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 Wooster

Faculty & Staff

Christa Craven, professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and anthropology at The College of Wooster

Christa Craven

Interim Dean for Faculty Development, Professor of Anthropology and Department Chair of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies

ccraven@wooster.edu

Heather Fitz Gibbon

Heather Fitz Gibbon

Professor and Department Chair of Sociology and Anthropology; Department Chair of Urban Studies

hfitzgibbon@wooster.edu

Pam Frese

Pam Frese

Professor of Sociology and Anthropology

pfrese@wooster.edu

Setsuko Matsuzawa

Setsuko Matsuzawa

Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology and Sociology; East Asian Studies (One leave for Fall 2023)

smatsuzawa@wooster.edu

Michael Miyawaki

Michael Miyawaki

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology

mmiyawaki@wooster.edu

Olivia C. Navarro-Farr portrait

Olivia Navarro-Farr

Associate Professor of Archaeology; Sociology and Anthropology; Program Chair for Archaeology

onavarro-farr@wooster.edu

Anne Nurse

Anne Nurse

Professor and Department Chair of Sociology and Anthropology

anurse@wooster.edu

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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

sschuch@wooster.edu

Zareen Thomas

Zareen Thomas

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Latin American Studies; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

zthomas@wooster.edu


Latest Sociology News

Students, Emily Voneman '25 and Maura Ellenberger '25 review items in the collection from Pella.

Pella @ Wooster ushers ancient artifacts collection into 21st Century

A group of faculty and students at The College of Wooster is bringing new life and visibility to a collection of ancient artifacts that […]

Charles Hurst

Wooster mourns passing of Charles Hurst, professor emeritus of sociology

Charles E. Hurst, professor emeritus of sociology at The College of Wooster, passed away on March 23, 2023, in Wooster, Ohio at the age […]

Microaffirmation

Collaborative community project raises awareness about unintentional messages found in everyday communications and their impact

Michael Miyawaki, assistant professor of sociology at The College of Wooster, is leading a Microaggressions and Microaffirmations (M&M) Project on campus to raise awareness […]

Wooster professor speaks with History Channel about holiday traditions during World War II

As the holiday season approaches, an article published by the History Channel discussing holiday traditions during World War II highlighted the work of Pam […]

More Sociology Articles

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.

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Minor

Six courses in sociology and related courses are required to complete a minor.

View Courses

Independent 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 Anthropology

Search the I.S. Database

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Related Articles

“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 […]

I.S. button

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 […]

Megan Tuennerman '22

Wrong-way Icelandic puffins lead student researcher to follow the right path

When you love animals as a child, people often say “You should be a veterinarian when you grow up.” Megan Tuennerman ’22 heard this […]

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

Mark Bergen ’07

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 […]

Scott Nye and Brendan Walsh

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 […]

Ayesha Bell Hardaway '97

The defense won’t rest: Law professor takes powerful strides forward in the sometimes-isolating work of antiracism and social justice advocacy

Google the name “Ayesha Bell Hardaway” and you’ll find this 1997 College of Wooster grad everywhere. She’s in video clips offering legal analysis for news […]

Rasmia Kirmani-Frye '95, photo by @marcgoldbergphotography

Urban studies alumna confronts housing inequity in New York City

After graduating from The College of Wooster, Rasmia Kirmani-Frye ’95 immediately knew she wanted to move to New York City and begin a career […]

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

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Robert Blair

Professor Emeritus, Sociology and Anthropology

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Charles Hurst

Professor Emeritus, Sociology and Anthropology