Sociology and Anthropology

Faculty:

Chair: Associate Professor Patricia Delaney
Professor: Vincent Bolduc, Adrie Kusserow
Associate Professor: Robert Brenneman

The department of sociology and anthropology has the unique feature of combining two disciplines within a single departmental major. Students can pursue a specialized track in either discipline. Although both anthropology and sociology share common interest in the impact of culture and society on human behavior, each has its own history, concepts and theoretical commitments. Anthropology essentially focuses on the role of culture in human experience, and sociology is concerned primarily with the role of social interaction and the social structure in human experience.

In keeping with the liberal arts tradition, the department aims to provide an awareness of the complexity of social life, a tolerance of diversity, and an understanding of the social and cultural forces behind human behavior. A familiarity with this analytical perspective can be an asset in any of the careers which are usually entered by graduates of liberal arts colleges.

The disciplines of sociology and anthropology provide such knowledge of social and cultural phenomena as can be obtained by the use of empirical methods. While it is hardly the only means of approaching and understanding these matters, the analytical perspectives do provide insights into the nature of the distribution of power and wealth; the sources of group conflict and social turmoil; the basis of social cohesion; the factors contributing to social change; and the emergence of social issues generally.

Sociology/Anthropology Learning Outcomes:

Students will be demonstrate the ability to…

To be able to think and write clearly in order to be able to effectively communicate.

Exercise what C. Wright Mills described as the “Sociological Anthropological Imagination” i.e., knowing how one’s biography relates to the time in history in which one lives, as well as to the culture and social structure in which one finds him/herself .

To be able to demonstrate how institutions interact with each other and understand their influence on individuals—these include, education, the polity, economy, religion, the family, and health care.