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

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Holy Cross Announces Seven New Faculty Hires for 2016-17 Academic Year
In her annual address to the College for the 2016-17 academic year, Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, announced the hiring of seven new faculty members. These new faculty members include five new tenure-track …
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Anthropology Professor Wins Prestigious Award for Book on Gender and Markets in Vietnam
After more than 20 years of ethnographic research on women, entrepreneurship, and marketplaces in Vietnam, Ann Marie Leshkowich, professor of anthropology and director of the Asian Studies program at the College of the Holy Cross, authored “Essential Trade: Vietnamese Women …
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Students Conduct Cutting-Edge Research Across Disciplines Over the Summer
For 106 students, the summer was spent pushing intellectual boundaries and creativity while conducting leading research across a range of disciplines: 61 students engaged in research in the sciences; 38 in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts; and seven …