Helping people isn't easy.
That's why we do it. Sociology at LaGrange is about getting to know people, and then knowing how to help them. In the classroom, you'll learn about the principles of sociology, ethics, and research methods. But what you learn outside the classroom is even more important.

Sociologists emphasize the careful gathering and analysis of evidence about social life to develop and enrich our understanding of key social processes. The research methods sociologists use are varied. Sociologists observe the everyday life of groups, conduct large-scale surveys, interpret historical documents, analyze census data, study video-taped interactions, interview participants of groups, and conduct laboratory experiments. The research methods and theories of sociology yield powerful insights into the social processes shaping human lives and social problems and prospects in the contemporary world. By better understanding those social processes, we also come to understand more clearly the forces shaping the personal experiences and outcomes of our own lives. The ability to see and understand this connection between broad social forces and personal experiences -- what C. Wright Mills called "the sociological imagination" -- is extremely valuable academic preparation for living effective and rewarding personal and professional lives in a changing and complex society.