Sociology examines the organization, structure, and change of societal groups. It combines rigorous methods of inquiry and analysis with a remarkable freedom of choice in research topics: mass media, the environment, racism, gender issues, class, technology, the family, war and peace, and deviance and social control, to name just a few of the subjects referenced on one of our typical course lists. At Boston College, sociologists also take a transformative, activist approach toward issues of social injustice and inequality, making the sociological experience here not only rigorous and creative but socially relevant and engaged. Training in this field is useful in a broad range of occupations, and also prepares students for graduate study in a number of disciplines.

The diverse possibilities in sociology are reflected by our faculty, which includes scholars like Stephen Pfohl who studies postmodernism and psychoanalysis, among other topics, and who creates art that experiments with new mediums of sociological exchange; Zine Magubane, an influential scholar and prolific writer (with article titles like "Globalization and Gangster Rap: Hip Hop in the post Apartheid City”); Juliet Schor, who's been interviewed by the Today show and NPR and featured in several publications for her books on the impact of consumerism on daily life; and many others.

Our faculty and our students (both grad and undergrad) also provide examples of social commitment, like Professor Michael Malec, currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies, who annually leads a service trip to Nicaragua for participating BC undergrads. Sociology Honors students typically develop thesis projects reflecting their social commitment, such as Holly Unger's Organized Anarchy: a case study of the Urban Ecology Institute’s Natural Cities Program.

Our majors frequently win awards offered by the university and elsewhere, particularly awards that recognize activism and service. For both grad and undergrad sociology students, social commitment often carries over into their post-graduate employment, like former grad student Leah Schmalzbauer, who studies the impact of the global economy on Honduran immigrants to the United States.

We invite you to look over our website and see whether the study of sociology at Boston College seems right for you. Be sure to note the undergrad journal, Social Eyes, and our Distinguished Visiting Scholar Series, which brings prominent scholars to the BC campus for public lectures. If you have any questions about our program, feel free to email us at sociology@bc.edu, call 617-552-4130, or drop by our office at McGuinn 426.