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

Alvaro Jarr?n, assistant professor of anthropology
Holy Cross Professor Describes the Dangers of Plastic Surgery in Brazilian Public Hospitals
While plastic surgery is widely available in Brazil’s public hospitals, and in most cases free or low-cost, “the ‘right to beauty’ has a darker side to it,” says Holy Cross assistant professor of anthropology Alvaro Jarrín. In an article for …
Nate Chung '18 from the Nate Chung Project performs with his band as a part of Academic Conference.
Academic Conference 2018 Showcases Creativity, Independent Research of Over 470 Students
Over the course of four days, more than 470 students spanning all class years presented the results of their independent, creative and intellectual endeavors during the 2018 Academic Conference. The celebration of academic life at the College of the Holy …
Luke Lapean '19 in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel
Luke Lapean ’19 Reflects on Impact of a Summer Ministry Internship
I was reading the countless daily emails Holy Cross students receive when I stumbled across one inviting me to apply for a Summer Ministry Internship through the Chaplains’ Office. Then in my sophomore year, I hadn’t given any thought to …