Sociology will change the way you think.

The mission of the Department of Sociology is to cultivate “the sociological imagination,” a keen insight into the relationship between individual problems and the societies in which we live. This sociological lens uncovers the way our individual attitudes, opportunities, insecurities, and experiences -- which feel deeply personal and idiosyncratic -- are shaped by large social phenomena (e.g., legal systems, technological advances, social inequalities, human migration). At the same time, sociologists recognize that we are not passive products of our environment; we are its co-creators. By choosing how to dress, what we buy, which political information to trust, if we marry, or whether to get a vaccine, we play a critical role in shaping (and reshaping) political and economic life, public health, and cultural expectations.

Students in sociology courses develop a vocabulary and methodological toolkit to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships among power, culture, identity, and social organization. You may, for example, seek to explore how racism, class inequality, and gender inequality affect where you live, the air you breathe, your educational experiences, your job prospects, or who your friends are. Our major and minor empower students to convert their curiosities into researchable questions, inspires them to seek their own answers, helps them become expert consumers of existing research, and it equips them with the skills to conduct original research.

Our students graduate as critical, constructive, and creative thinkers with strong communication skills and keen sensitivity to the diversity of lived experiences. These abilities, together with their research skills, prepare them for a variety of careers.  Our graduates are making their marks in fields such as public policy, law, marketing, the nonprofit sector, journalism, technology, education, medicine, and public health.

Sociology will provide a path for you to recalibrate how you think and see yourself, understand your communities and the broader world, and to work with others to create a brighter future. 

Sample Classes:

• American Society
• Media and Society
• Special Topics: Sociology of Work
• Race and the Criminal Justice System
• Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

Photo credit: Alonso Nichols/Tufts University from Photoshelter