|
Sociology & Anthropology at SU
In the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at
Susquehanna
University
, we study the relationships
among social structure, culture, and power. Though historically distinct,
Sociology and Anthropology at Susquehanna benefit from new movements that are
increasingly blurring the distinctions between these disciplines. Our faculty
and students employ a variety of methods when conducting research:
anthropologists use quantitative data analysis (historically associated with
Sociology), and sociologists engage in participant-observation (historically
associated with Anthropology). We further believe that combining not only the
research methods but also the theoretical insights associated with each
discipline offers our students the necessary breadth and depth to analyze and
understand the dynamic nature of social and cultural relations in the world
today.
What is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of social life, the social causes and
consequences of human behavior and social change. We study groups, organizations,
and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Sociology teaches
us that our membership in groups and our interactions with larger social forms
shape a great deal of human behavior. Our subject matter ranges from:
- the
intimate family to the hostile mob
- organized crime to religious cults.
Graduates of Sociology are employed in fields such as
college and public school teaching, rehabilitation counseling, social casework,
urban planning, public relations, and personnel administration. They also work
in college admissions, law, law enforcement, multicultural affairs,
corrections, radio broadcasting, crisis intervention, and drug and alcohol
therapy.
What is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of humankind. In our department,
we focus on the cultures of people around the world and here in the
US
. We examine
the interrelationships of many facets of human life: religion, ritual, race,
gender, class, immigration, language, politics, economics, science and
technology, law, medicine, music, and art. One of our primary goals is to
understand the common humanity of all people, while still recognizing and
honoring the wealth of cultural diversity that the world has to offer.One of Anthropology's firmest convictions is that
culture underlies all human action. How we conduct our religious ceremonies,
how we make decisions about which brand of sneakers to purchase, how we
determine what to eat at what time of day, how we behave in classrooms, how we
enter into alliances with others-all this is informed by culture.
Because anthropologists are trained to examine, analyze, and
think critically about culture, and because culture is everywhere humans are,
anthropologists find themselves working in any number of occupations. Market
research, business, and education are just a few of the fields in which
anthropologists are in demand. Anthropologists also work in museums, in
international organizations like UNICEF and The World Bank, in high tech firms
like Intel and Microsoft, and in governmental organizations like the State
Department.
At home or abroad, if you're curious about human behavior
and how people make meaningful lives for themselves, the study of Anthropology
is for you.
|
Main