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Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences

This major appeals to students with a broad range of interests and those interested in pursuing a social science teaching credential. The major requires a minimum of 45 semester units, distributed as follows:

  • History: eight courses that include one introductory course, one course in California history, two courses in world history, two courses in U.S. history, one course in the history of a non-U.S. country or region, and one course with a geography component.
  • Political Science: two courses that include one course in U.S. national government and one course that deals with either
    • a) comparative politics and government
    • b) politics and government of a foreign country
    • c) international relations
  • Sociology: two courses which include one course that deals with the basic concepts of Sociology and one course that deals with either
    • a) structural analysis
    • b) social psychological analysis or
    • c) cultural anthropology
  • Economics: one introductory course
  • Quantitative methods: one course, selected with the approval of the social science adviser.


Please see the College of the Pacific social sciences adviser for a list of specific course recommendations for all courses required for the major.

Students must complete a minimum of 120 units with a Pacific cumulative and major/program grade point average of 2.0 in order to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in social sciences.

Major Requirements

  • ECON 051 Economic Principles and Problems or ECON 053 & 055         
  • HIST 001 Chair’s Seminar
  • HIST 020 United States History I  
  • HIST 021 United States History II
  • HIST 050 World History I
  • HIST 051 World History II
  • HIST 130 History of California        
  • POLS 041 U.S. Government and Politics    

Select one of the following non-U.S., upper-level history courses:

  • HIST 063 History of Science and Technology
  • HIST 100 Renaissance and Reformation               
  • HIST 113 Europe Since 1945
  • HIST 142 Modern Chinese History
  • HIST 151 People’s History of Mexico         

Select one of the following basic sociology courses:        

  • SOCI 021 Culture and Society        
  • SOCI 031 Deviant Behavior            
  • SOCI 051 Introduction to Sociology            

Select one of the following analysis courses:      

  • ANTH 053 Cultural Anthropology  
  • SOCI 079 Self and Society            
  • SOCI 108 Food, Culture and Society           
  • SOCI 111 Environment and Society
  • SOCI 123 Sex and Gender              
  • SOCI 125 Sociology of Health and Illness  
  • SOCI 141 Prejudice and Racism    

Select one of the following:        

  • POLS 051 Introduction to International Relations 
  • POLS 160 Theories of International Politics              
  • POLS 162 International Organization          
  • POLS 164 International Political Economy 
  • POLS 166 International Conflict and Conflict Management               
  • POLS 168 Comparative Foreign Policy        
  • POLS 170 U.S. Foreign Policy          
  • POLS 172 Inter-American Relations            

Recommended for CSET (Optional)        

  • EDUC 140 Transformational Teaching and Learning              
  • EDUC 141 Transformational Teaching and Learning Practicum