Academics
The fields of sociology and anthropology are dedicated to the study of human behavior, particularly behavior that is influenced by society and culture. It does this by introducing the established methods and theories of the disciplines to students and applying them to the world around us.
The two disciplines have always had a great deal in common and at Saint Michael’s they are united in the same department. There are good reasons for this. They have overlapping historical origins, share many of the same assumptions, theories and methodologies, and are similarly blended in many other colleges and universities as well. Sociology and anthropology are closely related to the other "social sciences" of political science, economics, and psychology since they too share a common commitment to the scientific study of human behavior. Students who major in sociology/anthropology are quite right when they say that sociology has a focus on the organizations and structure of society while Anthropology more directly focuses on culture—both in the Western world and the non-Western worlds.
Our objective is to help our students gain an understanding of the complexities of social life--through reading, discussion, and research. Projects take place in the libraries, on computers and in the streets and buildings of our real world. We believe that such approaches can be of enormous value in understanding ourselves and our relationships with others.
