Sociology attempts to identify and explain patterns of social life and human behavior by emphasizing how large-scale social phenomena like racial inequality, globalization and cultural change impact the everyday experiences of individuals, and vice versa.Sociology also introduces students to the conceptual and methodological tools of social science research, including ethnography, social statistics, network analysis and demographic methods. It provides a background for careers in law, management, journalism and media, criminology, medicine, education, and applied social research.

In addition, six ongoing interdisciplinary workshops bring together faculty, students, and outside visitors into supportive intellectual environments that promote innovative sociological research. The workshops are open to graduate students and faculty from other Universities including those in the larger surrounding area enhancing diversity and collaboration in the research process.

• The Culture & Interaction workshop discusses the many ways that culture is instantiated and reproduced through face-to-face interaction.

• The Family & Gender workshop continues the focus on the most important institutions through which social processes get played out.

• The Education & Inequality workshop focuses on issues of inequalities in educational opportunities that have been central to sociology.

• The Population Studies workshop provides a direct link between the department and the Population Studies Center investigating contemporary demographic processes.

• The Race, Ethnicity & Immigration workshop builds on the long-standing tradition of racial stratification research in our department, investigating new perspectives and developments.

• The Urban Ethnography workshop provides an informal setting to discuss work-in-progress using participant-observation and other ethnographic methods.

• The Medical Sociology workshop gives students the opportunity to expand their understanding of the sociological study of medicine and health.

• Finally, the Media Activism Research Collective (MARC) offers a collaborative space for graduate students, faculty, and activits working at the intersection of media studies and social movement theory.