Sociology & AnthropologyMajor & Minor

Major Requirements Minor Requirements
Courses

Major & Minor Program Contact
Carolyn Schwarz, Department Chair, Associate Professor of Anthropology: health and well-being, health care delivery, morality, religion, ethnographic methods

Full-Time & Half-Time Faculty
Jamie Mullaney, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, Professor of Sociology: Culture and cognition, qualitative methods, time, identity, sociology of emotions

Sadie Ridgeway, Assistant Professor of Sociology: Medical sociology, health disparities, the body, stigma and discrimination, quantitative and survey methods, youth and the life course

Carolyn Schwarz, Associate Professor of Anthropology: health and well-being, health care delivery, morality, religion, ethnographic methods

Janet Hinson Shope, Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Professor of Sociology: gender, health, sexual violence

Daniel Swann, Assistant Professor of Sociology: race, atheism, CRT, social psychology, religion, rhetoric and public discourse, methods, political sociology

Rory Turner, Assistant Professor of Anthropology: Intangible cultural heritage/folklore, cultural sustainability, anthropological theory, african expressive culture, ethnography, ritual and performance

Part-Time Faculty
Patty Greenberg

Affiliate Faculty
Jennifer Bess, Associate Professor of Peace Studies: Native American Studies especially related to agriculture and foodways, health justice, and global health

Mark Ingram, Professor of French: Cultural anthropology, public art and urban studies, place and space, performing arts, anthropology of Europe (France, especially)

Matthew Van Hoose, Assistant Professor of Anthropology: Popular music, performance, semiotics, sociolinguistic variation, language ideology, media studies, history and memory, history and anthropology of Latin America (especially Uruguay), ethnography of work

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.

Office of Global Education

Alpha Kappa Delta & Lambda Alpha Honor Societies

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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

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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

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Internships help students explore possibilities, apply classroom learning, and gain experience. Explore internships and credit options.

Student Employment

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.