Welcome
to the Sociology Department
As part of the prestigious Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs, we take an interdisciplinary approach to public
sociology to understand, critique, and address structural and social inequalities.
Known nationally for our expertise in qualitative methods, our award winning
faculty also provide excellent training in quantitative research methods,
theory, and a wide variety of sociological issues. Our faculty research, and
our courses, include a range of areas such as health, aging, life course, globalization,
immigration, transnational studies, family, education, work, power, capital, and
culture.
Undergraduate training in sociology emphasizes broad understandings of how societies operate. Students develop more in-depth understanding of
particular institutions and practices, including health care, families, education,
criminology, environment, labor, industry, and immigration. They also develop expertise on particular
social issues, including sex and gender, race, ethnicity, class, social
policies, globalization, and power. This knowledge provides a useful
background for students pursuing a wide range of careers. Our alumni hold positions in education,
journalism, social services, marketing, business, government, strategic
planning, criminology, personnel, health care, and law. Those who pursue graduate training find they
are well prepared.
Graduate
training is organized around eight major areas: (1) Globalization, Immigration,
Transnational Studies; (2) Population and Place; (3) Education and Family; (4) Health, Aging & Life Course, Disability; (5) Inequalities; (6) Power, Capital, and Politics; (7) Methods; and (8) Theory. Our aim is to prepare students for all
aspects of their career: research, teaching, publishing, grants, and mentoring.
We begin with professional development seminar that assures that all students
have the opportunities they need to become fully prepared future scholars. Our PhD students hold positions at
prestigious research universities, liberal arts colleges, NGOs, government
offices, and corporations.
The
Sociology Department at Syracuse University offers core training in
sociological issues, methods, theory, and practice. Our department
includes 18 current faculty, 7 affiliated faculty, and 10 emeriti faculty, many
of whom have won national and international awards for their work and hold
leadership positions in our national organizations. Our sociology faculty are affiliated with
numerous Syracuse University Programs and Centers including: the Aging Studies
Institute; the Asian/Asian American Studies Program; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender (LGBT) Studies; Women and Gender Studies; Disability Studies; African
American Studies; Native American Studies; Cultural Foundations of Education;
the Humanities Center; the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the Institute for the Study of the Judiciary,
Politics and the Media, the Center for Policy Research; the Program on the
Analysis and Resolution of Conflict; the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and the Moynihan Institute of Global
Affairs. The department provides opportunities for joint degrees or
collaborative study with such centers as well.