Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Julie Collins-Dogrul, Sociology
Susan Gotsch, Sociology
Leslie L. Howard, Sociology, Emeritus
sal johnston, Sociology
Becky Overmyer-Velázquez, Sociology
Ann M. Kakaliouras, Chair, Anthropology and Sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of social relations, associations, and institutions in human societies. It seeks to develop reliable understanding about the nature of social organization. In his work, The Sociological Imagination (1959), C. Wright Mills wrote, “Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.” In other words, Mills claimed that the discipline of sociology is the study of the connection between individuals and society, between personal troubles and public issues. Understanding both the life of an individual, and the history and structure of a society, requires the sociological imagination. Sociologists, according to Mills, were in the unique position among social scientists of cultivating a sociological imagination that could grasp that individual’s actions, behaviors, histories, and seemingly “personal” troubles could only be understood as effects of social organization: as public issues. Mills’ hope was that through understanding the actual dynamics that shape our lives - individually and collectively - we would also develop the tools and strategies to effect positive social change.

Sociology at Whittier embraces this Millsian tradition and we believe that sociology, at its best, is not merely an academic pursuit, but rather a daily practice, a “thing lived”: a hopeful act of discovery and transformation. With greater Los Angeles as our muse, we invite you to re-envision your social world, and to act in and upon it.

A major in sociology provides graduates with a solid liberal arts background for a broad variety of careers. Our graduates are employed in fields such as professional sociology, urban planning, union organizing, community development, non-profit organizations, health services, education and teaching, juvenile and criminal justice systems, social work, social research and data analysis, public administration, law, politics, racial and minority relations, business, and local, state and federal government.

Anthropology

Anthropology asks the question, “What does it mean to be human?” Anthropologists seek the answers to that question by integrating varied sources of knowledge: How is being human affected by the dynamics between culture, the environment, and biology? What can we learn about the total repertoire of being human by looking at societies very different from middle class American society? How are we to understand the evolution of our uniquely biocultural species? What do archaeological sites reveal about past human societies? How can the reflexive nature of anthropology and anthropological practice better prepare us for living in today’s diverse and globalized world?

The study of anthropology prepares students to:

Better understand themselves in their own sociocultural context;
Better understand and communicate across cultural boundaries;
Prepare for careers involving social interaction and policy; for example, academic and applied anthropology, business, education, environmental protection, government, health, law, religion, social work, etc.; and
Prepare for graduate work in anthropology, business, foreign area studies, law, other social sciences and related fields.

Catalog

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology

Anthropology

Programs

Courses