Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology & Anthropology foster a critical consciousness of how different cultures and social groups organize and make sense of their world. Majors explore the ways in which social interaction, social practices, culture and social structures promote solidarity, mark differences, legitimate power, create inequality, police deviance, maintain social order, promote resistance, and lead to movements for change. Majors discover the patterns, rules and logic that undergird criminal justice systems, gender and race relations, sexuality, family, work, law, medicine, religion, and the arts, as well as the cultural variability in these. Majors examine struggles for power and privilege and the ways in which humans have transformed their own societies and those of others. Sociology and Anthropology majors also learn how to question received knowledge; think critically and imaginatively; interpret, situate, and evaluate an argument; design and carry out research on human behavior, social groups, and societies; formulate, articulate, and support a position; write cogently, persuasively, and with sensitivity to ethical issues; develop an historical and comparative gaze in tackling contemporary problems; and act in a world that is complex, global, and multi-faceted. Sociology & Anthropology courses are interactive, combining lecture and discussion. Many majors enhance their understanding of other cultures and societies by studying abroad, e.g., in Australia, China, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and South Africa. Many also take courses in interdisciplinary campus programs such as Asian Studies, Black Studies, European Studies, Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Conflict Studies, and Women's Studies. Still others participate in off-campus internship programs, including in New York, Philadelphia, and London.

Course Catalog

Requirements for a major

Anthropology

Total courses required Nine
Core courses ANTH 151, ANTH 153, ANTH 383, ANTH 450 (formerly ANTH 380), ANTH 452. The required courses in the major, including the required 300-level course, must be taken on campus.
Other required courses Of the remaining four courses, one must be at the 300-level.
Number 300 and 400 level courses Four
Senior requirement and capstone experience The senior requirement consists of the completion of 1) ANTH 452 (Senior Seminar in Anthropology) with a grade of C- or higher AND 2) a senior thesis paper with a grade of C- or higher. The capstone experience for majors includes the completion of ANTH 452 (Senior Seminar in Anthropology) and a 25-35 page thesis based on original research. The first half of the seminar involves common readings on a broad theme of anthropological relevance; the second half of the seminar is devoted to students' individual projects and presentations of their work in class. Students are also required to present their final work during the annual Sociology and Anthropology Senior Symposium at the end of the spring semester.
Recent changes in major
  • Two courses in sociology may apply toward the anthropology major, but not toward the 300-level course, effective 7/1/2019.
    		•
    Writing in the Major Ethnographic Methods is the required writing intensive qualitative methods course for the Anthropology major. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of anthropological research; participant observation, formal and informal interviewing, the preparation of field notes, coding of data, and empirical analysis. Students employ these methods as they conduct their own original ethnographic projects. In addition, students read classical and contemporary ethnographic research as they explore the key methodological and ethical challenges practicing anthropologists face. Ultimately, this course helps students move through the sequential stages of research design, implementation, analysis, and reporting. They achieve these objectives through multiple and varied writing assignments.

    Sociology

    Total courses required Nine
    Core courses SOC 100, SOC 303, SOC 401, SOC 410. The required courses in the major, including the required 300-level course, must be taken on campus.
    Other required courses Of the remaining five courses, one must be at the 300-level.
    Number 300 and 400 level courses Four
    Senior requirement and capstone experience The senior requirement consists of the completion of 1) SOC 410 (Senior Seminar in Sociology) with a grade of C- or higher AND 2) a senior thesis paper with a grade of C- or higher. The capstone experience for majors includes the completion of SOC 410 (Senior Seminar in Sociology) and a 25-35 page thesis based on original research. The first half of the seminar involves common readings on a broad theme of sociological relevance; the second half of the seminar is devoted to students' individual projects and presentations of their work in class. Students are also required to present their final work during the annual Sociology and Anthropology Senior Symposium at the end of the spring semester.
    Recent changes in major
  • Two courses in anthropology may apply toward the sociology major, but not toward the 300-level course, effective 7/1/2019.
    		•
    Writing in the Major SOC 401, Methods of Social Research, fills the writing in the major requirement for Sociology.This course is designed to introduce students to the scientific method as it applies to quantitative research in sociology. Students learn the strategies of research design, hypothesis formation, scaling and measurement, survey construction, and data processing, analysis, and interpretation. They conduct their own original research projects using techniques of quantitative analysis.Through these projects, students learn how to write the four different sections of a sociological-oriented scholarly journal article: literature review, methodology, analysis and discussion/conclusion.

    Requirements for a minor

    Anthropology

    Total courses required Five
    Core courses ANTH 151 or ANTH 153
    Other required courses
    Number 300 and 400 level courses One

    Sociology

    Total courses required Five
    Core courses SOC 100
    Other required courses
    Number 300 and 400 level courses One