Sociology & Anthropology
Professor Lisa Maya Knauer shares the impact that studying Anthropology has on students, and she explains all of the career opportunities available.
Welcome to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. As an interdisciplinary department, we offer students a unique opportunity to explore the social world through distinct but related branches of knowledge in the social sciences.
We seek to understand society and culture through a comparative and historical perspective. The curriculum is designed to foster students’ understanding of the social construction of difference; entrenched systems of inequality and oppression; and the dynamics of local and global distributions of power.
Our wide range of courses explore the complex interconnections between race, class, ethnicity, culture, gender, and sexuality and focus on understanding contemporary social issues, both in the U.S. and around the world. Majors learn how to apply theoretical debates in sociology and anthropology (as appropriate to a student’s selected concentration) to the investigation of social life, and develop critical insights into possibilities for social change.
The Department’s curriculum features multiple opportunities for connecting classroom learning, community engagement, and individual exploration. Students are encouraged to pursue issues of interest to them through community-based research, internships, seminars, as well as independent study and thesis options. A central aim of the Department's curriculum is to help students develop the essential skills of thinking critically, and expressing themselves clearly and persuasively.