The Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) degree program integrates perspectives from psychology, sociology, and anthropology as it prepares students for careers in social services, mental health, law and public policy, early childhood care, and education.

Designed to enhance students' understanding of the psychosocial and cultural influences shaping individual lives and social institutions, the curriculum interweaves interdisciplinary courses in liberal arts (the LAC Common Core curriculum) with foundational SBS courses and a variety of courses providing more specific tools of the trade. Students expand upon this knowledge through choices made from an extensive array of elective courses.

Many students focus their choice of electives thematically, pursuing a Concentration in Counseling; a Concentration or Minor in Early Childhood Studies; or a Concentration or Minor in Public Health. Other students more fully customize their choice of electives or integrate their SBS degree with related minors such as Global Studies, Leadership and Organizational Studies, or with a Certificate in Public Health or in Leadership and Organizational Studies.

A critical component of this degree program is the internship (SBS 447). Students select their internship with the assistance of the faculty advisor and the director of field experience. Students identify an organization that will enable them to evaluate potential career opportunities and develop workplace skills. Prior to the internship, students participate in a sequence of 1.5-credit hour seminars where they learn aspects of career decision making and launching a successful career.

Students may use two courses from outside the major as electives with faculty approval. No more than two courses from outside the major may be used as elective courses without permission of the faculty.

Prerequisite Courses (12 credits) expected to be taken before 300-level courses

     SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
     PSY 101 General Psychology I
     PSY 102 General Psychology II
     ANT 101 Anthropology: The Cultural View

Before taking 300-level courses in this major, students must have completed a 100-level college writing course with a grade of at least C.

Requirements for the Major (28 credits)

Electives (18 credits)

Students will complete at least six electives in SBS. They may structure their choice of these electives by picking a Concentration (Counseling, Early Childhood Studies, or Public Health) or may instead more fully customize the choice of electives, selecting a minimum of two courses from the list below, with the remainder drawn from any of the other 300-level SBS electives described on the following pages:
     SBS 209 Human Genetics
     SBS 305 Child Development
     SBS 306 Adolescence
     SBS 307 Midlife and Adult Development
     SBS 310 Childhood and Society
     SBS 311 Theories of Personality
     SBS 341 The Family
     SBS 342 Gerontology
     SBS 345 Diversity: Many Voices
     SBS 360 Culture, Behavior, and Personality
     SBS 381 Introduction to Globalization
     SBS 390 Brain and Behavior

Lewiston Common Core* (LCC)(29-30 Credits)

¹ LCC 130 is not required for Natural and Applied Sciences majors.

² LCC 123 is required for entering students with less than 24 credits while
       LCC 345 is required only of students who were not required to take
       LCC 123.

³ Requirement may be met with any Thematic Cluster, or with any USM minor or double major.

* Descriptions of LCC classes may be found in the introductory portion of the Lewiston-Auburn College section of this catalog.

General Electives (32-33 Credits)

Additional courses towards completing a total of 120 credits for the degree may be drawn from any variety of other courses within or outside of the major, chosen depending on student interests, career plans, and prior transfer credits. In some cases, this may entail pursuit of a minor. Students should consult with their advisors on these choices.

Concentrations

A concentration is a way of organizing the six required SBS elective classes.

Concentration in Counseling

This concentration provides students with an introduction to theory, topics, and skill areas relevant to professional applications in counseling. Organizing the choice of SBS electives through adoption of this concentration strengthens students' preparation for entry into variety of positions in or related to the helping professions, as well as for the pursuit of graduate study. Students doing so should complete the necessary paperwork so that the counseling concentration appears on their transcripts

Two foundational courses are required, plus one each from the categories below. Substitutions must be approved by a faculty adviser.

Foundational courses for the concentration in Counseling:
     SBS 311 Theories of Personality
     SBS 411 Counseling and Psychotherapy

Choose one course from each of the following four groups of courses. Any substitutions must be approved by faculty advisor:

Psychosocial Disorders and Services:
     SBS 303 Abnormal Psychology
     SBS 346 Introduction to Social Services
     SBS 348 Responding to Mental Health Crisis in the Community
     SBS 350 Psychosocial Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence

Diversity and Multiculturalism:
     SBS 315 Social Psychology of Disability
     SBS 316 Diversity in the Workplace
     SBS 345 Diversity: Many Voices
     SBS 360 Culture, Behavior, and Personality
     SBS 470 Study Abroad

Developmental Contexts:
     SBS 305 Child Development
     SBS 306 Adolescence
     SBS 307 Midlife and Development
     SBS 341 The Family

Applied Topics:
     SBS 304 Food, Culture, and Eating
     SBS 308 Health, Illness, and Culture
     SBS 342 Gerontology
     SBS 343 Substance Abuse
     SBS 344 Violence: Causes and Control
     SBS 349 Trauma: Social, Psychological and Cultural Dimensions
     SBS 450 Approaches to Assessing Individual Differences in Children

Note that the Internship (SBS 447) for SBS students pursuing the Counseling Concentration must be related to this focus of study, that is, in a clinical-type setting. Students are advised to consult with their faculty advisors early regarding choice of internship placements.

MHRT/C (Mental Health Rehabilitation Technician – completed in conjunction with the Counseling Concentration)

Any student who wants to fulfill the certificate for the State of Maine should work closely with an advisor as early as possible. The counseling concentration is approved for MHRT/C provisional level B accreditation. In addition, students can earn full MHRT/C accreditation at LAC with the new MHRT/C track within the SBS Counseling Concentration. Details on courses required within this track, formally reviewed and approved by the Muskie Center for Learning, are available on SBS's Counseling Concentration Web page: http://usm.maine.edu/sbs/ba-social-and-behavioral-sciences-counseling-concentration.

Concentration in Public Health

The concentration is intended to help SBS majors structure the choice of their electives and to prepare them to become decision makers and policy advocates. It is also intended to shape their ability to understand myriad public health concerns and their facility in applying pertinent theoretical and practical knowledge to create a safe and functioning society. Professions that utilize knowledge of public health may be in delivery of mental health services, gerontological services, or child and family services.

The following courses are required:
     SBS 308 Health, Illness, and Culture
     SBS 335 Legal Issues in Health and Human Services
     SBS/SCI 336 Introduction to Public Health
     SBS/SCI 337 Introduction to Epidemiology

One elective course will be chosen from the following:
     SBS 304 Food, Culture and Eating
     SBS/SCI 399 Public Health Nutrition

One elective course will be chosen from the following:
     SBS 332 Death, Dying, and Denial
     SBS 338 Health Care Policies
     SBS 341 Family
     SBS 343 Substance Abuse (Note: CON 497 Substance Use and  Abuse: Issues and Policies may subsitute for SBS 343)
     SBS 344 Violence: Causes and Control
     SBS 345 Diversity:  Many Voices
     SBS 350 Psychosocial Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence
     SBS/LOS 381 Introduction to Globalization
     SBS 339 Ethnicity, Immigration, and Identity
     SBS 399 Prevention and Wellness
     SBS 399 Working with Diverse Populations

Early Childhood Studies Concentration

In the SBS ECS Concentration, the 6 required SBS electives (18 credits) are organized into one selection from each of the categories outlined below.Course options are available in each of six content areas listed below based upon the recommendations of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and our community advisors. 

Early Childhood Teacher certification (081): A track for the State of Maine's Early Childhood Teacher certification (081) is now available through the SBS degree.  Please see the Maine Department of Education website for full requirements.  Additionally, several courses in the ECS Concentration/Minor have been individually approved toward the State of Maine EC Teacher Certification 0-5 (081 endorsement) including SBS 200, SBS 305, EDU 336, SBS 310, SBS 341, SBS 375 and SBS 450. The Endorsement 081: Early Childhood Teacher (Birth to School Age), is for pre-K educators.  It is intended to support appropriate early education learning experiences by ensuring that all educators working in public school pre-K programs have specialized knowledge of early childhood development.

Note that the Internship (SBS 447) for SBS students pursuing the ECS Concentration must be related to this focus of study. Students are advised to consult with their faculty advisors early regarding choice of internship placements. Finally, students should formally specify either a Minor or Concentration in ECS through completion of the necessary paperwork through the Student Success Center so that ECS appears on their transcript.

Any substitutions must be approved by faculty advisor:

Child Development
     SBS 305 Child Development
     SBS 309 The Psychology of Attachment in Early Childhood
     Note: SBS 309 would be an appropriate choice in this category for students transferring in prior coursework in child development.

Family
     SBS 341 The Family

Leadership
     SBS/LOS 301 Group Dynamics
     SBS/LOS 302 Organizational Behavior

Systems
     SBS 310 Childhood and Society
     EDU/LAE 200 Education in the U.S
     SBS 346 Introduction to Social Services

Children and Evaluation
     SBS 350 Psychosocial Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence
     SBS 375 Infant Mental Health
     SBS 450 Approaches to Assessing Individual Differences in Children

Teaching/Preparing Children for Learning
     EDU 336 Children's Literature
     SBS/LAC 340 Language Acquisition and Literacy Development