Austin Brown

SBS Exit Essay

This is the end. It has been an intense and fun journey through my SBS undergrad

experience. I have been at CSUMB for four years and will be graduating this semester. As a part

of the final requirements I have to answer a few questions that basically evaluate how I feel my

time has been used and how much the SBS program has supported me in the quest to graduate.

This essay will explain how demands have been met by both myself and the department. It will

also describe a couple of the best experiences Ive had while in SBS classes and it will explain

how those experiences made me a better thinker and writer.

To start, Id like to explain how the SBS major has met my needs as a student. I feel that

the SBS faculty are all excellent in their respective fields. Every professor I have had is

extremely well versed in the subject we are learning about. It is really important to me that when

I am in class I feel that I can ask questions and not get back a response that leaves me wanting

more. And I never received an answer like this in my experience with this department. Along the

same lines, readings that were required for the courses were well chosen. I especially enjoyed the

SBS 300 required text as it was a good introduction to the theories that would be explored deeper

in later classes. At the time, I felt the entries were a little too biographical and not enough about

the theories themselves, however as I learned about the theories in other courses it became

apparent that Salerno was just the right amount of theory explanation. I also want to thank the

faculty for being understanding that life happens and being willing to work with extreme and

unique situations as they arise. I have had at least one pretty intense situation come up in my

personal life over the years, and when it did happen, my professors were very understanding and

willing to help and made my situation a little bit better. So thank you SBS.
 As for my performance, it was pretty mediocre. I feel that I have done a good job at the

end to focus and really learn and absorb the ideas and concepts presented in classes. That being

said, I definitely should have taken 400 more serious. If I had taken more advantage of the many

draft options present during that class, my stress levels in 402 would not have been as high and

my life would have been easier. However, I feel that in the sociology classes I have been a part

of, I have done a good job being immersed in the class. I have also produced high quality final

assignments in all of the classes required. In the end, I feel satisfied with my work in the final

requirements. I feel that I ended up meeting all of the necessary goals, even if my journey here

was a little bit less than smooth.

The first influential experience I encountered was during SBS 245. This class, teaching

about Native Americans throughout history, opened my eyes to so many issues. Not only did it

teach me about the gross mistreatment of the native people in early American history, it also

described what they still experience today. The class also taught me about a lot of my writing

issues. Professor George was a harsh grader when it came to grammar and overall writing

mechanics. This wasnt fun in the beginning, but I owe him a thank you for improving my

writing skills. Without experiencing the massive edits I went through in that class, I would not

have been able to produce so many written products in 400 and 402 without much more work.

Learning to eliminate run-on sentences and that commas are my friend were two very important

lessons for me to learn.

The second most influential experience I had in the major was during SOC 333. During

this class, Dr. Baldwin was constantly challenging our beliefs on womens role in crime. Most

people, especially those not well versed in social studies, believe that women are the abused and

men are the abusers. However, there are several studies that show that is simply not always the
case. In fact, it is almost even on who is the abuser and who is the abused. This same revelation

came when talking about the problem of campus rape. This is a serious issue, but one that is

inappropriately discussed in the media. Dr. Baldwin showed evidence, in the form of data tables,

that the percentages used in popular media outlets to describe the percentage of college females

who are raped is based on a study with a bad methodology. Basically, he taught us to not believe

everything that has a study backing it. It is important to look into the data for yourself and ensure

that the methods used to gather the data are valid and appropriate. This made me a much better

thinker right off of the bat. I instantly began second guessing things I thought were true and

looking into the data sets to ensure the sources were accurate in their claims.

Overall, SBS has been an excellent major and department. The faculty are supportive and

knowledgeable. The classes gave me what they should have, and I am all the better for it. While,

yes, I could have done better in some of the classes, I feel that I was able to pull through very

strong at the end. I am proud of what I have achieved in the major and I am proud to be

graduating from the Social and Behavioral Sciences department. Thank you!