Bachelor of Arts - Sociology

Sociologists and anthropologists study culture, social structure, and the relationships between individuals and society. The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Manhattanville College aims to develop a critical awareness of this relationship between the individual and the larger society in both a contemporary and historical context. The department seeks to develop students’ awareness and understanding of global forces, and they encourage students to work for social justice and social change. The sociology and anthropology courses are designed to enhance students’ personal development by examining the major social forces that influence people's lives. 

Faculty in the department conduct research and teach in urban sociology, historical sociology, globalization, contemporary China, work and occupations, media, gender, women’s studies, political sociology, social movements, culture, environmental sociology, and animals and society, among other areas.

Manhattanville's majors receive rigorous training in social theory and in social science research methods. All majors complete a senior thesis on a topic of their choosing, under the close mentorship of faculty in the department. Many of Manhattanville's majors have presented their research at Manhattanville College’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Fair, as well as at regional and national conferences.

The research and analytic skills students learn in the courses serve them well in a wide variety of careers after graduation. Recent alumni from the department have gone on to work in nonprofit agencies, as teachers, and as social workers, and many of them have gone to graduate school for sociology, anthropology, education, and social work.