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Explore a BA in Sociology

Is Sociology for you?

Sociology seeks to understand all aspects of human social behavior, including the behavior of individuals as well as the social dynamics of small groups, large organizations, communities, institutions, and entire societies.

Interested in quantitative research? 

Take the Data Science, Markets and Management track and study social phenomena through a computational lens. Or reach across campus to work with centers like the Clayman Institute for Research on Gender and the Center on Poverty and Inequality. 

Wondering about an honors thesis? 

Students have written honors theses on topics like diversity training in medical schools, what determines attitudes toward capital punishment, and how food culture differs in the United States and Italy. 

Want to learn how to alleviate poverty?

The minor in Poverty, Inequality, and Policy provides students with the interdisciplinary tools needed to understand and contribute to the science of poverty and inequality. The coursework – which is drawn from sociology, economics, public policy, education, history, psychology, and political science – provides state-of-the-art training in the types and forms of poverty and inequality, the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality, and the many programs and interventions to reduce poverty and inequality.  

 

The department boasts some of the most preeminent faculty in the field, with many outstanding affiliated sociologists in the Graduate School of Business, the Graduate School of Education, and Stanford Law School augmenting our strength. 

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What is Sociology?

Sociology prepares you for a lifetime of change by helping you develop a deeper understanding of culture and social organization.
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Browse Courses

Explore the discipline by taking "Self and Society: Introduction to Social Psychology", then delve deeper with courses like "Sport, Competition, and Society" or "The Urban Underclass".
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Find a Focus

Get involved with departmental research projects. Learn how to understand and address social issues that affect everything from interpersonal relations to broad challenges like global warming.
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"Sociology taught me how to understand people's behaviors based on the groups they associate with. I use this in college admissions, which is increasingly data-driven. Universities need people who know how to interpret trends and understand how high school students think when it comes to choosing a college." 

- Jasmine Rodriguez, '12

Assistant Director for Hispanic and Latino Recruitment, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis