Program Description
How do we make sense of the differences that define us, both locally and globally? Do different politics, cultural values, or divisions of labor reflect inequality or just diverse ways doing things? What role do race, gender, class, and sexuality play in giving meaning to these variations and to our own identities and experiences?
As an interdisciplinary major, Sociology and Anthropology (SoAn) offers students the opportunity to learn about the social world and their place in it through global, comparative study of social theory, policy, and on-the-ground experience. Classes focused on international culture, migration, health, family, criminology, development, media, religion, and education offer students a wide variety of topics and institutions through which to know, engage, and transform the world around them. Students learn and practice both ethnographic and quantitative research skills that allow them to conduct research at home and abroad, laying the foundation for diverse professional pathways.
Who You Could Be
- Educator
- Diplomat
- Public Policy Analyst
- Archaeologist
- Market Researcher
- Nonprofit Administrator
- Public Relations Specialist
- Human/Social Services Worker
"I was able to apply the participant observation method to contortion and acrobatics for my Watson project. I was able to participate in the training methods and also to look at the culture of the people around me and how their arts and training interacted with culture.”
What You'll Learn
- Develop nuanced intercultural understanding and greater global awareness
- Conceptualize, design, and conduct independent, field-based research
- Use rigorous qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather social data
- Use sociological and anthropological theory to analyze social phenomena
- Assess empirical data and interpret its implications