Contact Information

Chair: Joanne Benschop

Office: Building OCT550, 760.795.6881

Full-Time Faculty

Joanne Benschop

Academic and Career Pathway 

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associate in Arts Degree

Liberal Arts with an Area of Emphasis in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Courses in this category emphasize the connection between human behavior and social, political, and economic institutions, and they promote an understanding of how societies and social subgroups operate. Students are encouraged to apply critical thinking techniques as they evaluate the way individuals act and have acted in response to their societies. The courses ensure opportunities for students to develop and communicate an understanding of the perspectives and methods of inquiry used in the social and behavioral sciences.

This area of emphasis provides students with lower-division major preparation for many disciplines within the social sciences, including criminal justice, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and history.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 60 degree-applicable units of credit (including major and general education courses).
• Complete all courses required in the major with a “C” or “P” or better.
• Complete a general education pattern of courses (see Associate Degrees).
• Obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0.
• Complete a minimum of 12 units in residence at MiraCosta College.

Select a minimum of 18 units from the following:

ADM 100	Introduction to the Administration of Justice	3
ADM 200	Concepts of Criminal Law	3
ANTH 102	Cultural Anthropology	3
or ANTH 102H	Cultural Anthropology (Honors)
ANTH 103	Introduction to Archaeology	3
ANTH 104	Native American Cultures	3
ANTH 105	Evolution of Human Behavior	3
or ANTH 105H	Evolution of Human Behavior (Honors)
ANTH 107	Gender, Sex, and Sexuality	3
ANTH 120	Global Health	3
ANTH 190	Primate Behavior and Ecology	3
AUTO 111	Car Culture	3
BLST 100	Introduction to Black Studies	3
CCS 100	Introduction to Chicana/o Studies	3
CCS 232	Critical Issues in Chicana and Latina Studies	3
CHLD 112	Child Growth and Development	3
CHLD 113	Child and Adolescent Growth and Development	3
CHLD 210	Child, Family, and Community	3
CHLD 235	Children in a Diverse Society	3
COMM 101	Public Speaking	3
COMM 106	Group Communication	3
COMM 120	Principles of Human Communication	3
COMM 135	Gender Studies in Communication	3
COMM 144	Race and Ethnicity in Communication	3
COMM 207	Interpersonal Communication	3
COMM 212	Argumentation	3
COMM 220	Introduction to Mass Communication	3
CSIT 160	Technology, the Individual, and Society	3
CSIT 165	Living in an Online World	3
ECON 100	Survey of Economics	3
ECON 101	Principles of Economics: MACRO	3
ECON 102	Principles of Economics: MICRO	3
ENGL 100	Composition and Reading	4
or ENGL 100H	Composition and Reading (Honors)
ENGL 201	Critical Thinking, Composition, and Literature	4
or ENGL 201H	Critical Thinking, Composition, and Literature (Honors)
ENGL 202	Critical Thinking and Composition	4
or ENGL 202H	Critical Thinking and Composition (Honors)
GEOG 102	People, Place, and Time: Introduction to Human Geography	3
GEOG 104	World Geography	3
GEOG 108	Environmental Sustainability and Society	3
GERO 101	Introduction to Aging	3
GERO 250	Intergenerational Issues	3
HIST 100	World History to 1500	3
or HIST 100H	World History to 1500 (Honors)
HIST 101	World History Since 1500	3
or HIST 101H	World History Since 1500 (Honors)
HIST 102	History of the Modern Middle East	3
or HIST 102H	History of the Modern Middle East (Honors)
HIST 104	Modern European History and Culture	3
or HIST 104H	Modern European History and Culture (Honors)
HIST 105	History of England	3
or HIST 105H	History of England (Honors)
HIST 107	East Asian Societies	3
HIST 110	United States History to 1877	3
or HIST 110H	United States History to 1877 (Honors)
HIST 111	United States History Since 1877	3
or HIST 111H	United States History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 113	American Military History	3
or HIST 113H	American Military History (Honors)
HIST 115	Women in American History	3
or HIST 115H	Women in American History (Honors)
HIST 116	History of the Americas to 1830	3
or HIST 116H	History of the Americas to 1830 (Honors)
HIST 117	History of the Americas Since 1830	3
or HIST 117H	History of the Americas Since 1830 (Honors)
HIST 141	Mexican American History Through 1877	3
or HIST 141H	Mexican American History Through 1877 (Honors)
HIST 142	Mexican American History Since 1877	3
or HIST 142H	Mexican American History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 145	African American History to 1877	3
or HIST 145H	African American History to 1877 (Honors)
HIST 146	African American History Since 1877	3
or HIST 146H	African American History Since 1877 (Honors)
HIST 165	California History	3
NUTR 108	Cultural Aspects of Foods and Nutrition	3
PHIL 100	Critical Thinking and Writing	3
PLSC 101	Introduction to Political Science	3
or PLSC 101H	Introduction to Political Science (Honors)
PLSC 102	American Institutions and History	4
PLSC 103	Comparative Government	3
PLSC 150	Introduction to International Relations	3
PSYC 100	Psychology of Personal Growth	3
PSYC 101	General Psychology	3
or PSYC 101H	General Psychology (Honors)
PSYC/SOC 103	Social Psychology	3
PSYC 104	Statistics for Behavioral Science	4
or PSYC 104H	Statistics for Behavioral Science (Honors)
PSYC 114	Abnormal Psychology	3
PSYC 115	Human Sexuality	3
PSYC 121	Human Development	3
or PSYC 121H	Human Development (Honors)
PSYC 125	Psychology of Women	3
PSYC/SOC 145	Psychology/Sociology of the Family	3
PSYC 170	Psychology of Aging: Adult Development and Aging	3
PSYC 205	Research Methods in Psychology	3
PSYC 211	Learning and Behavior Modification	3
PSYC 260	Physiological Psychology	3
READ 100	Critical Reading and Thinking	3
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology	3
or SOC 101H	Introduction to Sociology (Honors)
SOC 102	Contemporary Social Problems	3
SOC 105	Introduction to Justice Studies	3
SOC 120	Introduction to Women's Studies	3
SOC 125	Introduction to Statistics in Sociology	4
SOC 130	Introduction to Gender Studies	3
SOC 140	Introduction to LGBT Studies	3
SOC 205	Introduction to Research Methods in Sociology	3
SOC/ETHN 207	Race and Ethnic Relations	3
SOC 232	Critical Issues in Chicana and Latina Studies	3
SOC 250	Introduction to Pacific Studies	3