Sociology is the study of social life, social change and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. The subject matter you study ranges from the family to social movements and revolutions, and from divisions based on race, gender and social class to the underlying and shared beliefs of a common culture. You learn to use a variety of investigative methods and analysis to better understand human behavior at the level of the individual and at the level of groups and structures. Few fields have such broad scope and relevance for research, theory and practical applications. Sociology addresses the most pressing issues of our time, and it is increasingly applied by those who make policy and create programs. It offers you broad opportunities for careers and graduate studies.
Special opportunities
As a sociology major or minor, you examine complex issues from many intellectual, ethical and intercultural perspectives. You explore a topic, issue or problem using the conceptual framework and tools of multiple disciplines. You might double major or design your own unique major, or pursue a certificate from one of the College's interdisciplinary centers.
Personalized learning
You are encouraged to take advantage of study away opportunities and to pursue research. If you have a deep interest in a given topic, you can undertake an honors study -- an in-depth, yearlong research project done in close coordination with a faculty member.
Learn more about Connections, Connecticut College's innovative new curriculum.
A Glimpse at Sociology
Courses You Could Take
SOC 224 Urban Sociology
An introduction to the major themes in urban sociology through a focus on the city as a contested space and a site for contestation.
SOC 208 Race, Gender and the Mass Media
An study of the relationship between U.S. media and the social construction of race, gender, and sexuality in understanding the media's role in perpetuating or challenging racial stereotypes.
SOC 203 Immigration in an Urban Context
An examination of questions of immigration through a focus on theories of immigrant incorporation, and patterns of immigrant employment and settlement.
SOC 293 Sociology of Inequality
An examination of social stratification, which is the system by which society ranks categories of people into a hierarchy.
SOC 400 Globalization
A focus on how globalization affects corporations, nation-states, workers, social inequality, immigration, popular culture, and other aspects of society.
SOC 310 Racial Identity in America
An examination of the ways in which racial identities are formed and the social factors that shape our identities and interactions with one another.
Ana Lilia Campos-Manzo, PhD, formerly Campos-Holland, teaches general courses in sociology and specialized courses in criminology, critical childhood, public health, and ethnic studies, such as:
Principles of Sociology (Soc 103) and Research Methodology (Soc 354)
Law and Society (Soc 227), Drugs and Society (Soc 215), and Punishment and Society (Soc 419)
Childhood and Adolescence (Soc 320)
Children’s Health (FYS 1026), Health and Society (Soc 238), and Adolescent Health (Soc 430)
Mexican-American Communities (Soc 300)
She also offers optional sections attached to these courses for the Foreign Languages across the Curriculum Program in Spanish. Moreover, Campos-Manzo is one of the core faculty members for the Public Health Pathway.
Julia A. Flagg
Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, Director of Environmental Studies Program
Julia A. Flagg is an environmental sociologist. She teaches in both the Sociology Department and the Environmental Studies Program. She is currently the Director of the Environmental Studies Program.
Ronald Flores
Professor of Sociology
Ron Flores teaches Immigration in an Urban Context; Race, Ethnicity and Baseball; Sociology of Families; advanced research seminars on Latinos in America and on Social Inequality; and Introduction to Sociology. He also teaches a first-year seminar on community and civic responsibility, "Our Communities, OurSelves." His courses typically include community service-learning.
Robert Gay
Professor of Sociology
Robert Gay's research focuses on democracy, civil society, and more recently, drug trafficking, violence and organized crime in Brazil.
Cherise A. Harris
Associate Professor of Sociology, Director of Africana Studies
Cherise A. Harris teaches Race, Gender, and the Mass Media; Ethnic and Race Relations; Sociology of Inequality; Sociology of Racial Identity; and Middle Class Minorities. The second edition of her newest book, Getting Real About Race (co-edited with Stephanie M. McClure, Georgia College) was published by Sage in 2017. Her first book, The Cosby Cohort: Blessings and Burdens of Growing Up Black Middle Class, was published in 2013 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Afshan Jafar
May Buckley Sadowski '19 Professor of Sociology, Chair of the Sociology Department
, Bodies/Embodiment Pathway Coordinator
Afshan Jafar’s research and teaching interests include globalization, transnational women's movements, the Muslim diaspora, gender, media, and the body. Professor Jafar regularly teaches, Introduction to Sociology; Gender, Culture, and the Body; Sex Gender, and Society; Sociology of Globalization.
A: I was attracted to the beautiful campus, possibility of developing intimate relationships with professors, study abroad opportunities, and the interdisciplinary courses.
Q: Why Sociology?
A: I wanted a major that really mattered and that I could deeply connect to. Sociology gave me the opportunity to further develop my understanding of how social forces of power and privilege function within the social world. It provided me with the lens to interpret social phenomena and better understand how an individual's social location can impact their behavior.
Q: What was your most challenging or rewarding class?
A: My most rewarding course was my senior seminar, “Sociology of Sociology,” which was a course that pushed us to reflect on and critically analyze our experiences as Sociology majors within a liberal arts institution. It was a culminating course that intricately connected all my past Sociology courses and emphasized the importance of evaluating our academic journeys in order to improve the experiences of current and future Sociology majors.
Q: Have you done any research with faculty?
A: I was involved with faculty-student research from my sophomore year to senior year with Professor Campos-Holland. Our research project aims to provide a platform for youth’s voices to be heard as it related to their peer culture, consumption choices, experiences with testing and navigating adult authority, among a few. I engaged in multiple steps of the research process from literature search, data management, data analysis and the writing and editing process.
Q: What roles has the Hale Center for Career Development played for you?
A: My career adviser was extremely supportive and helpful during my internship search, which led to an internship at a Southeast Asian Community Center in San Francisco. I worked with former refugees on providing support through mental health and healing workshops, affordable housing opportunities, employment possibilities, and immigration advocacy.
Courses You Could Take
Urban Sociology, Race, Gender and the Mass Media, Immigration in an Urban Context, Sociology of Inequality, Globalization, Racial Identity in America
People You Might Work With
Ana Lilia Campos Manzo, Associate Professor of Sociology
B.A., University of California-Santa Barbara; M.A., Ph.D., the University of Iowa
Law and Society; Critical Childhood; Sociology of Health
Julia A. Flagg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies
Ph.D., Rutgers University; M.A., Rutgers University, B.A., The College of New Jersey
Environmental sociology; Climate change; Costa Rica
Ronald Flores, Professor of Sociology
A.B., A.M., Fordham University; Ph.D., Brown University
Immigration studies; Urban sociology; Racial and ethnic groups
Robert Gay, Professor of Sociology
B.A., University College London; M.A., Syracuse University, Ph.D., Brown University
Democracy; Civil society; Organized crime
Cherise A. Harris, Associate Professor of Sociology
B.A., Seton Hall University; M.A., Ph.D., The University of Georgia
Race, class and gender; Marriage and the family; Social psychology
Afshan Jafar, May Buckley Sadowski '19 Professor of Sociology
B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Gender; The body and embodiment; Media
Nancy Lewandowski, Academic Department Assistant
American Studies Program, Anthropology, Economics, Hispanic Studies, History, Sociology
A: I was attracted to the beautiful campus, possibility of developing intimate relationships with professors, study abroad opportunities, and the interdisciplinary courses.
Q: Why Sociology?
A: I wanted a major that really mattered and that I could deeply connect to. Sociology gave me the opportunity to further develop my understanding of how social forces of power and privilege function within the social world. It provided me with the lens to interpret social phenomena and better understand how an individual's social location can impact their behavior.
Q: What was your most challenging or rewarding class?
A: My most rewarding course was my senior seminar, “Sociology of Sociology,” which was a course that pushed us to reflect on and critically analyze our experiences as Sociology majors within a liberal arts institution. It was a culminating course that intricately connected all my past Sociology courses and emphasized the importance of evaluating our academic journeys in order to improve the experiences of current and future Sociology majors.
Q: Have you done any research with faculty?
A: I was involved with faculty-student research from my sophomore year to senior year with Professor Campos-Holland. Our research project aims to provide a platform for youth’s voices to be heard as it related to their peer culture, consumption choices, experiences with testing and navigating adult authority, among a few. I engaged in multiple steps of the research process from literature search, data management, data analysis and the writing and editing process.
Q: What roles has the Hale Center for Career Development played for you?
A: My career adviser was extremely supportive and helpful during my internship search, which led to an internship at a Southeast Asian Community Center in San Francisco. I worked with former refugees on providing support through mental health and healing workshops, affordable housing opportunities, employment possibilities, and immigration advocacy.
Courses You Could Take
Urban Sociology, Race, Gender and the Mass Media, Immigration in an Urban Context, Sociology of Inequality, Globalization, Racial Identity in America
People You Might Work With
Ana Lilia Campos Manzo, Associate Professor of Sociology
B.A., University of California-Santa Barbara; M.A., Ph.D., the University of Iowa
Law and Society; Critical Childhood; Sociology of Health
Julia A. Flagg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies
Ph.D., Rutgers University; M.A., Rutgers University, B.A., The College of New Jersey
Environmental sociology; Climate change; Costa Rica
Ronald Flores, Professor of Sociology
A.B., A.M., Fordham University; Ph.D., Brown University
Immigration studies; Urban sociology; Racial and ethnic groups
Robert Gay, Professor of Sociology
B.A., University College London; M.A., Syracuse University, Ph.D., Brown University
Democracy; Civil society; Organized crime
Cherise A. Harris, Associate Professor of Sociology
B.A., Seton Hall University; M.A., Ph.D., The University of Georgia
Race, class and gender; Marriage and the family; Social psychology
Afshan Jafar, May Buckley Sadowski '19 Professor of Sociology
B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Gender; The body and embodiment; Media
Nancy Lewandowski, Academic Department Assistant
American Studies Program, Anthropology, Economics, Hispanic Studies, History, Sociology
