With its smaller population and class sizes, the W.H. Sutton School of Social Sciences gets overlooked when compared to the Hickingbotham School of Business and the J.D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences. However, for the students that are enrolled in one of the various majors offered, it is all too familiar. It is a place where they have grown close to their classmates and professors over the years spent together both in class and in study groups.
“Besides the subjects themselves, the small size of the classes in both history and political science are why I love majoring in them. Having classes with the same people over and over again, we have become almost like a little family over time” Hannah Bunch, a sophomore history major from Paragould, said.
The School of Social Sciences is broken up into departments of history, political science, psychology and sociology. The most common next step for many OBU students who choose the Social Sciences route is graduate school of some kind. There are those who seek a master’s or even eventually a PhD to pursue a career as a professor, as well as those hoping to get into law school, like Robert Lewis, a senior history major and political science/business administration double minor from Bentonville.
“I have been interested in practicing law since I was in middle school and history and political science seemed like the best way for me to prepare myself,” Lewis said. “I have taken judicial process and constitutional law and I believe both of these will help me when I begin the next step in my education.”
In addition to the graduate students that the W.H. Sutton School of Social Sciences produces, there are also numerous career opportunities for those who choose to bypass the graduate school route and instead go straight into work. Majoring in political science, history, sociology or psychology opens the door to potential jobs in education, politics, public relations, journalism, research, counseling and administration, among others.
Due to the lower class load in these courses, it is very easy for students to double major in the School of Social Sciences. A political science and history double major is a great combination for any student planning on attending law school because both subjects provide the preparation that they will need and also a comparable classroom experience. Psychology has also become a popular choice for students to add a major or minor in. Dr. Randall Wight’s general psychology class is one of the most sought after electives each semester.
Dr. Doug Reed, Chair of the Political Science department, is one of the many advocates for students majoring in the social sciences because of the preparation that it gives them for the job world, in any field.
“People learn how to think critically and evaluate problems. They also learn that most decisions are not right or wrong decisions and these can be up for debate, you have to write essays and you have to try and think clearly which prepares students for the real world,” Reed said.
Because of its small size and the fact that many students have very little knowledge about the subjects, the W.H. Sutton School of Social Sciences is often overlooked. However, it continues to be among the best for preparing students for the real world.
By Zach Parker
