Special Programs

Internship Program

The option exists for all sociology majors to pursue internships in a variety of social service and/or social justice advocacy positions. Internships are required for the criminology major to assure valuable work experience while engaging in full-time study. Internships can include legal service and/or court-related placements such as supervision of juvenile probation cases.

The advantage of an internship is that it offers hands-on experience in a practical setting that can be useful later in acquiring professional employment. Student internships in social service are conducted under departmental supervision and can offer between two and eight course credits.

Some internships held by sociology and criminology majors have been with:

• Chicago Department of Aging and Family Services
• Municipal police departments
• City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations
• Deerfield Youth and Social Services
• DuPage County Housing Authority
• Maryville Academy
• Chicago Mayor’s Office for Education
• Social Security Administration
• Cook County Circuit Court
• Chicago Public Defender’s Office

Activities and Other Opportunities for Experiential Learning

The sociology program at Dominican University strongly supports a variety of ongoing campus activities. We believe that the involved student is a superior student. When students become involved with organizing guest speakers, attending professional conferences and fundraising activities, they gain useful experience that is later helpful in their professional development.

Both sociology and criminology majors are encouraged to participate in special opportunities for credit other than the internships. The department sponsors innovative service-learning, domestic-study and shortterm study-abroad opportunities. In recent years, students have traveled to El Salvador in Central American to study human rights, public health and globalization. The Mississippi Delta is the focus of another experiential learning opportunity in which students explore the musical and racial legacy of the American South.

These off-campus opportunities provide majors with the equivalent of a full threecredit- hour course as well as the chance to engage in service learning with populations and communities in need. Students may also receive course credit for participation in annual academic meeting sponsored by the American Sociological Association or the Third World Conference Foundation. These off-campus conferences provide majors with the opportunity to meet with outstanding scholars, researchers and policymakers in their fields, where they participated in discussions and debate with faculty and students from across the country and the world.

Outstanding Student Award

The program presents an award each year to the most outstanding student in each major. This Outstanding Student of the Year Award considers academic performance, community service and dedication to either the sociology or criminology major.

Honor Society

Sociology and criminology majors are eligible to join Pi Gamma Mu, an international honor society for the social sciences. Qualification criteria and further information are made available by the department chair.