Sociology is the systematic study of social organization and social life. Sociologists use scientific and humanistic approaches to explain and understand social behavior and social systems. Topics include collective behavior and social movements; deviant behavior, crime and punishment; gender and human sexuality; race and ethnicity, community and urban society; and social class and status.

Anthropology is the comparative study of human diversity through time and across the world. Its scope spans the humanities, the social sciences, and the biological, physical, and evolutionary sciences. As a social science, anthropology aims at uncovering the patterns of past and present societies; from a humanistic perspective, .seeks to understand the ways cultural meaning and political power have shaped human experience.

Students in the Sociology & Anthropology program learn a variety of research methods and social theories used to study both large-scale and small-scale patterns of social relationships, as well as the processes by which these patterns change. A minor in Sociology & Anthropology will provide additional breadth of perspective for students with majors in Democracy and Justice Studies, Environmental Planning and Policy, Public Administration, Urban Studies, and Business Administration. It also provides preparation for students going on to graduate work in programs such as sociology, social work, urban studies, and other social science programs.