Departmental Brochure
 Why do people form groups and how do groups affect behavior? Why do the rich act and think differently from the poor? What makes some people break social rules and others obey them? What holds societies together? These and other intriguing questions are important to sociology, the study of human society and social behavior. As a major in this field, you will examine the influences that come from interactions with people you meet and know, and other influences that come from the large social structures that shape us in ways we do not always recognize. Anthropology adds another perspective, offering insights that illuminate what all human beings have in common. In adding a comparative perspective, anthropology helps us understand our own practices and those of other peoples in a broader cross-cultural context. The study of sociology and anthropology is rich with intellectual excitement but is also an avenue to understanding the world in which you will live and work. Majors qualify for a wide variety of career fields and are well prepared for graduate study.
Course of Study
As a sociology major, you will complete 10 courses from the following list. The first six are necessary for all majors to provide a solid grounding in the concepts and methods of the discipline. The remaining electives allow you to follow your own interests or focus on a subfield of sociology.
- General Sociology
- Classical Social Theory
- Contemporary Social Theory
- American Society
- Statistics
- Methods of Research Design
 Electives:
- Sociology of the Family
- Contemporary Media
- Business and Society
- American Class Structure
- Race, Gender, and Ethnic Relations
- Urban/Suburban Sociology
- Women: Work and Sport
- Criminology
- Public Opinion and Polling
- Demography
- Social Change in Developing Nations
- Sociology of Sexuality
- Seminar: Criminal Justice System
- Physical Anthropology and Archeology
- Cultural Anthropology
- Men and Women: Anthropology of Gender
- Societies and Cultures of East Asia
- Language, Culture, and Society
- Marriage in Cross-Cultural Perspective
- Societies and Cultures of Latin America and Africa
- Societies and Cultures of Asia and the Pacific
- Medical Anthropology
- Sociology of Religion
The members of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology are active in research and consulting work, which gives immediacy to their teaching. They are listed here with their special interests.
David L. Crawford
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
North Africa, Islamic societies, comparative inequalities
Dennis G. Hodgson
Ph.D., Cornell University
Demography, sociology of the family, development
Terry-Ann Jones
Ph.D., University of Miami
International studies, migration
Eric H. Mielants
Ph.D., State University of New York at Bighampton
Social theory
Lynne O. Penczer
Ph.D., Yale University
Anthropology
Rose P. Rodrigues
Ph.D., The New School for Social Research
Criminology, social stratification, women's studies, sociology of law
Kurt C. Schlichting
Ph.D., New York University
Public opinion and polling, statistics and research methods, urban studies
Renée T. White
Ph.D., Yale University
Race and ethnicity, gender, women's studies, AIDS
Internships and Research
As a senior major in sociology and anthropology, you may enter a field work placement program. You will spend 10 hours a week as an intern working directly with professionals and gaining practical experience. Often this work leads to postgraduate employment and it can also be an important qualification in applications to graduate school.
The range of settings in which you can work includes law offices, probation departments, market research firms, psychiatric hospitals, public schools, public relations offices, personnel departments, and a variety of social service agencies. Qualified students, with the approval of a faculty member, can undertake an independent study or defined research topic for course credit.
Life After Fairfield
 Sociology and anthropology majors choose a wide variety of professional careers - an indication of the flexibility of the major and of the versatility of the alumni themselves. A significant number have opted for social service as medical and psychiatric social workers, probation officers, and counselors with various specialties. Others have gone into management and sales positions in business, or become teachers at primary, secondary, and college levels. Some went into urban or regional planning with government agencies and others into banking, law, accounting, and computers.
Many of these students have entered their career fields after graduate or professional school and have earned advanced degrees in sociology, law, business administration, finance, social work, and the arts and sciences. Among the institutions where graduates have enrolled for advanced study are Princeton University, Georgetown University, and the University of Chicago.
Real World Education
As a major in sociology and anthropology, you will be counseled carefully by faculty members and encouraged to develop a concentration that reflects your own interests and career education. By choosing certain groups of courses you can develop a concentration in pre-law, business and organizational behavior, social work, family studies, criminal justice and adult probation, polling and market research, or urban studies. The opportunity to choose a path within the field and the chances for field work and internships can give you an excellent start toward postgraduate employment that leads to a long-term career.
Profile
Paul Brown
 Sociology and Anthropology major
"Sociology and Anthropology encompassed everything I was looking for. The best part of the major is the variety of classes you can take on topics including the criminal justice system, social welfare, feminism, and more. It's a broad major that touches on a lot of areas. I want to be in some type of helping profession, and the major allows me to explore my options. Every sociology professor I have had has become a friend. My advisor and I have a close bond. It doesn't seem like he is a teacher when he's in front of the class. It feels like we're having a conversation. Sometimes, I just stop by his office to let him know how the day or my internship is going."
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Rose P. Rodrigues, Department Chair
Donnarumma Hall 211
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
Tel: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2784
E-mail: Rodrigues@mail.fairfield.edu
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