ChooseWhy Choose This Program?
Why Study Sociology/Anthropology at Goucher?
Our program offers a combined major and minor in anthropology and sociology. We provide a solid foundation in social science research and writing skills and offer a range of interesting courses that will help you better understand the complexities of human behavior and social structures. Some of the particular areas of focus in our sociology and anthropology classes include health and wellbeing, health care systems, inequality and social and racial justice, cultural sustainability, and identity. You’ll also have opportunities to participate in community-based learning and can choose to take up a health and medicine concentration or a social justice concentration, if it suits your needs.
LearnWhat Will You Learn?
What Will You Learn?
Sociologists and anthropologists study the ways in which individuals, through their collective actions, create and change patterns of social relations. Both disciplines emphasize a critical, historical, and comparative perspective in their study of life in contemporary societies. In their search for understanding, sociologists and anthropologists examine a variety of areas, from family life to globalization and political change.
DoWhat Will You Do?
What Will You Do?
Our sociology and anthropology course curriculums prepare students for careers that rely on strong analytic and writing skills and a sophisticated understanding of social processes and structures. Our alums have gone on to pursue graduate degrees and have had successful careers as entrepreneurs, leaders of consulting firms, faculty members, and as federal and state government employees, to name a few.
Course Curriculum
Faculty
Program Contact
Carolyn Schwarz
Department Chair, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Areas of Expertise: Health and Well-Being; Health Care Delivery; Morality; Religion;
Ethnographic Methods
View Carolyn Schwarz's Bio
Full-Time & Half-Time Faculty
Jamie Mullaney
Acting Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs, Fall 2025; Professor of Sociology
Areas of Expertise: Culture and Cognition; Qualitative Methods; Time; Identity; Sociology
of Emotions
View Jamie Mullaney's Bio
Sadie Ridgeway
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Areas of Expertise: Medical Sociology; Health Disparities; The Body; Stigma and Discrimination;
Quantitative and Survey Methods; Youth and the Life Course
View Sadie Ridgeway's Bio
Janet Hinson Shope
Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Professor of
Sociology
Areas of Expertise: Gender; Health; Sexual Violence
View Janet Hinson Shope's Bio
Daniel Swann
Associate Professor of Sociology
Areas of Expertise: Race; Atheism; Critical Race Theory; Social Psychology; Religion;
Rhetoric and Public Discourse; Methods; Political Sociology
View Daniel Swann's Bio
Part-Time Faculty
Patty Greenberg
View Patty Greenberg's Bio
Affiliate Faculty
Jennifer Bess
Associate Professor of Peace Studies
Areas of Expertise: Native American Studies (Especially Agriculture and Foodways);
Health Justice; Global Health
View Jennifer Bess's Bio
Mark Ingram
Professor of French
Areas of Expertise: Cultural Anthropology; Public Art and Urban Studies; Place and
Space; Performing Arts; Anthropology of Europe (Especially France)
View Mark Ingram's Bio
Matthew Van Hoose
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Areas of Expertise: Popular Music; Performance; Semiotics; Sociolinguistic Variation;
Language Ideology; Media Studies; History and Memory; Anthropology of Latin America
(Especially Uruguay); Ethnography of Work
View Matthew Van Hoose's Bio
Professor Emeritus or Emerita
Rory Turner
Professor Emeritus
Areas of Expertise: Intangible Cultural Heritage and Folklore; Cultural Sustainability;
Anthropological Theory; African Expressive Culture; Ethnography; Ritual and Performance
View Rory Turner's Bio
Study Abroad
Sociology/anthropology majors and minors study abroad as part of their general education requirements. Some pursue semester long programs that afford them the opportunity for fieldwork and research on topics of their interest, while others participate in Goucher College Intensive Course Abroad (ICA) courses. Regardless of the type of program, study abroad offers deep lessons on cultural relativism and the value of anthropological and sociological perspectives for better understanding our globally connected world.
A faculty-led ICA in our program is offered as the elective course SOA 272. This course
provides opportunities for extended and deep work with faculty engaging in vibrant
research settings.
Please visit the Office of Global Education to learn more about study abroad at Goucher.
Opportunities & Internships
Alpha Kappa Delta & Lambda Alpha Honor Societies
Junior and senior majors who have achieved the requisite grade point average of 3.5 in a minimum of four sociology/anthropology courses are invited to become members of Alpha Kappa Delta or Lambda Alpha, the honorary societies in sociology and anthropology. It is the tradition of the program to help cover the costs of induction into AKD for students so that cost does not prohibit anyone deserving of this honor from receiving it.
Community-Based Learning
Community-based learning, or service learning, is a way for students to actively connect their academic work with direct experience in the community. By combining hands-on work in the community with the academic framework provided by course work across the curriculum, students gain a rich experience of social issues. Students learn about the workings of community, encounter differences related to race, class and privilege, gain a deeper understanding about social justice, and are able to do work that is beneficial to others. They also gain a greater understanding of themselves. Community-based learning emphasizes academic rigor, reflection, and developing ongoing community partnerships. Community-based learning can be part of any discipline and any academic division: humanities, social sciences, sciences and the arts.
At Goucher, community-based learning is part of a growing number of academic courses.
Many but not all of our programs are connected to central Baltimore, the historic
home of Goucher College, and new partnerships are being created locally in Baltimore
County.
Internships
Internships help students explore possibilities, apply classroom learning, and gain experience. Explore internships and credit options.
Student Employment
Student employment connects students to both on and off-campus opportunities. The Career Education Office provides resources and support to students with or without Federal Work Study to find jobs, submit applications, and learn more about the job search process. Students have access to Handshake — a website for job postings, events, resumes/cover letters, and career management.
Major & Career Exploration
Exploring career options, choosing a major, and making career decisions is a multi-step process in which all students are encouraged to engage early and often. Goucher students have a variety of resources available through the Majors and Career page to assist them in this process.
Job Search
A Goucher education prepares students for today’s job market and beyond. Students can explore job opportunities and access job search resources through the CEO Job Search page.
Graduate & Professional School
Students access resources for searching and applying to graduate and professional school through the CEO Graduate and Professional School page, through faculty and staff members, or utilizing their own resources, network and tools.
Academic Partnerships
Goucher College has partnered with other institutions to provide students with expanded academic and post-graduate opportunities. Partnerships include dual-degree programs and accelerated graduate pathways with the following colleges: Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Loyola, Middlebury, Notre Dame of Maryland University, University of Maryland Baltimore.
Alumni Spotlight
Auni Gelles '10
Auni Gelles '10
Read my story“The community is something that makes Goucher shine: You get to know both students and faculty well, and that gives you a leg up when you're going into the world to look for jobs.”
News
- October 2, 2024
With the election less than six weeks away, opportunities for civic and voter engagement abound on Goucher’s campus—through courses, events, and grants to support those efforts.
- November 10, 2021
Goucher College student voting higher than national average