Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and anthropology study human cultures and societies, past and present, on a comparative basis. These disciplines are concerned with analyzing and understanding the social structures and values that shape our lives, as well as the institutions and social forces of our own and other societies. The major in sociology or anthropology provides an excellent preparation for graduate study and a variety of careers, including law, education, business, public administration, journalism, health, counseling, and social work. Sociology and anthropology graduates also pursue careers in local, national, and international non-profit organizations. The department offers two majors, an Anthropology Major  and a Sociology Major .

In keeping with the University’s policy, no declarations of major or minor will be accepted after the fall full-term withdrawal period of a student’s senior year.

Honors and High Honors

Anthropology

Majors may qualify for honors in anthropology by achieving at graduation a GPA of 3.50 in all departmental courses and an overall GPA of 3.30, or for high honors by achieving at graduation a GPA of 3.70 in all departmental courses and an overall GPA of 3.30, and submitting a thesis judged by department faculty to be worthy of honors or high honors.

Any student in the junior year who believes he or she will reach the qualifying GPA is strongly encouraged to discuss potential honors or high honors projects with departmental faculty. All seniors will normally enroll in ANTH 452 Senior Seminar in Anthropology  in the fall of their senior year and begin work on a thesis of their own design. Those students pursuing honors or high honors will continue to develop their seminar theses by enrolling in ANTH 495 - Independent Study for Honors and High Honors , in the spring semester (if a substantial number of students are pursuing honors and high honors in a given year, the group may be organized into a formal honors seminar). Working with the seminar professor and at least one other faculty member, the student shall write and defend an extended project before department faculty at a special event at the end of spring semester. Honors and high honors projects should demonstrate the ability to work creatively and independently and to synthesize theoretical, methodological, and substantive materials. Note: ANTH 495 is an additional requirement for students pursuing honors and high honors and cannot be counted as one of the electives required for the major.

Sociology

Majors may qualify for honors in sociology by achieving at graduation a 3.50 GPA in all departmental courses and an overall GPA of 3.30, or for high honors by achieving at graduation a 3.70 GPA in all departmental courses and an overall GPA of 3.30.

Any student who believes he or she will reach the qualifying GPA is invited to apply for honors or high honors in the spring term of his or her junior year. If accepted, students enroll in SOCI 494 - Honors and High Honors Seminar , in fall of the senior year and SOCI 495 - Honors and High Honors Thesis Workshop , in spring of the senior year. The student, working with the seminar professor and at least one additional adviser, shall write and defend an extended project proposal in the fall and complete a substantial research paper during the spring semester and present it in a special department event. The designation “honors,” “high honors,” or neither, will be determined at the conclusion of the semester by the departmental faculty. Honors and high honors projects should demonstrate the ability to work creatively and independently and to synthesize theoretical, methodological, and substantive materials. Note: Students accepted to take SOCI 494 in the fall term are expected to also enroll in SOCI 495 during the spring term to complete their theses, regardless of whether the student ultimately achieves honors. SOCI 495 is an additional requirement for students pursuing honors or high honors and does not count as an elective toward the sociology major.

Awards

The Award for Excellence in Sociology and Anthropology — awarded by the department to a student on the basis of outstanding academic performance in coursework within the department.

The Ramshaw Service Award — established by Warren C. and Molly Ramshaw. Warren Ramshaw taught in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1961 to 1992. The award is presented to an undergraduate student in recognition of outstanding community service and academic achievement.

Off-Campus Study

Students are strongly encouraged to expand the scope of their academic experiences by studying off campus. SOAN faculty help guide each student toward the off-campus study experiences that complement and build on his or her overall course plan; we encourage students not to think of off-campus study as a semester-long break from Colgate but rather as a way to enhance on-campus course work. Students often use off-campus study as a way to collect data for use in senior seminar and honors projects. Since Anthropology majors are required to complete a fieldwork component as part of their coursework, off-campus study can often be a rewarding and useful way to fulfill this requirement. More information on off-campus study can be found on the Sociology and Anthropology web page.

Transfer Credit

The department will accept for major credit no more than two courses taken at another institution and no more than one course towards the minor.

The Longyear Museum of Anthropology

The Longyear Museum of Anthropology enhances the teaching and research facilities of the department. The museum, founded in 1965 and named after Dr. John M. Longyear III, professor of anthropology, emeritus, contains archaeological and ethnographic collections from a wide range of cultures around the world. The collections of African art, Canadian First Nations art, Iroquois archaeological materials from central New York, and the central Mexican (Guerrero) stone sculptures are extensive.

Students may take advantage of the resources of the museum in a variety of ways. ANTH 253 - Field Methods and Interpretation in Archaeology (MC, GR, FR)  and ANTH 300 - Museum Studies in Native American Cultures (MC, GR, FR)  offer students the opportunity to become acquainted with the museum holdings and to carry out research projects on selected collections of artifacts. Students may also arrange independent studies working with the museum collections and receive credit in either the Department of Sociology and Anthropology or in the Native American Studies Program, which is sponsored by the Division of University Studies. Students are encouraged to inquire at the offices of the curators of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology concerning independent studies projects in cultural anthropology or archaeology, as well as for information concerning museum internship programs and opportunities in museum studies and summer programs in archaeological or ethnographic fieldwork.

Related Majors

The sociology and anthropology department, along with departments in the social sciences, arts and humanities, and natural sciences, offers an interdisciplinary major in Native American Studies  with a study group in Santa Fe.

Majors and Minors

• Anthropology Major
• Sociology Major

• Anthropology Minor
• Sociology Minor

Courses

• SOCI 494 - Honors and High Honors Seminar
• SOCI 495 - Honors and High Honors Thesis Workshop