a location provides an excellent laboratory for study in several areas, including health and aging, social psychology, social inequality, and urban sociology. Students may choose from several courses in each of these areas.

General sociology offers training for four basic types of careers:

First, it provides a broad background for students who are not planning a career in sociology but who want an understanding of the nature and development of social structures and social issues.
Second, it offers valuable preparation for professional careers in the social services.
Third, it serves as useful pre-professional training for careers such as law, business, education, government, architecture, and even medicine.
Finally, the program helps prepare students for graduate study in sociology. Social psychology prepares students for careers in service-oriented fields such as education, health, business, and government, and graduate work in social psychology.