The major in Sociology provides students with a rigorous understanding of the ways in which social relations and settings shape individual and group experiences and outcomes, with an emphasis on how various forms of inequality are created and propagated through time. Reflecting the diversity of social settings that motivate sociological inquiry, students will enroll in multiple introductory-level courses. We intend that these first courses will help students develop a sociological lens through which they can better understand the baseline determinants of inequality, social order, and change.
Because the discipline draws on diverse theoretical and methodological tools to engage with these core issues, required coursework ensures that students develop expertise in classical and contemporary theoretical concepts as well as both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Upper-level seminars provide majors and minors with an opportunity to apply these substantive, theoretical, and methodological perspectives to a focused and deep study of specific sociological topics. The major additionally features a capstone experience, enabling students to deploy sociological tools to undertake original work connected with a research project, internship, or honors thesis.
The sections that follow provide a detailed overview of both the Sociology major and minor, with an emphasis on providing answers to many of the questions likely to arise at each stage, as well as a guide to related opportunities available to our majors and minors.
