Welcome to the Sociology/Anthropology Department Web Site

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The following information is for prospective and current students, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty.

Sociology studies issues like family stability, crime, poverty, racism, and the impact of changing demographics.

What is Sociology?

Sociology studies these issues by using a "public issues" perspective. This approach focuses on how our social structure and on how our social structure and group classifications influence our behavior and our opportunities in life. For example, we know that men make more money than women, that white Americans live longer than black Americans, and that poor people actually pay a greater portion of their income in taxes than wealthy people. Sociological research has clarified these patterns and many others.

Why study sociology at Shippensburg University?

The sociology program at Shippensburg University offers you an outstanding faculty who receive excellent evaluations for their teaching, and who are noted for being available to assist students. Further, we offer a high-quality program which facilitates both employment and admission to graduate programs. Recent job placements include area Office of Aging, Mental Health and Mental Retardation staff, human resources assistant, and teaching. Students from our program have been accepted and successfully completed advanced degrees at institutions such as the University of Maryland, Florida State University, and the University of Virginia.

What is Anthropology?

Anthropology is the holistic and cross-cultural study of humankind. It is the broadest of the social sciences and includes four major fields: cultural anthropology, physical or biological anthropology, archeology, and anthropological linguistics. Applied anthropology is a recent area of specialization that involves the use of anthropology in nonacademic settings such as schools and hospitals.

Why study anthropology at Shippensburg University?

Although the anthropology program at Shippensburg is small, we have an excellent record in student admission to graduate school and in job placement after graduation. We offer courses in three of the major areas within anthropology and students have gone on to graduate school in archaeology (admission to the University of Pittsburgh, for example), physical anthropology (Ph.D. from Kent State University), and cultural anthropology (admission to the University of New Mexico, for example). Shippensburg graduates with an anthropology minor also have found it to be a valuable qualification in the job market, whether they are business majors, psychology or counseling majors, or political science majors. Cross-cultural interaction increasingly occurs in all professions and the American population continues to become more diverse. Anthropology is a field that makes people better able to interact in culturally diverse settings and employers recognize this.