Families and Social Welfare Undergraduate Certificate
Introduction
Please click here to see Sociology department information.
Families are a fundamental part of society. Sociology approaches families by focusing on relational processes like support, socialization, conflict, and intimacy that constitute interactions among family members. It also views the family as a major social institution that interacts closely with others, including education, law, healthcare, religion, the economy, criminal justice, and welfare. The family in its varied forms is key to understanding how inequality is experienced and reproduced in society, as substantial responsibility for caring, nurturing, and raising others is delegated to families. The interplay of these multiple levels-the interpersonal, the institutional, and the structural-also interests sociologists. This certificate provides students a foundation for understanding the complex role of families and family members at multiple levels, as well as the social systems and organizations responsible for supporting families and individuals. The content and methods courses will prepare students for direct service positions working with individuals and families (e.g., human and social services), or research, policy or advocacy positions addressing family issues (e.g., housing, violence and abuse, parenting, social welfare). Students earning the certificate also will be well-positioned to pursue advanced degrees in social work, public health, counseling, law, sociology, or related disciplines.
Upon successful completion of the certificate, students will:
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Recognize the diversity of family structures within and across cultures
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Understand the theoretical perspectives explaining family behavior and relationships, and those addressing differences in the institution of the family across cultures and over time
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Be familiar with current trends in family structure, and recent research on family functioning and well-being, and how family research informs advocacy and policy work, and social welfare programs
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Be able to apply the technical skills of their methodological training to conduct analyses about families and family life, and outcomes assessments for social welfare programs aimed at helping families
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Engage in original research projects involving family-related issues
Program Delivery
- This is an on-campus or online program.
Declaring This Certificate
- Eligibility: While housed in Sociology, the study of families and social welfare is in fact a multidisciplinary field that draws from diverse liberal arts fields, including Psychology, Political Science, Communications, and History, among others. Thus, CU Denver undergraduate students in any discipline can enroll in the certificate program. The certificate is also available to non-degree-seeking students who already have earned a BA or BS degree, either at CU Denver or elsewhere.
- Application procedures: Students are encouraged to contact the Director of the Families and Social Welfare Certificate informing them of their wish to pursue the certificate at any point in their undergraduate studies. Providing their student identification number and an unofficial transcript will assist the Director in advising them. The certificate is awarded to the student upon successful completion of required coursework and an assessment exam.
These program requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their Families and Social Welfare advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
General Requirements
Students must satisfy all requirements as outlined below and by the department offering the certificate.
- Click here for information about Academic Policies.
Certificate Requirements
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Students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours from the approved courses below.
- Students must complete a minimum of six upper-division (3000-level and above) credit hours chosen from the approved courses below.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C- (1.7) in all courses that apply to the certificate and must achieve a minimum cumulative certificate GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to certificate requirements.
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Students must complete all 15 credits applied to the certificate at CU Denver chosen from the approved courses below. If students have completed a course required for the certificate elsewhere, they may add the needed credits in the form of additional elective credits drawn from the approved elective courses.
Certificate Restrictions, Allowances and Recommendations
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The certificate will be awarded at the end of the semester in which the student completes all required courses for the certificate.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete the following required courses: | ||
| SOCY 3115 & SOCY 3119 | Quantitative Methods & Analysis and Qualitative Methods 1 | 8 |
| SOCY/WGST 3700 | Families and Society | 3 |
| Complete two of the following elective courses: 2 | 6 | |
| Sociology of Human Sexuality | ||
| Sex and Gender | ||
| Social Meanings of Reproduction | ||
| Sociology of Childhood and Adolescence | ||
| Violence in Relationships | ||
| Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective | ||
| China and the Chinese | ||
| Contemporary Chinese Society and Culture | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Family Communication | ||
| Mediation | ||
| Economics of Social Issues | ||
| Economics of Race and Gender | ||
| Public Finance | ||
| Multiracial Families and Communities | ||
| African American Family | ||
| Introduction to Family and Community Services | ||
| Families in Global Perspectives | ||
| Family and Cultural Diversity | ||
| Latino Families in School and Communities | ||
| Abuelos (Grandparents) Latino Families | ||
| Family Policy & Law | ||
| Family Systems and Social Justice | ||
| Families in Later Life | ||
| LGBTQ Family Systems | ||
| Women & Gender in US History | ||
| Tudor-Stuart England | ||
| Depression, Affluence and Anxiety: U.S. History, 1929 to the Present | ||
| U.S. Society and Thought to 1860 | ||
| U.S. Society and Thought Since 1860 | ||
| Sex and Gender in Modern Britain | ||
| United States History, 1919-1945 | ||
| United States History, 1945-1973 | ||
| Red and Blue America: U.S. History, 1973-Present | ||
| Public Health Perspectives On Family Violence | ||
| Justice, Freedom, and Power: Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Politics of the Budgetary Process | ||
| State Politics: Focus Colorado | ||
| Local Government and Administration | ||
| Comparative Governance: Environment and Society | ||
| Human Development I: Child Psychology | ||
| Human Development II: Adolescence and Adulthood | ||
| Human Sexuality | ||
| Family Psychology | ||
| Domestic Abuse | ||
| Psychology of Cultural Diversity | ||
| Total Hours | 17 | |
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Students may substitute two approved methods courses in their major discipline, one on quantitative methods and one on qualitative methods. Questions about eligible methods course substitutions should be directed to the criminology certificate advisor. Alternative courses may reduce the required course credit hours from 11 to 9.
- SOCY 3115 Quantitative Methods & Analysis substitutions may include ECON 3801 Introduction to Mathematical Economics, ECON 3811 Statistics with Computer Applications, GEOG 2080 Introduction to Mapping and Map Analysis, GEOG 4080 Introduction to GIS, MATH 2830 Introductory Statistics, PHIL 2441 Logic, Language and Scientific Reasoning, PHIL 3440 Introduction to Symbolic Logic, PSCI 3011 Research Methods, PSYC 2090 Statistics and Research Methods, PSYC 3090 Research Methods in Psychology.
- SOCY 3119 Qualitative Methods substitutions may include COMM 4221 Research Methods: Qualitative, PBHL 4031 Ethnographic Research In Public Health
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Prerequisites may apply.
To learn more about the Student Learning Outcomes for this program, please visit our website.