Sociology
The Department of Sociology is committed to the principles of a liberal education and to assisting students in learning to "utilize the sociological imagination" in order to define, analyze, and understand human behavior. The Sociology faculty brings the intellectual traditions of our discipline to the LaGrange curriculum and we teach students the various skills needed to conduct theoretically sound, methodologically rigorous and multifaceted analyses of human social phenomena at both the local and global levels. The department focuses on diversity and inequality while seeking to transform students into adults committed to civility, diversity, service, and excellence. The faculty encourages students to critically evaluate their community, to effectively communicate with fellow community members and to propose creative ways to establish a better society. These goals are reflected in the Department’s course offerings. Sociology majors demonstrate an understanding and mastery of:
- the difference between micro- and macro-level groups and processes, and the interconnections among them;
- the importance and necessity of theory in the process of learning;
- the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods, and the appropriateness of each for various research questions;
- the opportunities as well as constraints that are imposed on us by social structure.
Student accomplishments are assessed according to the requirements for each course and finally by completing a Senior Seminar.
Majors and Minors
Major Minor
B.A. in Sociology Minor in Sociology