SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology Major
The departmental major in anthropology emphasizes a holistic approach to the study of humans, located in all parts of the world through all periods of time. Anthropology consists of four separate but interrelated subdisciplines: cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archeology and anthropological linguistics. Our program focuses primarily on the subdisciplines of archeology and cultural anthropology. The department encourages its majors to undertake field study in one or more of the subdisciplines of anthropology. A major in anthropology provides the student with a holistic and comparative perspective on problems and situations, which employers find very valuable. An undergraduate degree prepares the student for high school teaching (B.S.Ed. degree), employment in the area of human services, entry-level work with local or federal government agencies and employment in the business community. Our program also prepares students for more advanced study which leads to careers in teaching and research at colleges, universities or museums, or research/consultative careers with local, national or international organizations.

Sociology Major
Sociology is the rigorous, scientific study of human interaction and social organization. The sociologist is primarily interested in discovering the inherent patterns affecting and resulting from human group behavior. In that effort, the sociologist focuses on the influences of the social as well as the physical and biological environment on individual behavior and personality formation, on group interaction and on social organization and institutions. Within this general framework, sociological interests are extremely varied. The subject matter of sociology includes crime and its causation, family problems and interaction patterns, variations in the aging process, the impact of social class origins on life chances, the influence of mass media on human behavior and factors affecting the accessibility of health care. The sociology major is selected by those students primarily interested in pursuing careers in the following areas: college/university teaching and research, teaching sociology in secondary schools (B.S.Ed. degree), research in a public or private organization or business and employment in community, state or federal or government agencies.

Minors and Department Options
The department offers three minors, one in criminology, one in sociology and one in anthropology. These minors provide the student with insight into the principles governing human interaction and social organization. The criminology minor is the most specific of the three, focusing exclusively on the American criminal justice system. The sociology minor, in broad terms, examines American society, while the minor in anthropology takes a cross-cultural and comparative perspective. All of these minors should facilitate career advancement and intellectual breadth regardless of the student’s major field of study.

For sociology majors wishing to concentrate their studies in the areas of criminal behavior and criminal justice, the department has a criminology option within the sociology major. This program provides the student not only with a thorough knowledge of the American criminal justice system, but combines that knowledge with a broad understanding of American society and the principles of sociological method and theory.

The archeology option within the anthropology major offers students a broad view of contemporary archeology, with emphasis on contract archeology, artifact analysis, current method and theory, field experience and independent research.

The department also offers a sociology/anthropology option within the social studies B.S.Ed. program. This option prepares the student to teach sociology and anthropology along with other social studies courses in secondary schools.

The department strongly encourages all of its majors to acquire practical experience as part of their degree program. This experience may take a variety of forms, depending on the student’s major or minor. Along with other activities, the department recommends participating in faculty supervised research (on-going research projects are conducted out of both the archeology and social research labs), cooperative education/internships (see Cooperative Education in the Special Academic Opportunities section), or department tutoring.

There is an honors program for superior students. Further information may be obtained from the department or the Departmental Honors section of this catalog.

For the most recent curriculum and career information, students should consult the latest sociology/anthropology student handbook.