Academic and Career Pathway 

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associate in Arts Degree

Liberal Arts: 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 in the degree-applicable courses.
• Complete a minimum of 12 units in residence at MiraCosta College.

Select a minimum of 18 units from the following:

Administration of Justice
ADM 100	Introduction to the Administration of Justice	3
ADM 200	Concepts of Criminal Law	3
Anthropology
ANTH 102	Cultural Anthropology	3
ANTH 103	Introduction to Archaeology	3
ANTH 105	Evolution of Human Behavior	3
ANTH 107	Gender, Sex, and Sexuality	3
ANTH 120	Global Health	3
ANTH 190	Primate Behavior and Ecology	3
Black Studies
BLST 100	Introduction to Black Studies	3
Chicana Chicano Studies
CCS 100	Introduction to Chicana/o Studies	3
CCS 232	Critical Issues in Chicana and Latina Studies	3
Child Development
CDEV C1000	Child Growth and Development	3
CDEV 112	The Developing Child: Conception through Early Childhood	3
CDEV 210	Child, Family, and Community	3
CDEV 235	Children in a Diverse Society	3
Communication
COMM C1000	Introduction to Public Speaking	3
COMM C1004	Interpersonal Communication	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 212	Argumentation	3
COMM 220	Introduction to Mass Communication	3
Computer Studies and Information Technology
CSIT 160	Technology, the Individual, and Society	3
CSIT 165	Living in an Online World	3
Counseling
COUN 115	Introduction to Multicultural Counseling	3
Economics
ECON 100	Survey of Economics	3
ECON C2001	Principles of Microeconomics	3
ECON C2002	Principles of Macroeconomics	3
Geography
GEOG 102	People, Place, and Time: Introduction to Human Geography	3
GEOG 104	World Geography	3
GEOG 108	Environmental Sustainability and Society	3
Gerontology
GERO 101	Introduction to Aging	3
GERO 250	Intergenerational Issues	3
History
HIST C1001	United States History to 1877	3
or HIST C1001H	United States History to 1877 - Honors
HIST C1002	United States History since 1865	3
or HIST C1002H	United States History since 1865 - Honors
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
HIST 104	Modern European History and Culture	3
HIST 107	East Asian Societies	3
HIST 113	American Military History	3
HIST 115	Women in American History	3
HIST 116	History of the Americas to 1830	3
HIST 117	History of the Americas Since 1830	3
HIST 141	Mexican American History Through 1877	3
HIST 142	Mexican American History Since 1877	3
HIST 145	African American History to 1877	3
HIST 146	African American History Since 1877	3
HIST 150	History of Mexico	3
HIST 165	California History	3
Nutrition
NUTR 108	Cultural Aspects of Foods and Nutrition	3
Political Science
POLS C1000	American Government and Politics	4
POLS 101	Introduction to Political Science	3
or POLS 101H	Introduction to Political Science (Honors)
POLS 103	Comparative Government	3
POLS 150	Introduction to International Relations	3
Psychology
PSYC C1000	Introduction to Psychology	3
or PSYC C1000H	Introduction to Psychology (Honors)
PSYC 100	Psychology of Personal Growth	3
PSYC 114	Abnormal Psychology	3
PSYC 115	Human Sexuality	3
PSYC 121	Human Development	3
PSYC 125	Psychology of Women	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
Social and Behavioral Sciences Statistics
PSYC 104	Statistics for Behavioral Science	4
or PSYC 104H	Statistics for Behavioral Science (Honors)
or SOCI 125	Introduction to Statistics in Sociology
Sociology
SOCI C1000	Introduction to Sociology	3
or SOCI C1000H	Introduction to Sociology - Honors
SOCI 102	Contemporary Social Problems	3
SOCI 103	Social Psychology	3
or PSYC 103	Social Psychology
SOCI 105	Introduction to Justice Studies	3
SOCI 120	Introduction to Women's Studies	3
SOCI 130	Introduction to Gender Studies	3
SOCI 140	Introduction to LGBT Studies	3
SOCI 145	Psychology/Sociology of the Family	3
or PSYC 145	Psychology/Sociology of the Family
SOCI 205	Introduction to Research Methods in Sociology	3
SOCI 207	Race and Ethnic Relations	3
or ETHN 207	Race and Ethnic Relations
SOCI 250	Introduction to Pacific Studies	3