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 […]
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
Christa Craven
Dean for Faculty Development; Professor of Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Sociology and Anthropology
Heather Fitz Gibbon
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Department Chair of Urban Studies
Setsuko Matsuzawa
Associate Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology and Sociology; East Asian Studies
Olivia Navarro-Farr
Associate Professor of Archaeology; Sociology and Anthropology (on leave 2021-22)
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
Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies
Thomas Tierney
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology; Liaison to the Public Health Pathway
Latest News
Wooster sends two teams to virtual Datafest
Students develop data plan that places third in regional competition
Combining majors in computer science and sociology, student designs a computer model to investigate the spread of rumors on Twitter
While sociology and computer science may seem like a “rare combination” Zhen Guo ’21, who came to The College of Wooster as an international student from Beijing, China, sees more research combing the disciplines in the future.
What Are Perfect Places, Anyway? Exploring the New Zealand Government’s Approach to Youth Suicide Prevention
Name: Olivia Proe Major: Sociology Advisors: Dr. Heather Fitz Gibbon and Dr. Tom Tierney This study utilizes New Zealand as a case study in […]
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.
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
Combining majors in computer science and sociology, student designs a computer model to investigate the spread of rumors on Twitter
While sociology and computer science may seem like a “rare combination” Zhen Guo ’21, who came to The College of Wooster as an international student from Beijing, China, sees more research combing the disciplines in the future.
What Are Perfect Places, Anyway? Exploring the New Zealand Government’s Approach to Youth Suicide Prevention
Name: Olivia Proe Major: Sociology Advisors: Dr. Heather Fitz Gibbon and Dr. Tom Tierney This study utilizes New Zealand as a case study in […]
“We Need Your Help”: The Rhetorical Construction of the Citizen Detective in True Crime Podcast Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad
Name: Amelia Kemp Majors: Communication Studies and Sociology Advisor: Dr. Rohini Singh and Dr. Tom Tierney (second reader) What is the role of citizens […]
"Love is a Bulletproof Vest": Protest as an Exploration of Women’s Right to the City
Student Name: Sarah Duran Major: Sociology Advisor: Heather Fitz Gibbon Utilizing interviews, participant observation, and documentary photography, this study investigates how women claim their […]
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
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 […]
Sociology alumnus honored for creating WooStories program
Jisou “Armel” Lee ’19 designated a space where people of all backgrounds could share their stories and experiences.
Sociology major supports LGBTQ people at the University of Michigan
Will Sherry ’05 draws on Wooster-developed mindset as director of the Spectrum Center
Sociology alumna advocates for peace and collective healing
Hideko Tamura Snider ’56 survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima before attending Wooster
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