Sociology and Anthropology

Phone: 843.953.5738
Christine Finnan, Chair

About the Department

Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior. It focuses on the factors that organize and structure social activities, as well as those that disorganize and threaten to dissolve them. As a social science, sociology applies objective and systematic methods of investigation to the discovery and identification of regularities in social life and to the understanding of the processes by which they are established and changed.

Anthropology, through its global and comparative approach, explores human biological and cultural similarities and differences, both in the past and in the present. Anthropology is traditionally divided into four subdisciplines (archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology) through which it is linked to other social and natural sciences and the humanities.

The Cultural Sustainability Certificate provides undergraduate students an opportunity to: 1) gain a deep understanding of how culture intersects with conceptualizations of sustainability, 2) develop research skills needed to explore the intersection of ecological, economic, and social sustainability policy and initiatives in the present and future (e.g., via ethnographic research skills) or of the past (e.g., via archaeological research skills), and 3) gain experience grappling with real sustainability-related problems through coursework and internships.

Majors

• Anthropology, B.S.  
• Sociology, B.S.  
• Sociology-Teacher Education Program (Grades 9-12), B.S.  

Minors

• Anthropology Minor  
• Sociology Minor  

Certificates

• Cultural Sustainability Certificate