The Sociology & Anthropology Department provides students with intellectual tools for understanding contemporary and historical social issues, such as globalization, nationalism, racism, sexism, embodiment, and the complex layering of social inequalities in everyday life. These two disciplines approach the study of social life from different avenues, each bringing a set of separate and overlapping analytical and research tools to intellectual tasks that are complementary and synergistic. Sociologists and anthropologists study the social structures that create order and meaning in human societies and cultures as well as the pressures and contradictions that produce patterns of conflict and change. At Swarthmore, we view sociology and anthropology as disciplines engaged in a common intellectual task. Sociology and anthropology analyze individual experiences and connect them to larger social issues. The goal of sociology and anthropology is not merely to acquire knowledge about different societies, but also to critically engage with the complexities of social life.

Learn more on the Sociology & Anthropology Department website and in the College Catalog.