Sociology Honors Track

The Sociology Honors Program is designed to provide our most talented and highly motivated students with an exceptional opportunity to excel in their study of the discipline of Sociology, including an opportunity to take graduate level courses and conduct original research with the guidance of our faculty members. Starting at the introductory level with Sociology 100A, the Honors Section of Introduction to Sociology, and continuing with SOC 300A, the Honors Section of Principles of Sociological Inquiry, students in the Sociology Honors Program will benefit from the smaller classes and individualized attention that will continue through the completion of the Sociology Honors Program.

Sociology majors who participate in the Sociology Honors Program will also benefit from the integrated nature of the program. Some Sociology courses will substitute for some of the required Honors courses; for example, SOC 491 can be used to fulfill HON 491. This will enable participants in the Sociology Honors Program to graduate with Honors without adding additional time for the completion of their degrees. Sociology majors must also meet all of the other requirements for the degree.

In addition to the courses below, the Department of Sociology highly recommends that students also take advantage of other courses that are offered by the Honors Program. The HON 300-level courses, including HON 301, 303, and 380, are designed to educate students on public policy-making and the value of civic engagement and to help students gain leadership skills that are critical in all fields of study.

Participation and Requirements

Freshmen who join the Honors Program and who know early on that they are leaning toward a Sociology major, are strongly advised to take SOC 100A. Upon completion of Honors and A-section courses in their first two years, Sociology Honors students may waive the HON 491 requirement described below and proceed to coursework or independent study toward the Senior Honors Project.

Sophomores and Juniors who desire to apply to and enter the Honors program for an Upper-Division Honors Designation (a BA in Sociology with Honors) must first declare and be accepted into the Sociology undergraduate program, then apply to the Honors Upper Division program AFTER consultation with the Sociology undergraduate advisor.

  • Students will need a signed departmental approval form from the Sociology undergraduate advisor as part of the Honors application

Upper Division Honors Sociology students are required to take the following courses and fulfill the following requirements:

  • HON 491 (Junior Seminar) or Sociology graduate class (600-level) (3 credits) - Sociology majors can fulfill the Honors 491 Junior Seminar requirement by taking one of the following Sociology courses, with the instructor’s permission and subject to department rules: SOC 491, SOC 611, or SOC 612.
  • The submission of a 10-12 page research proposal for the Senior Honors Project, accompanied by a signed proposal and mentor form. We recommend taking a course designed to help students with research and proposal writing, such as HON 495: Introduction to Research or SOC 606: Research Methods and Design.
  • HON 494: Honors Workshop (0) is the companion workshop for the first semester of HON 496 or SOC 499. It is designed to familiarize students with the protocol for independent study with their Faculty mentor, criteria and timeline for the Senior Honors Project, and requires students to submit a detailed plan of research for their HON 496/SOC 499.
  • HON 496: Senior Honors Project (6) or HON 496 and SOC 499 (6) or a combination of the courses described below. Students who take both semesters in Honors 496 should make sure they have a Sociology faculty member advising them on their topic in the first-semester proposal.

Honors and Sociology Courses

  • SOC 100A - The basics of the discipline of Sociology will be covered in a seminar-type class with a maximum of 20 students.
  • SOC 300A - All students registered for S0C 300 attend the same lectures; however, students in the 300A lab section will work directly with the course instructor rather than with a teaching assistant. As a group, students will have an opportunity to design and implement original research projects.

HON 491 or one of the following: SOC 491, SOC 611, or SOC 612

  • HON 491: Junior Seminar (3) - Project-based experiential learning involving community-based research or creative work. Focus on project design, practical skills, and teamwork. Multi-disciplinary topics vary each semester. Required of, and limited to, candidates for Honors degree. Repeatable one time. A-F only.
  • SOC 491: Discussion Group Leader, Freshman Seminar (6) - Students lead a freshman seminar section of sociology and meet weekly with an instructor for a substantive background. DS
  • SOC 611: Classical Sociological Theory (3) - Seminar offers a critical overview of major perspectives and representative works in sociological theory from 19th–century to the 1960s, including intellectual contexts and historical development. A-F only. Pre: graduate standing. (Fall only)
  • SOC 612: Contemporary Sociological Theory (3) - Seminar offers a critical overview of major perspectives and representative works in sociology theory from the 1960s to the present, including intellectual contexts and historical development. A-F only. Pre: graduate standing. (Spring only).

HON 495 or SOC 606

  • HON 495: Introduction to Research (3) - Library research skills; scholarship of research and creative work; methodological and ethical issues; development of individual proposal or prospectus for Senior Honors Project. Limited to candidates for the Honors degree. Repeatable one time. CR/NC only.
  • SOC 606: Research Methods and Design (3) - Emphasis on theory selection, theory construction, and choice of research strategies. For Sociology Majors in the Sociology Honors Track, this will include the development of an individual proposal or prospectus for the Senior Honors Project.

Corequisite Workshop 

  • HON 494: Honors Workshop (0) - Supplemental workshop for students beginning independent work on their senior honors thesis. HON students only. CR/NC only. To be taken with HON 496 or in the first semester of research on the Senior Honors Project.

HON 496 (taken two semesters for a total of 6 CR) or SOC 476/476L and SOC 499 

Semester 1 - HON 496 (3 CR) or SOC 476/476L (4 CR)

  • HON 496: Senior Honors Project (3) - Original research, creative work, performance or other forms of scholarly project appropriate to a major and supervised by a faculty member. Limited to candidates for Honors degree. Repeatable one time for each major. A-F only. Pre: 495 or consent.
  • SOC 476: Social Statistics (3) - Common statistical procedures emphasizing univariate and bivariate description; some attention to multivariate techniques and statistical inference, within the context of research procedures. Pre: 300 or consent. Co-requisite: 476L. DS
  • SOC 476L: Social Statistics Laboratory (1) - Required lab for computer applications for the analysis of sociological data. CR/NC only. Co-requisite: 476

Semester 2 - HON 496 (3 CR) or SOC 499

  • When SOC 476/476L is substituted for the first semester of HON 496, students will take three credits of SOC 499, Directed Reading and Research, with their Sociology Honors Thesis Advisor, which, in conjunction with 476/476L, will provide the number of credits required for the completion of the Honors Thesis.
Honors Program, UH Mānoa
SOC/HON Class Availability
SOC Class Descriptions
HON Class Descriptions