Sociology/ Anthropology Department

Sociology and Anthropology Learning Goals

  • Students will develop their “sociological (and anthropological) imagination,” the ability to think creatively and meaningfully link individual biographical events to larger social patterns in society; to see the connection between “personal troubles” and “public issues” (Mills 1959).
  • Students will acquire general “sociological and anthropological literacy,” the ability to perceive and systematically analyze social structures (stable, persistent patterns of interaction) in society, from small-scale micro-level symbolic interactions to large-scale global social arrangements. 
  • Students will engage with an intellectually rigorous theoretical core including using a wide variety of classical and contemporary sociological/anthropological theories to interpret social reality.
  • Students will strengthen their methodological sophistication through an acquaintance with the research methods of sociology/anthropology and their appropriate uses, and independent research skills, including qualitative and quantitative approaches. 
  • Students will be able to articulate the ethical implications of their knowledge. 
  • Students will cultivate a sensitivity to issues of social stratification and social justice. 
  • Students will synthesize their knowledge as they progress through sequential learning experiences and a capstone course. 
  • Students will responsibly use their acquired sociological/anthropological knowledge through an active sense of citizenship/community participation locally, nationally, and globally. 
  • Students will improve their communication skills through writing and presentations. 
  • Students will nurture their intellectual curiosity and interdisciplinary interests consistent with a “liberating” liberal arts education. 
  • Students will link to the world beyond Hendrix College through information about such things as internships, career choices, fellowships, graduate schools, service opportunities, cross-cultural experiences, and other opportunities. 
  • Students will reach “unto the whole person” by engaging in a lifelong sociologically/anthropologically informed search for meaning that is intellectually, ethically, and aesthetically rewarding.