Program Overview
Department of Sociology
The Department of Sociology at Brandeis University offers a comprehensive undergraduate program in sociology, providing students with a deep understanding of social actions, patterns, and change.
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
The Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree program is designed to equip students with the theoretical and methodological tools necessary to analyze and address complex social issues. The program focuses on four key areas: gender and family, institutions, culture and religion, health and illness, and politics and social change.
Why Brandeis?
Brandeis University's Department of Sociology is distinguished by its emphasis on engagement, both in social movements and in the analysis of them. The department specializes in qualitative analysis but also embraces historical, quantitative, and comparative methods. Additionally, the department is deeply interdisciplinary, working closely with other Brandeis programs, such as Women's and Gender Studies, Health: Science, Society and Policy, and International and Global Studies.
Academics and Research
The department encourages student-faculty collaboration, providing opportunities for students to work with faculty on research projects. These collaborations often result in papers published or co-presented at professional conferences. Students may also elect to write an honors thesis, conducting extensive independent research under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
Faculty Excellence
The faculty in the Department of Sociology are renowned for their excellent teaching, path-breaking research, and engagement with the community. Their work is regularly funded by prestigious institutions, such as the American Sociological Association, the National Science Foundation, and the Kellogg Foundation.
- Karen Hansen received the 2016 Gita Chaudhuri Book Prize from the Western Association of Women Historians for her book Encounter on the Great Plains.
- Sara Shostak, associate professor, received a Teaching Innovations Grant for work with students on a community-based research project on food, health, and community in nearby Mattapan.
- In February 2017, Carmen Sirianni published "Civic Innovation: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" in the journal Perspective on Politics.
Outside the Classroom
The department offers various opportunities for experiential learning, including internships, service learning, and experiential courses. These experiences allow students to combine classroom learning with active engagement or action research in community organizations, social movements, human service and healthy community coalitions, peace, environmental, and social justice groups, and policy organizations.
Internships
Recent internships have included:
- Conducting peace games for volunteers in nearby Roxbury
- Developing a hunger-relief curriculum for Waltham Community Farms
- Providing services to a local senior center
- Providing support at an anti-domestic battering education and referral program
- Developing leadership skills with the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance
- Convening a "Wingspread" youth summit among major national student organizations and Campus Compact
Graduate Study, Careers, and Alumni
Many sociology majors go on to pursue graduate study, often becoming professors, secondary education teachers, and authors. The department offers a doctoral program in sociology, as well as joint programs with the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and Women's and Gender Studies.
Real Jobs
Sociology graduates work in fields as varied as the arts, advocacy, consulting, health care, public policy, and broadcast journalism. Alumni have gone on to become:
- Manager of online marketing at Showtime Network Inc.
- Staff writer at the Post Tribune
- Project manager at the United Nations' International Labor Organization
- Social action project coordinator at Stanford University's Hillel
- Attorney for the Food and Drug Administration
- Co-founder of Anyclip.com, a movie clip search engine
- Trend adviser to technology venture capitalists
Prominent Alumni
Notable alumni include:
- Mitch Albom '79, sports columnist, screenwriter, and author of "Tuesdays With Morrie"
- Sidney Blumenthal '69, former aide to President Bill Clinton
- Nicole Karlebach '04, attorney for Human Rights First
- Ben Brandzel '03, pioneer in developing online political campaigns for Moveon.org, Greenpeace, Oxfam, and the Obama Administration
- Devika Mahadevan '00, CEO of Mumbai Mobile Creches, which provides early childhood care and education to children of construction workers in India
Undergraduate Program
The undergraduate program in sociology offers a range of courses, including:
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
- Degree Requirements
- Courses
- Senior Thesis
- Funding Opportunities for Undergraduate Research
- Academic Procedures
- Learning Goals
- Career Resources
- Awards
Graduate Programs
The department offers several graduate programs, including:
- Doctorate in Sociology (PhD)
- Joint Doctoral Program
- Joint Master's Program
- Areas of Study
- Learning Goals
- Featured Alumni
- Student Publications
- Funding Opportunities
- Graduate Handbook
People
The department is comprised of:
- Faculty
- Staff
- Graduate Students
- Undergraduate Departmental Representatives
News and Events
The department hosts various events, including:
- Department News
- Sociology Annual Newsletter
- Upcoming Events
- Colloquia
- Voting Information