Sociology Department

Sociology Department> Organizations and Activities

Organizations and Activities

Sociology Club

The Sociology Club is an organization that is devoted to holding events that will aid undergraduate students in their academic and professional careers. These events have included job workshops, panel discussions by faculty, and field trips to sites where sociology is used in the work world. The Sociology Club also can provide a way for sociology majors to get to know one another and develop networks that will help them later in life.

Alpha Kappa Delta

Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) is an international honor society in sociology with over 500 chapters. The UH Manoa chapter of AKD seeks to identify and initiate qualfied sociology majors. Minimum requirements include junior standing, at least four courses in sociology, an overall GPA and sociology GPA of at least 3.0 each. In addition to the honor of being a member, membership provides a variety of benefits, such as eligibility for student paper copmetitions, travel grants, and honoraria for initiation speakers. Please see the national organization's website for more details and information.

Graduate Sociology Students Association

Click to the area on graduate students for more information on the Graduate Sociology Students Association (GSSA).

Course Activities

Taking sociology classes is not just a matter of attending lectures and taking tests. Sociology courses provide a wide range of experiences, including some which feature independent study, learning via community service, and learning by teaching. The department and individual professors will also often sponsor course-related events that allow students to get to know one another better or learn more about the real world.

Research Area Activities

In order to promote the exchange of ideas between professors and students, the department sponsors regular events which allow members of the department to enhance their knowledge of their chosen fields. Each of the four priority areas (Asian and the Pacific; ethnic and race relations; crime, law, and deviance; and health, aging, and medical sociology) in the department has a study group that meets periodically to discuss issues of mutual interest. These meetings are open to any who is interested in the topic. In addition, the department occasionally invites speakers from outside the university to give talks on their area of expertise and organizes colloquia in which professors discuss their research.

Department Talks and Colloquia

On occasion, the department will invite speakers from other units on campus, from other universities, or from other spheres of life to give special talks on campus on contemporary sociological issues. These talks are open to all members of the UH community, but sociology students are particularly encouraged to attend.

Scholarly Conferences and Workshops

One of the important activities that faculty, graduate students, and even undergraduates undertake is travel to academic conferences, where they can interact with their peers from a wide variety of universities and learn about the latest developments in their field. Conferences are also a time to catch up with alumni and acquaintances who have left Hawai`i and moved to other parts of the globe to practice sociology.