General Studies: Social Sciences AS Degree
General Studies – 18 Unit Emphasis | SC Program: AS.1516
This emphasis allows students to explore the social and behavioral sciences as a foundation for lifelong learning, or as introduction to the related fields of anthropology, psychology, sociology, economics, geography, history, and political science.



Choose your path
Map your education by viewing the program map for the degree or certificate you’re interested in earning below. Meet with a counselor to create your official comprehensive education plan.
A program map shows all the required and recommended courses you need to graduate and a suggested order in which you should take them. The suggested sequence of courses is based on enrollment and includes all major and general education courses required for the degree.
Fall Semester, First Year
16 Units TotalIn this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research. An argumentative research essay is required for the successful completion of the course. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course provides an introduction to psychology, the study of the mind and behavior, as a science and as an applied field. The course provides an integration of physiological, cognitive, social-behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, cultural, and evolutionary perspectives. Topics include research methods, the nervous system, perception, learning, thinking, memory, human development, social behavior, emotions, motivation, personality, abnormal behavior, and psychotherapy. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Spring Semester, First Year
15 Units TotalThis course is a comparative survey of the major ancient world civilizations which developed between 3500 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E. It examines political institutions, religious ideologies, the rise and fall of empires, and the major cultural innovations of each of the major world civilizations. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
This course provides an introduction to the discipline of sociology. It examines interactions among social institutions, cultures, groups, and individuals. The focus is on how unequal power relations organize the social world and shape individual lives, and how individuals negotiate their lives in different social, cultural, and economic contexts. The course will examine a broad array of topics using a variety of theoretical perspectives and sociological research methods. The primary goal of this course is to recognize how people's experiences are shaped by social forces and reshaped through human action. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Fall Semester, Second Year
15 Units TotalThis course explores significant social problems in contemporary society, including the role of power in defining social problems. It examines the process of how social problems arise in society, and their consequences. As an introduction to this topic, the course will focus on understanding how and why social problems develop and the controversies that accompany them. The course will be organized into three main units. The first will consider different theoretical perspectives as well as social science research methods used to identify and understand social problems. The second unit of the course will examine specific social problems associated with the relationship between social inequality and social structure. The third unit of the course will discuss institutional and organizational policies that develop as a result of social problems and the outcomes of those social policy approaches. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Spring Semester, Second Year
14 Units TotalThis course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race and ethnicity in the United States. It examines social justice movements in relation to ethnic and racial groups in the United States to provide a basis for a better understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political conditions among key social groups including, but not limited to, Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latina/o Americans. This course examines the systemic nature of racial/ethnic oppression through an examination of key concepts including racialization and ethnocentrism, with a specific focus on the persistence of white supremacy. Using an anti-racist framework, the course will examine historical and contemporary social movements dedicated to the decolonization of social institutions, resistance, and social justice. This course may be offered in a distance education format.
Please see a counselor to discuss options for meeting general education requirements for transfer to California State Universities (CSU) and/or University of California (UC) campuses, as well as any specific additional courses that may be required by your chosen institution of transfer.
*Alternative Courses: Please see a Shasta College counselor for alternative course options. You can also view the following to find other courses to meet degree/certificate requirements:
- California State Universities – General Education
- IGETC – Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum
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