Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology: Major 
Anthropology: Major, Minor

The sociology and anthropology department will challenge you to critically examine continuing and urgent issues of inequality and social marginalization, focusing on complex human interactions in diverse cultures within a globalized world. 

You will learn to analyze structures of power and hierarchy, draw connections between your personal experiences and larger social and historical processes, as well as question preconceived ideas about the nature of society and representation of cultures around the world. Our graduates enter a wide variety of occupations well prepared with sharp analytical skills and as knowledgeable and engaged citizens.

The department combines a humanistic concern for the quality and diversity of human life with a commitment to the empirical analysis of culture and society. The sociology curriculum will give you qualitative and quantitative research skills to tackle pressing 21st century issues. Courses draw attention to history, culture, and social structure and their effects on people’s lives. The anthropology curriculum focuses on human cultural experiences around the world, with an emphasis on the contemporary challenges wrought by globalization. Courses often highlight the geographical areas in which faculty work (Latin America, Asia, and Africa) and focus on a diverse range of topics.

Sociology and Anthropology Department Statement on Black Lives Matter: Racial Justice and Action

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Program Highlights

Classes in sociology and anthropology give students the analytical tools to apply to complex issues that face us in the 21st century, including:

  • Global structures of inequality
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Gender and sexuality
  • Power and class
  • Religion
  • Environment
  • Media and popular culture
  • Health, medicine, and the body
  • Social movements
  • Family and kinship
  • Work and employment
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Opportunities

From internships to study abroad to independent research, opportunities abound for sociology and anthropology students.

Students in a garden
In the Community

Many department courses engage students in community-based learning, where academic learning and civic engagement meet.

Alumni in Rehm Library
Careers

Graduates apply their skills in many careers, including business, health, education, marketing, and non-profits.

Sociology and Anthropology News

Selina Gallo-Cruz, associate professor of sociology. Photo by Tom Rettig
Holy Cross Sociology Professor Calls Weinstein Conviction a ‘Public Restaging’ of Women’s Sexual Harassment
Selina Gallo-Cruz, associate professor of sociology at College of the Holy Cross and a social movements scholar, was quoted in a recent article for The Christian Science Monitor on how the #MeToo movement and the conviction of Hollywood mogul Harvey …
Holy Cross campus scenic. Photo by Avanell Brock
Holy Cross Ranks Among Top Undergraduate Fulbright Scholarship Producers
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the College of the Holy Cross ranks once again as one of the top undergraduate producers of Fulbright students during the 2019-2020 academic year. This year, Holy Cross students are spanning the globe, …
Susan Rodgers stands in an art gallery full of handmade crafts
Holy Cross Emerita Professor Curates Worcester Refugee Artists Exhibit
Susan Rodgers, professor emerita of anthropology and distinguished professor emerita of ethics and society, spent her career exploring the politics of art and literature in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Then, several years ago, she focused her lens a little closer …