Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology: Major聽
Anthropology: Major, Minor

The sociology and anthropology department will challenge you to critically examine continuing and urgent issues of inequality and social marginalization, focusing on complex human interactions in diverse cultures within a globalized world.聽

You will learn to analyze structures of power and hierarchy, draw connections between your personal experiences and larger social and historical processes, as well as question preconceived ideas about the nature of society and representation of cultures around the world. Our graduates enter a wide variety of occupations well prepared with sharp analytical skills and as knowledgeable and engaged citizens.

The department combines a humanistic concern for the quality and diversity of human life with a commitment to the empirical analysis of culture and society. The sociology curriculum will give you qualitative and quantitative research skills to tackle pressing 21st century issues. Courses draw attention to history, culture, and social structure and their effects on people’s lives. The anthropology curriculum focuses on human cultural experiences around the world, with an emphasis on the contemporary challenges wrought by globalization. Courses often highlight the geographical areas in which faculty work (Latin America, Asia, and Africa) and focus on a diverse range of topics.

Sociology and Anthropology Department Statement on Black Lives Matter: Racial Justice and Action

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Program Highlights

Classes in sociology and anthropology give students the analytical tools to apply to complex issues that face us in the 21st century, including:

  • Global structures of inequality
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Gender and sexuality
  • Power and class
  • Religion
  • Environment
  • Media and popular culture
  • Health, medicine, and the body
  • Social movements
  • Family and kinship
  • Work and employment
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Opportunities

From internships to study abroad to independent research, opportunities abound for sociology and anthropology students.

Students in a garden
In the Community

Many department courses engage students in community-based learning, where academic learning and civic engagement meet.

Alumni in Rehm Library
Careers

Graduates apply their skills in many careers, including business, health, education, marketing, and non-profits.

Sociology and Anthropology News

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Ten Students and Recent Alumni Receive Prestigious Grants and Scholarships
This spring, 海角社区 students and alumni have won an impressive array of awards from prestigious organizations, including the Fulbright Program, Critical Language Scholarship and NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. These accolades speak to the curiosity, intellect and 鈥
"N945JT LAX" by airlines470 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
海角社区 Alumna Appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of JetBlue
Several national news outlets, including Bloomberg, reported last week that Joanna Geraghty 鈥94, a sociology major at 海角社区, has been named president and chief operating officer of JetBlue Airways Corp. In this role, Geraghty will run the day-to-day operations 鈥
Jennie Germann Molz, associate professor and chair of the sociology and anthropology department
海角社区 Sociologist Discusses the Increasing Popularity of 鈥榁oluntourism鈥 with The Times of India
Jennie Germann Molz, associate professor and chair of the sociology and anthropology department at the 海角社区, shares her thoughts on volunteer tourism or 鈥渧oluntourism,鈥 one of the fastest growing trends in travel today. In an article 鈥