Office: Washington Square Hall 103

Telephone: (408) 924-5300

Email: college-social-sciences@sjsu.edu

Website: www.sjsu.edu/socialsciences

Leadership:

Heather Lattimer, Interim Dean
Anne Marie Todd, Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Student Success
Cami Johnson, Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Success

Overview 

Programs in the College of Social Sciences prepare students for work and life in Silicon Valley and a rapidly changing world. Our thirteen departments provide training for careers in counseling, criminology, environmental restoration, computerized mapping, public administration, economic analysis, organizational communication, international relations, ergonomics, urban and regional planning, and countless other fields in business, government, teaching and human services. Major courses of study emphasize the contributions of the many cultures that form our community. Internships are encouraged to help students relate academic work to the opportunities and needs of this diverse region. Completion of one of our undergraduate majors also provides an excellent foundation for advanced graduate work in one of the disciplines or at a professional school such as law or business.

New technologies increasingly improve our instruction and link us to the innovative industry of our region and to the educational resources of the world, but personal interaction between students and faculty is still prized within the College of Social Sciences. Capable and interesting teachers, active student clubs and small classes provide ideal environments for learning. If you are interested in majoring in one of the social sciences, contact an advisor in one of our departments or the dean’s office. A list of programs and courses can be found on each department page in the catalog. 

• Department of African American Studies  
• Department of Anthropology  
• Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies  
• Department of Communication Studies  
• Department of Economics  
• Department of Environmental Studies  
• Department of History  
• Department of Justice Studies  
• Department of Political Science  
• Department of Psychology  
• Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences  
• Department of Urban and Regional Planning  

Academic Advising and Student Success

Academic Counseling Center for Excellence in the Social Sciences (ACCESS)

Office: Clark Hall 240

Telephone: 408-924-5363

Email: socsci-success@sjsu.edu

Website: www.sjsu.edu/access

Academic Counseling Center for Excellence in the Social Sciences (ACCESS) is the student success center for the College of Social Sciences, located in Clark Hall 240. Both current COSS students and those students interested in minoring or majoring in a social sciences degree program are invited to stop by ACCESS for general education advising and/or help with changing majors, and to have academic policy-related questions answered. We also offer tutoring and support in social sciences statistics and writing. Are you a COSS student in need of some academic advice or perhaps need some tips about how to navigate your way around SJSU? Looking for a quiet place to study? Check out the COSS Student Success Center!

Centers and Institutes

The Centers and Institutes of the College of Social Sciences further enriched the educational, research and training opportunities provided to our students and faculty.:

• The Spatial Analytics and Visualization (SAVI) Center uses the power of geography and Geographic Information Science to produce impactful research and facilitate knowledge exchange by organizing public events, and bringing together scholars and professionals.

• Burdick Military History Project supports the study and teaching of military history through public lectures, the Veterans Oral History Project, and its specialized collection of materials relating to military history. Contact the Department of History.

• The Center for Economic Education supports high school teachers interested in developing Advanced Placement (AP) courses or improving existing AP Economics courses. Contact the Department of Economics.

• The SJSU Communication Center offers academic support for students seeking help with their public speaking, writing, and general communication skills through workshops and individual tutoring.

• Center for Development of Recycling (CDR) is a university-based service-learning organization that researches, advocates, and works to close open loops of consumption while preparing college students for careers as environmental professionals. Contact the Department of Environmental Studies.

• College of Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Collaborative works to strengthen African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Mexican American Studies, and Native American Studies programs at SJSU and throughout the CSU. See the CSU Task Force on the Advancement of Ethnic Studies report for more information.

• East Asian Regional Materials and Resources Center (EARMARC) provides audio-visual materials for high school and college students in Northern California.  The video and film library currently holds about 200 videos and reels, most of which are related to China or Japan.  The collection also includes slide sets and audio materials.  Almost all areas of East Asian society and culture are covered.

• The Environmental Resource Center (ERC) is run by student directors and supervised by a faculty advisor. In addition to organizing behavior changes via on campus events, the ERC is working to move our campus towards sustainable use of water, energy and materials.

• The Human Rights Institute is an “Organizational Research and Training Unit” under the California State University system that specializes in human rights research, journalism, and policy design. HRI students and faculty study pressing social problems and work with community organizations, stakeholders, and policy makers to inform and design solutions according to relevant scholarship, human rights law, and international best practices. Further, the SJSU HRI is building the Human Rights News Network-a source of original and relevant human rights reporting from students, faculty, and Institute partners.

• The Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change encourages, creates and facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration to illuminate the substance, dynamics, and significance of the institution of sport as a social sphere within which issues of power and ideology are created, reaffirmed and challenged. It is dedicated to research, analysis and education focused on the intersection of sport and social justice with activities guided by the theoretical, methodological and applied research perspectives and traditions of the sociology of sport.

• The Institute for Metropolitan Studies is an interdisciplinary center for research, service, and public programming with a focus on issues of significance to San José and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. It engages in the issues facing our region through hosting powerful public events, often in collaboration with other institutions and community groups.

• The Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (IPACE) is designed to facilitate the study of politics and public policy in the Silicon Valley and the civic engagement of students through internships, service learning, and sponsorship of research talks led by SJSU faculty and members of the broader community.

• The Record Clearance Project provides presentations regarding expungement law and employment rights of people with criminal convictions, LiveScan fingerprinting, Speed Screening interviews and others.

• The Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History promotes a better understanding of California’s state and local history, with an emphasis on the history of Santa Clara Valley, through graduate scholarships and collections of historical source materials.

Programs

Teaching Preparation Programs

• Social Science, Preparation for Teaching (Single Subject), BA  - This major is offered through the Department of History  and is designed for students interested in teaching history, political science (government), economics, or social science in high school or middle school. The program is approved as subject matter preparation for a single subject credential by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). Students might also consider the History & Social Science Teacher Preparation (SSTP), BA (Double BA) DISC’d EFF Fall 2022 .

• Environmental Studies, Preparation for Teaching, BA  - This major is offered through the Department of Environmental Studies  and is designed for students interested in teaching in elementary or middle school. The course work satisfies University requirements for a BA in Environmental Studies and is a program approved by the Teacher Credentialing in the State of California (CTC) for waiver of the Commission-approved subject matter examination (CSET for Multiple Subjects). Thus, students completing this program are eligible to apply for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential (K-8) program.

• African American Studies, BA + Optional History Minor + Single Subject Credential in Social Sciences + Teaching, MAT SAGE Program - This program combines the bachelor’s, credential, and master’s program and is offered by the Department of African American Studies . The program allows undergraduates to begin their graduate studies while completing undergraduate requirements in the African American Studies, BA . SAGE programs provide students with an integrative and cohesive educational experience that combines subject matter, pedagogy and research.

Courses

• SSCI 90 - Successfully Negotiating Social Science