Sociology

Welcome to VIU's Sociology Department

VIU’s Sociology Department faculty are a collegial group committed to excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. Our classrooms are open to lively discussions and creative thinking, and we offer a diverse range of courses that provide innovative class assignments and projects, experiential learning (e.g., CBAIR), and opportunities for the study of both scholarly and personal interests (e.g., directed studies, senior projects, Honours projects). Together, we are committed to supporting students as they explore, question, and challenge preconceptions.

Our students embark upon on a critical scientific journey of understanding society and social behaviour. We support students as they examine the complexities of social interactions and their relationships to social structures and social processes, both in the everyday world and within our broader global society. We encourage intellectual curiosity and critical thinking as we attempt to understand problems and look for potential solutions.  

We invite you to join our dynamic learning community and to participate in conversations that help shape our understanding of society. This is an exciting time to study sociology and explore our role in contributing to positive social change.

Learn more about required courses for the Sociology BA Major and BA Minor.

If you have questions about courses or pre-requisites, please contact the Department Chair, Sylvie Lafrenière (
Sylvie.Lafreniere@viu.ca), or one of the BA Advisors, Andrea Martin (Andrea.Martin@viu.ca) or Lynda Patterson (Lynda.Patterson@viu.ca).