Sociology major talks with individuals seeking asylum during APEX Fellowship
Aimee Hernandez ’25, a sociology major at The College of Wooster, completed an APEX Fellowship at The Ohio Center for Immigration Litigation and Outreach […]
Overview
What kinds of jobs are available for sociology majors?
Many sociology graduates from The College of Wooster go on to graduate school in sociology or related fields. Those who enter the job market have started careers in business, education, law, public administration, public health, social work, counseling, research, and criminal justice. Recent graduates include a high school principal, journalist, research fellow and other roles.
Sociology at The College of Wooster
The program emphasizes the value of learning how to deal with contemporary social issues and how to develop problem-solving and research skills. Students have abundant opportunities to learn and conduct research outside the classroom, including a course taught once a year in a juvenile prison and semester programs abroad. Faculty members bring expertise in systems of inequality, race and ethnicity, gender, medical systems, welfare reform, criminology, nonprofit work, environmental advocacy, etc. Students can opt to be part of a 3-2 program with Case Western Reserve University, allowing them to graduate with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in social work in five years.
Learn about Anthropology at WoosterFaculty & Staff
Christa Craven
Professor of Anthropology and Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies, Program Chair of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies (On leave Spring 2025)
Heather Fitz Gibbon
Professor and Department Co-Chair of Sociology and Anthropology; Department Chair of Urban Studies
Setsuko Matsuzawa
Professor of Anthropology and Sociology; East Asian Studies
Olivia Navarro-Farr
Professor of Archaeology, Sociology, and Anthropology; Program Chair for Archaeology
Anne Nurse
Professor and Department Co-Chair of Sociology and Anthropology (On leave Fall 2024)
Santha Schuch
Administrative Coordinator - Africana Studies, Archaeology, East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern & North African Studies, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, South Asian Studies, Urban Studies, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Zareen Thomas
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Latin American Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies (On leave Fall 2024)
Latest Sociology News
Sociology major expands leadership and education skills in APEX fellowship
Nachi Goto ’25, a sociology major at The College of Wooster, completed an APEX fellowship at Ryugaku Fellowship, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering […]
Sociology major and soccer standout kicks through barriers to improve access and equity in education
Kelly James ’97 is one of the most decorated players in the history of the women’s soccer program at The College of Wooster. A […]
Real-world course experience in Urban Studio prompts new senior research avenues
Spring semester often focuses on senior Independent Study projects at The College of Wooster. But thanks to the launch of an updated junior I.S. […]
Major
The basic challenge in sociology is to understand ourselves and others more fully. The discipline asks us to probe beneath the surface and to question why people behave as they do, especially in group situations. The sociological perspective asks us to question what we often take for granted, why our society operates as it does, and how our social arrangements could be different.
Students who major in sociology must take 12 department-related courses, including courses in anthropology, social statistics, classic and contemporary social theory.
View CoursesIndependent Study
In the senior year, each student works with a faculty mentor to conduct an intensive investigation into a subject of the student’s choosing, which results in the Independent Study thesis. Recent students have explored major social problems such as crime, homelessness, or poverty as well as issues affecting individuals and families such as college dating behavior, the effects of athletic participation on academic performance, and working mothers.
View the IS Handbook for Sociology and AnthropologySearch the I.S. Database
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Related Articles
Real-world course experience in Urban Studio prompts new senior research avenues
Spring semester often focuses on senior Independent Study projects at The College of Wooster. But thanks to the launch of an updated junior I.S. […]
“Newgenics”: A Comparison Study of Parents of Children with Down Syndrome in Denmark and The United States
Name: Lauren Ganson Major: Sociology Minor: Psychology Advisor: Tom Tierney, Heather Fitz Gibbon This study analyzes and compares the experiences and choices of parents […]
Together, We Can Everything: The Social Outcomes of Cohousing Communities in Denmark
Name: Alice Markey Major: Environmental Studies Minor: Sociology Advisor: Matt Mariola; Heather Fitz Gibbon (Second Reader) Cohousing is an intentional living community that prioritizes […]
Creating a Caring Community: An Examination of Mutual Aid Networks
Name: Abigail Beard Major: Sociology Advisor: Setsuko Mastuzawa; Heather Fitz Gibbon (second reader) For the past decade, there has been a focus placed on research […]
Alumni
Many majors elect to enter graduate study in sociology. Others move into careers in business, education, law, public administration, social work, counseling, museum studies, and criminal justice. For example, one recent graduate is working as a career counselor at Georgetown University; another is an associate attorney in a law firm; others have titles ranging from medical social worker to college librarian to bank manager.
Related Articles
Sociology major and soccer standout kicks through barriers to improve access and equity in education
Kelly James ’97 is one of the most decorated players in the history of the women’s soccer program at The College of Wooster. A […]
Sociology alumna turns to Wooster students for help supporting local food industry
For Grace Gamble ’17, food is a family affair. Her great-aunt sold cookies to pay her way through college, and her mother taught her […]
Mark Bergen ’07 publishes book on YouTube
Mark Bergen ’07, a technology reporter for Bloomberg News, published Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination, the first book to […]
Wooster Alums Hosting U.S. Open, Curtis Cup this Summer
Some of golf’s most prestigious events – like U.S. Opens, Ryder Cups, U.S. Amateur Championships, and Curtis Cups to name a few – are […]
Lectures
Stieglitz Memorial Fund
In 1989 Mr. and Mrs. Lewis N. Stieglitz, M.D. from Concord, New Hampshire, established an endowed fund in memory of their son Martin, a Sociology major, who died in an off-campus apartment fire, spring semester, 1989. The fund enables the Department to invite prominent sociologists and anthropologists to campus each year as Stieglitz Lecturers.
Faculty Emeriti
