Office: Washington Square Hall 103
Telephone: (408) 924-5300
Email: college-social-sciences@sjsu.edu
Website: www.sjsu.edu/socialsciences

Leadership:
Anne Marie Todd, Dean
Clifton M. Oyamot, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Success
Lois Takahashi, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Success
Terri Ramirez, Director for Resources and Operations

Overview 

At the College of Social Sciences, we advance the understanding of what it means to be human to build a prosperous, just, and sustainable future. The College of Social Sciences empowers students and faculty to be change leaders through teaching and learning, cutting-edge research, and community engagement. We teach and study the social, cultural, economic, psychological, and environmental dimensions of human behavior.  Our commitment to innovation, community, and impact is demonstrated every day through our work in San José, Silicon Valley, California, the nation, and beyond. 

The College of Social Sciences prepares you for careers in Silicon Valley and beyond. With eleven departments and a school offering more than 20 majors and concentrations, you can explore fields like counseling, criminology, environmental restoration, public administration, and more. We emphasize the contributions of the many cultures that form our community, provide internships and other career-readiness opportunities, and provide a strong foundation for graduate studies.

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 History  
• Department of Justice Studies  
• Department of Political Science  
• Department of Psychology  
• Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences   
• School of Planning, Policy and Environmental Studies  

Academic Advising and Student Success

There are three types of academic advisors who are here to support you.

Advising for Your Major Requirements

A faculty advisor in your department can help you to understand the requirements of your major, develop an academic plan tailored to your career goals and which allows you to complete your degree on time, and help you initiate various academic petitions. Major advising information can be found on your department’s advising webpage

College of Social Sciences Student Success Center

The College of Social Sciences Student Success Center provides advising on General Education requirements, other university degree requirements and policies. They are committed to helping you develop a clear path to graduation and supporting your academic success. Services offered:

• General Education Advising

• Academic Planning

• Graduation Planning

• Mandatory Freshman Advising

• Academic Notice Advising

Location: Clark Hall 240
Email: socsci-success@sjsu.edu
Phone: 408.924.5363

Advising for your Minor (optional)

List of Minors Offered at SJSU (scroll down to the appropriate section)

If you have a minor or are interested in pursuing a minor, a faculty advisor in the home department of that minor can help you.

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 Burdick Military History Project is named after Professor Charles B. Burdick, to honor his memory and his contribution to the study of military history.

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

• Ethnics Studies Collaborative. The CSU Task Force on the Advancement of Ethnic Studies report encouraged each campus in the California State University system to strengthen its African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicana and Chicana Studies, and Native American Studies programs.

• 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 San José State University 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 policymakers 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 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 the work of its associated scholars and by hosting powerful public events, often in collaboration with other institutions and community groups. The institute is also home to a dynamic interdisciplinary working group, which connects faculty and graduate students from across San Jose State and around the Bay Area focused on urban research.

• 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 Integrative Anthropology Lab gives students the opportunity to practice hands on learning about anthropology.

• Project Rebound supports formerly incarcerated people in pursuing higher education at San José State University. Project Rebound establishes a pathway to self-efficacy for those who have been justice-involved.

• 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 Spatial Analytics and Visualization Center (SAVI) 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.

• 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 and single subject teaching preparation programs are offered, in collaboration with the Connie L. Lurie College of Education, by the following departments in the College of Social Sciences: History , African American Studies , Chicana and Chicano Studies , and the School of Planning, Policy and Environmental Studies .

Programs

• Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor

Courses

• SSCI 90 - Successfully Negotiating Social Science
• SSCI 101 - Leadership and Career Accelerator
• SSCI 191 - Science, Technology & Society Capstone