College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

Current and Future Students

Community and Rural Sociology

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Community Studies
Requirements and Core Courses
Careers in Community Studies
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Related Fields of Study That Might Interest You
Contact Information

Community Studies

Community studies, offered by WSU's Department of Community and Rural Sociology, is designed to help students increase their knowledge of broad forces affecting community change, such as why community development efforts succeed or fail, how different kinds of policies are formed and their impact on local areas, how to communicate and work with diverse groups, and how to resolve controversial local issues.
Offered at WSU: Minor
Available at: Pullman

Requirements and Core Courses

—Minor in Community Studies

The minor requires 18 hours of course work and a 2.0 GPA. Students may apply for the minor after completing 90 semester hours.

Three of the 18 must come from:

CRS 334—Principles of Community Development
CRS 335—Cross-National Perspectives on Community
CRS 336—Agriculture, Environment, and Community
CRS 391—Special Topics (on approval)
Soc 330—Urbanization and Community Organization

An additional three hours must come from among the following 400-level courses:

CRS 423—Fundamentals of Participatory Research
CRS 431—Understanding State and Local Population Trends
CRS 435—Resolving Environmental Conflicts
CRS 441—Local Impacts of Global Commodity Systems
CRS 491—Advanced Special Topics
CRS 499—Special Problems (on approval)
Anth/Soc 418—Human Issues in International Development
H D 410—Public Policy Issues Impacting Families
      and Individuals

The remaining 12 hours may come from any of the above courses as well as from:

Ag Ec 320—American Agriculture and Rural Life
Arch 202—The Built Environment
ES/RP 335—Environmental Policy
ES/RP 486—Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
H D 205—Communication in Human Relations
NATRS 312—Natural Resources and Society
NATRS 438—Natural Resource Policy and Administration
Pol S 316—American Public Policy
Pol S 416—Policy Analysis
Soc 301—Rural Sociology
Soc 331—Population, Resources, and the Future
Soc 332—Society and Environment
Soc 424—Sociology and Public Policy

NOTE: Students should consult the General Catalog for course planning and must meet course requirements as outlined in the catalog to graduate.

Careers in Community Studies

A community studies minor from Washington State University will help prepare students to effectively live and work in communities, both in the United States and abroad, and provide them with the necessary skills to influence community development and change.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Students can compete for the Alexander A. Smick Scholarship, worth up to $1,500 a semester, and the John Wardwell Demography Award. In addition, the College of Agriculture and Home Economics awards more than $400,000 to first-year and continuing CAHE students. They are also encouraged to apply for University-wide scholarships and financial aid.

Related Fields of Study That Might Interest You

Anthropology
Environmental science
Human development
Political science
Sociology

Contact Information

Department of Community and Rural Sociology
Wilson Hall, Room 23
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-4006
Phone: 509-335-8623
crs@wsu.edu

Visit Department Web Page

Department of Community and Rural Sociology

Strengths of the Program

 

CAHNRS, Hulbert 421, PO Box 646242, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-6242, 509-335-4562, Contact Academic Programs