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FacultyAbout Our ProgramAcademic RequirementsAnthropology DescriptionsSociology DescriptionsStudy AbroadMajor/Minor Audit FormsIn The News PageHonorsCareers in Anthropology or SociologyLinksContact InformationHomepage |
About the Anthropology and Sociology DepartmentAnthropology | SociologyAnthropology and Sociology are closely related social science Anthropology and Sociology not only share a profound general interest in human societies and cultures, but specifically share strong and mutual interests in:
Anthropology is unique among academic fields for the way in which it combines:
(2) a multi-perspectival approach, (3) a fascinating mix of overarching theory and concrete lived ethnographic examples, (4) an extraordinary ability to suggest links between different areas of study, and (5) an absorbing blend of escape to other worlds and grappling with concrete social problems. The Anthropology program at Hobart and William Smith offers students a number of ways to examine in-depth a most fundamental concept—what it means to be human. Our courses look at the communities, communications, customs, and traditions of a panoply of cultures, from prehistoric times through the modern age. Our faculty has geographic specialties in places as diverse as:
Students choose a specialty from among cultural anthropology, archeology, or physical anthropology. Yet they take a number of courses outside their primary subfield as well. This ensures the most comprehensive coverage of the discipline. In addition to studying the history of anthropological theory, anthropology majors also become well-versed in intercultural communication, cross-cultural gender roles, prehistoric ecology, and the quest for egalitarian social formations. Anthropology majors also are encouraged to get out of the classroom and
get their hands dirty, literally and figuratively. Participating in field
research and spending a semester abroad are two very popular and useful
educational components. Whether they decide to excavate for ancient artifacts,
unearth fossils, or immerse themselves in a foreign culture, HWS students
put their learning into action. A joint Anthropology-Sociology major is
also offered. Sociology at HWS is activist and change oriented. Students typically
study social behavior in modern industrial societies, especially the United
States. We examine how sociology Department faculty specialize in religion, sex and gender, the sociology of cities, social deviance and criminology, race and ethnic relations, education, environmental issues, social movements, and social theory (to name several). Our faculty has geographic specialties in places as diverse as Britain, India, South Africa, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. In addition, several of us are involved in international education, and have led several semester abroad programs. In addition, most of us bring to our classes on and off-campus a unique slice of life from our wider interests and encourage our students to take their learning beyond the classroom. The sociology faculty can be described as eclectic, engaged, and exciting. In every case, our faculty can be described as having a strong emphasis on the applied and as sharing a commitment to sociology as a moral enterprise. While we do not necessarily agree in our stances, all of us believe that sociology should be more than a merely academic exercise. We try to get our students to understand the social world in order to criticize it and to work actively to change it. Each year, there are approximately 20-25 students who major in sociology. Our
majors often put their course work into action while they are still at
HWS through independent research, participation in community service and
service learning, and internships. Graduates use their sociological education
in countless ways including, for example, graduate school, employment
with Teach for America, working for non-profit organizations, doing social
work, and in business management. |
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disciplines. They study the ways in which people live together under various
social and cultural conditions. By exploring the multifaceted dimensions
of human societies, they seek to understand human behavior, social interactions,
and institutional structures in all their diversity. The study of
societal development—the cultural, technological, economic, and
societal transformations that trace the evolution of human societies and
civilizations and the emergence of contemporary peoples, social organizations,
institutions, states, economies, and cultures—is central to the
study of social order and disorder in anthropology and sociology.
Likewise, study of the multiplicity of cultures and cultural engagement—and
among these, of differences of race, ethnicity, and gender—stands
at the heart of the study of contemporary societies and the long sweep
of their historical development, as it is informed by the study of our
disciplines. 
stands
between the humanities and the physical sciences, embracing core humanist
concerns while at the same time incorporating the methodological rigor
of the physical sciences. The sociology program has a strong ethical dimension:
Not only does our faculty seek to convey an understanding of society,
but its members have a keen interest in social problems and social justice.
All faculty are involved in research and teaching that involves social
issues, such as the environment, alcohol and other drug abuse, organizational
dysfunction, urban life, sociology of the family, and social theory and
ethics. Much of what we teach revolves around issues of personal and social
development, gender, the distribution of power and rewards, and the reshaping
power of sociological consciousness.
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