Majors
Sociology and Anthropology
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Bachelor of Arts (A. B.) or Bachelor of Science
(S. B.)
Students interested in exploring the complexities of human
behavior find this interdisciplinary major valuable.
Courses focus on the ways in which societies influence individual
and group behavior. Students are introduced to cultures
other than their own, developing a cross-cultural
perspective. Study Abroad is highly encouraged.At Elmira College, students pursue an interdisciplinary major in
Sociology and Anthropology, which is based on four foundational
courses; students then concentrate on one or the other discipline
before completing a capstone seminar.
Sociology is the study of groups of people living in a
society. Sociology courses look at human interaction as
shaped by social institutions such as the family, the education
system, marriage and relationships, economic structures, religion,
and the media. Sociologists are particularly interested
in the socialization process that creates the norms, values, and
rules of a society. Groups of people with identities
that somehow fall outside the norms are particularly
interesting. Sociology often looks at social
inequalities, especially based on race, social class, and
gender. Also offered at Elmira College are courses on
social processes like deviance, globalization, social institutions,
and inequality, and on race, gender, social class, community,
theory, and qualitative methods.
Anthropology is the broad and inclusive study of human
beings. It is best noted for its focus on human
cultures — the ways that people organize their ways of
life — and on the biological and evolutionary history
of human beings. The major question anthropology asks
is, “Why do people do the things they do, and what do
those things mean to them?” At Elmira
College, we focus especially on cultural anthropology, with
offerings also in biological anthropology, archaeology and
linguistics.
The Senior Seminar focuses on individual research projects,
emphasizing quality of research design, acquaintance with
professional literature, presentation and defense of the
student’s findings.
Honor Societies
Pi Gamma Mu, Social Science Honor Society
Co-advisors, Martha Easton and Jim Twombly
Pi Gamma Mu, Social Science Honor Society
Co-advisors, Martha Easton and Jim Twombly
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