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Sociology

Capstone Courses SOC 480/494/495

All the Capstone Courses in the Department of Sociology are designed for undergraduate students to demonstrate independent learning in their major. In part, that鈥檚 what a college degree symbolizes! The goal of the Capstone Project is to transform personal interests into researchable interests through a written project. Ideally, students enroll in a capstone course having reflected on the ideas and experiences that bring each of you to pursue a degree in Sociology and/or Criminology and Justice Studies in the first place.

Ultimately, a Capstone Project should demonstrate:

  • the ability to identify an original advocacy position for research and/or action;
  • the ability to find, engage, and critique peer-reviewed scholarly research, and as such, identify any 鈥渒nowledge gaps鈥 that need to be filled in; and,
  • the ability to articulate an informed vision on future research ideas AND practical actions.

By taking a Capstone Course, all students create their own platform of skills and ideas that propel the next chapter of life and career beyond college graduation.

Quick Facts about Capstones:  

SOC majors choose Soc 480 or Soc 495 for their capstone seminar.  
CJS majors must take Soc 442 and Soc 494: both are required capstone seminars.  

Internship placement is required for Soc 495. You can enroll in Soc 495 without having an internship yet but need to have one by Week 2 of the semester for which you are enrolled.  

Internship placement is strongly recommended for Soc 494. There will be a career pathway for those who cannot find an internship. CJS students should enroll in Soc 494 as soon as their registration date allows.  

Students find and apply for internships. Students must use the 爆料社区 Academic Internship Database to identify an internship site. There is no placement service for Soc 494 or Soc 495. 

Advising for SOC 494 and 495

Dr. Marisol Clark-Ib谩帽ez is your internship coordinator and Associate Chair for SOC and CJS students. Contact her for an appointment, mibanez@csusm.edu, or visit her most Mondays at noon on for "Move on It Monday." Please note that the first Mondays at noon of each month in Spring 2025 are for the Social Justice Studies Club meetings.

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Overview of SOC 494 and SOC 495

  • Both classes are capstone or culminating seminars for our majors, with a small class size of only 25 students. The goal for both SOC 494 and SOC 495 is to apply your knowledge in the major to real life issues.
  • Soc 494 or SOC 495 is required for the CJS major.
  • Soc 495 is an option for Sociology majors. (The alternative choice is Soc 480, a class that focuses on scholarly projects such as an extended literature review or research study proposal.)
  • At this time, the courses DO NOT require a minimum number of hours for in-person OR remote/ virtual volunteer placements.
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  • How do you enroll in class?

    Enroll directly in Soc 494 (CJS majors only) or Soc 495 (SOC or CJS majors) at your appointed registration time. 

  • How do you choose an internship?

    This process takes several steps and ideally should start weeks if not months before you start class.

    1. Log onto the Office of Internships  and review opportunities.

      1. If you want to work with a particular community partner that is not in the database, then you may need to complete a Request community partner form. Please contact the Office of Internships for support.

      2. If you have any questions about the appropriateness of the internship site, or any other concern about the placement process, please contact Dr. Suarez.

    2. Contact the site FIRST and inquire if the site is supervising undergraduates for the semester. Let them know of your interest in volunteering for your capstone experience and project. Contacting more than one site is ok just in case they have staffing issues and cannot accommodate you.
    3. If the site can work with you, then apply for the internship position by following the instructions detailed on the Academic Database of the Office of Internships website.
    4. The process for each site varies and might be a very lengthy the process (e.g., government, law enforcement, etc.) which is why advanced preparation is sometimes necessary.
    5. You may need to have an application, cover letter, resume, fingerprinting, background check or a formal interview.
  • How to Find Remote Internships
    1. Log onto the , choose 爆料社区 as your campus, and click on the Opportuites tab at the top of the page.
    2. Choose Internship under the Opportunity type box鈥檚 drop-down menu, then choose Remote in the Tags鈥 Boxes drop-down menu. You will see a list of remote opportunities.  Check to make sure the one you are interested in is not restricted to students of a particular major or graduate degree.
    3. Apply for the remote internship by following the information on the application instructions for the site you have chosen.

  • Advising for SOC 480

    The Senior Capstone in Sociological Research course (SOC 480) is an option for Sociology majors to fulfill the graduation requirement.  The SOC 480 course does NOT require volunteer/ internship hours as part of the development of a student's capstone project but is otherwise similar to the other capstone courses. SOC 480 is centered around an advocacy area of a student's own choosing and is deepened through a constructive critique of scholarly research. The goal is to strengthen a student's argumentation skills (oral and written) and sense of leadership. Students also consider ways to conduct community-based research with multiple publics to expand their career and/ or graduate education goals.

  • Please do not hesitate to contact the Department of Sociology Internship Coordinator Dr. Clark-Iba帽ez who will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
  • Visit the 爆料社区 Office of Internships for additional updates and information