About Us

Mission Statements

Sociology Mission Statement

The sociology program at Minnesota State University Mankato is dedicated to the pursuit, transmission and application of sociological knowledge in order to understand and transform the social world. The pursuit of sociological knowledge involves scholarly inquiry by faculty and students.

The transmission of sociological knowledge entails teaching and learning within and beyond the academy. The application of sociological knowledge translates the unique insights of sociological perspectives into our professional activities and daily lives. Our program pursues these goals within a collegial, supportive and welcoming environment for all students, staff and faculty.

Corrections Mission Statement

The corrections program has as its foundation the sociological perspective and theoretical orientations in the Sociology Statement of Purpose. The corrections graduate will have a dedication to the application of the sociological perspective to correctional practice and is expected to possess the knowledge, values, and skills necessary for entry level professional work in a correctional agency. In addition, the graduate will have a commitment to improving the system of justice and be able to understand and participate in the processes of change. Students should have a sound understanding of the system, as it is, a vision of what it could become, and the desire to make the ideal a reality. The graduate is expected to demonstrate a commitment to the principles of social justice, respect, tolerance, support, and belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals.

Corrections is a broad, multidisciplinary field of inquiry. The disciplines forming its knowledge base are sociology, political science, law, social work and psychology. Examples of the knowledge base are listed below.

The graduate is expected to understand the nature of social organizations charged with responsibility for offenders; to understand the sociological theories that attempt to explain the causation and continuance of criminal behavior; to describe the effects of social charge on individual behavior; to have knowledge of social institutions including the family, economics, education, health, and religion; to understand cultural differences and the effect of those differences in experiences with the criminal justice system; and to understand stages of the human life cycle including physical, psychological and sociological aspects of the stages of human development.

The types of skills required by correctional practice are:

1. Well-developed communication skills, including the ability for clear, descriptive writing and effective public speaking.
2. Skill in interpersonal communication, including interviewing, speaking, and writing pre-sentence investigations and other reports.
3. Knowledge of research methods.
4. Critical analytical skills which permit reviewing policy and practice, identifying problems and developing and implementing solutions.

These statements of mission emphasize the importance of:

1. Focusing on the social construction of a positive departmental culture to foster nurturing relationships with students, the community and each other.
2. Creating and maintaining high quality educational programs for undergraduate and graduate students.
3. Fostering personal and professional development for students and faculty in curricular and extra curricular activities.
4. Contributing to the general education curriculum.
5. Providing expertise to the local and regional community.
6. Nurturing the development of sociological perspectives, sociological techniques, sociological practice and sociological lives.

The Department of Sociology and Corrections is guided by our mission, is committed to democratic governance, strives to foster collegiality, and maintains a balance and a strong tie between the sociology program and the corrections program. Our mission is congruent with what we hope for our students and what we expect from our faculty. Faculty expectations are set out most formally in our contract under Article 22.