Sociology
Academic Department Introduction
Sociology addresses a question that is fundamental to a liberal arts education: Who am I in the world? Sociologists are people-watchers. We ask what hidden rules and structures make the world the way it is and why it is that way. We don’t expect clear black-and-white answers. We address and analyze the gray areas of our social lives.
Our majors and minors conduct hands-on research and wrestle with the collection and analysis of real-world data. They conduct interviews, surveys, focus groups, media analysis, quantitative data analysis, and immersive observation. Students sometimes have opportunities to present findings at conferences on and off campus, as well as to co-author articles with their professors.
Learning goals
- Envision how we all, individually and collectively, define ourselves in terms of social class, race, gender, and other statuses.
- Recognize, compare, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of various sociological research methods.
- Apply sociological thinking to complement and maximize experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and study abroad.
- Derive practical applications and/or policy implications for sociological inquiry and knowledge.
Programs of study
Sociology major and minor
Students master fundamental sociological concepts and theories.
Comparative race and ethnicity minor
Students examine how power dynamics shape the categories of race and ethnicity.
Course highlights
Global Health and Social Epidemiology
SOC314
Concerns about the health of communities date back to antiquity. Social epidemiology is the study of the incidence and distribution of disease among populations. This course offers historical, sociological, and ethical perspectives on the uses of epidemiology as it emerged from an age defined principally by infectious disease to one of chronic illness. What are the social and collective responses to pandemics, real and imagined? Case studies address in particular global public health issues, including smoking, nutrition, AIDS, mad cow disease, and influenza, among others. Both governmental and nongovernmental approaches to health, including the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders, are considered. Special attention is given to disparities in health care, a core sociological focus.
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Intersectionality at Work
SOC315
This course uses the feminist optic of intersectionality to delve into the sociology of work. As one of the most fundamental aspects of human society, work shapes and is shaped by forces as big as the global political economy and by circumstances as context-specific as our complex social identities. How do race, class, gender, ability, age, and nationality constitute what kinds of work are possible in a given context, and for whom? How does work both take advantage of social difference and inequality and transform it? We will examine diverse kinds of work, including domestic work, factory work, precarious day labor, surrogacy, IT, and finance in the U.S., India, and China, among other countries. As we study ethnographies of work, we will conduct original qualitative research and share our research with the class through a sophisticated oral presentation. -
Sociological Theory: A Critical History
SOC200
What is sociological theory and what work does theory do in sociology? What makes a theory useful? Which theories shape research agendas and why? The modern discipline of sociology primarily traces its origins to the 19th and early 20th centuries, when social scientists were grappling with the social upheavals of colonialism, industrial capitalism, urbanization, changing forms of governance, and the scientization of society. Placing key authors from this era in their historical context, this course takes a critical perspective to examine the origins of some of the foundational concepts that have shaped the history of sociology as a discipline: solidarity, authority, domination, class, nationalism, exploitation, justice, revolution, and more. As we work to understand the ideas of early sociologists, we will consider how their institutional locations shaped their understandings of the role of sociology as a theoretical and/or applied science, with special attention given to the roles race and gender have played in shaping the history of sociological theory. This will lead us to engage in critical examination of later processes of canonization that designated some works as “classics” and shaped our definitions of sociology and sociological theory.
Research highlights
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Several students assisted Professor Markella Rutherford in her research on global children’s literature. Using thematic analysis, the research compares recently translated children’s books published in the U.S. and China, asking what ideas about global citizenship are communicated through them. Two students presented work from this project with Professor Rutherford at the 2023 Eastern Sociological Society meeting.
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Students contributed to Professor Peggy Levitt’s research on cultural and intellectual inequality, how cultural institutions create and transform national identities, and transnational social protection. Some students co-authored articles that were published in the International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society and other refereed journals.
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Professor Smitha Radhakrishnan worked with students on her project that traced welfare policies, debates, and misallocations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas, among other states, to explain why billions of dollars of welfare money were unused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opportunities
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Alpha Kappa Delta
Our department is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international sociology honor society. Membership is limited to undergraduate junior and senior (and graduate) students with high academic achievement.
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Internships and fellowships
Sociology students often complete research internships and fellowships that extend their learning beyond the classroom. These include research internships at the Wellesley Centers for Women, the Lumpkin Summer Institute for Service Learning, and other research programs at the College.
Beyond Wellesley
Beyond Wellesley
Most of our students earn a graduate degree. Many work in law, higher education, or the nonprofit sector, and some work in finance and consulting. They are teachers, administrators, lawyers, policymakers, and researchers. Recent employers include Americorps, Princeton University, and Citibank.
Recent Employers
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Wellesley, MA 02481