Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology

The Sociology major and minor are offered through the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, Law and Society. Also offered through this department are majors in Anthropology and Criminal Justice, Law and Society. Minors are available in Sociology, Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Law and Society and Comparative Religion.

The major in sociology provides extensive knowledge about culture, social institutions, and everyday interaction as these shape identity, behavior, social systems, and social inequality. Sociology majors are trained in qualitative and quantitative research skills along with tools for advanced critical thinking and theoretical application. The program contributes to a liberal arts education, prepares students for graduate training in sociology, civic and community engagement, and prepares students for careers in law, social services and related fields.

Anthropology

The Anthropology major and minor are offered through the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, Law and Society, which also offers a major in Sociology and Criminal Justice, Law and Society. Minors are available in Sociology, Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Law and Society and Comparative Religion.

Anthropology explores the diversity of humankind by asking what it means to be human. Anthropologists examine this diversity through the common thread of culture building on the premise that all cultural beliefs, values, and practices can be understood when examined in their own cultural context. By examining human behaviors comparatively, anthropologists learn to avoid ethnocentrism, the tendency to interpret practices as strange on the basis of preconceptions derived from one’s own cultural background. Anthropologists learn how to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange and thereby provide frameworks for cross-cultural understanding at the micro and macro level.

Anthropology majors are trained in qualitative and ethnographic research skills along with tools for advanced critical thinking and theoretical application. The program contributes to a liberal arts education, prepares students for graduate training in anthropology, civic and community engagement, as well as careers in healthcare, government, business, law, journalism, social services, education, and human rights work—in local and international settings.

The anthropology curriculum provides graduates with knowledge and perspectives needed to participate as engaged citizens in a global society. Anthropology emphasizes tolerance and respect for other cultures’ ways of living. Anthropological approaches oriented toward social and political engagement, collaborations with local communities, applied work, and public dissemination of research (through publishing, oral presentations, film, internet and museum exhibits, web-content) provide specific tools and opportunities for inspiring students to think, care, create, and pursue justice in our world.

Students interested in an Anthropology major should consult with a faculty member in the Anthropology Department before the end of the sophomore year. It is highly recommended that students study abroad, participate in a travel course, or engage in local immersion in the United States.

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