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The first formal course in sociology (Social Problems) was offered in
1911 when Texas Woman's University was the College of Industrial Arts,
The State College for Women. Sociology as a discipline was developed
out of the Department of History and Economics, later the Department
of History and Social Sciences, renamed the Department of History and
Sociology in 1915. Sociology became a separate Department in 1925 and
the first major was offered as a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1932. Two
years later a Master of Arts degree in sociology was authorized; the
first MA in Sociology was awarded in 1946.
Some social work courses were nurtured in
the Department along with sociology and by 1946 it was possible to major in sociology with
an emphasis in social work. However, in 1976 the University was authorized to offer a
Bachelor's degree in Social Work (BSW) and the Department was renamed the Department of
Sociology and Social Work.
In 1970, TWU was authorized to offer the
Ph.D. degree in sociology in a consortium arrangement (Federation of North Texas Area
Universities) with the University of North Texas. The first Ph.D. degree in Sociology
was awarded in 1975.
In the seventies, the Department added a third bachelor's degree program in criminal
justice, in the eighties added a minor in ethnic studies, and in the nineties added a
minor in women's studies.
For its more than 70-year history, the
Department has had only six Chairs, five of whom were women. The first Chair, Ms. Jessie Humphries, was
among the original faculty of The College of Industrial Arts.
As of Fall 2007 the department will include ten full time faculty. |
