Sociology
The scientific study of social life
Sociology provides fundamental insight on social matters. Our lives are affected not only by our personal psychology, but by our place in the social world. Sociologists study and work across a broad range of issues—from inequality to human ecology, from deviance to religion, from medicine to politics. Few fields offer students (and researchers) opportunities of such breadth.
Featured Undergraduate Course
Sociology of Sport (SOC 245)
This course familiarizes students with the sociological study of sport. The course explores the role that sports play in our society through a wide range of social phenomena such as education, race, gender, politics, media, violence and deviance, and economics. An emphasis on social factors provides insight into the way we think about sports as organizational forms, those individuals who participate in them, and how the institution of sport relates to values, norms, social practices, and inequalities. Students will learn to apply sociological principles to the analysis of sport as a cultural and social product, as well as a source of popular entertainment.
Experiential Learning
Take your education out of the classroom and into the world! Experiential learning opportunities and the capstone course help you apply your academic learning to effect change in communities and workplaces or get involved in hands-on research.
Relevant Sociology Updates
- Jennifer Sherman’s recent presentation in the Humanities Washington Series. Watch the recording, or see the event calendar.
- Department of Sociology Anti-Racism Statement
- WSU Anti-Racism Statement
- Please join us in remembering our beloved colleague Clay Mosher.
Sociology News
- Opioids kill minorities at younger ages
- Food insecurity related to later diabetes
- Global Campus Outstanding Seniors 2022
- Volatile shifts linked to high‑cost debt
- Race and environmental inequality
- From the verge of suicide to a life of purpose
- Most-read research stories of 2021
- Q&A with alumnus Joe Astorino