Sitting in the RSC, WSU student Michelle Dehaven defines sociology.

“Sociology is the study of society,” Dehaven said. “Anything that you see as a whole, even just observing the people you see in this room, applies to sociology somehow. So, by examining that on a greater level, or even a smaller level, we can get a better understanding of why our society works the way it does.”

Dehaven is the treasurer of WSU’s Sociology Club; an on-campus organization whose purpose is the “informing, involving and connecting of the campus and community to the underlying sociological concepts of everyday life.”

This Friday, the Sociology Club, along with the Sociology Department, will expand on this purpose by hosting their first annual Sociology Symposium.

The symposium will present the research of Wichita State undergraduate and graduate students of sociology as well as WSU professors.

Divided into hour-long sessions, the symposium will cover topics ranging from sexuality and pop culture consumption to education.

Scott Walls is a sociology graduate student and president of the Sociology Club. He will present his education research at the symposium.

“My interest is in education, and what goes into a good educational experience,” Walls said. “[In my research] I looked at student engagement. Basically, I’m looking at the amount of time students spend studying out of class, the amount of time they spend with professors out of class, the amount of events that the school puts on and also their involvement in different organizations.”

Walls said that his research was aimed to discover “if there was a correlation between the engagement level of students and their GPA.”

The symposium will conclude with a presentation by President John Bardo, and will give attendees a chance to hear Bardo’s future plans for WSU and also to ask him questions.

The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room 200 in Lindquist Hall and is free for all students, faculty and staff. Light refreshments will follow the conclusion of the symposium.

Jodie Hertzog, Ph.D., a faculty adviser of the Sociology Club, said attendees who do not study sociology can walk away with something valuable.

“A lot of issues that sociologists focus on are social issues,” Hertzog said. “So there are things [at the event] that everybody would have some interest in.”