Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work is the creation, transmission and application of knowledge concerning the relationship of individuals and groups with their social and cultural environment. The Department is committed to the development of knowledge and understanding of the local community. The Department seeks to accomplish this mission through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

The Department teaches students the substantive knowledge of sociology, anthropology, and social work. The Department provides an educational experience that allows for the integration of knowledge concerning the social world. It also emphasizes the analytical skills essential to understanding the relationship between theory and data.

Taken together, the substantive knowledge and analytical skills allow students to understand the role that society plays in shaping their lives and the role that they can play in shaping the broader society. We encourage service-learning projects, undergraduate research, and internships to enhance students' ability to serve the common good. By analyzing major social institutions and problems of previous and contemporary generations, the Department raises students' awareness to issues of social justice and encourages students to examine their personal values and priorities.

The creation of new knowledge requires that the Department maintain a high level of scholarship. Recognizing that excellence in teaching is strongly related to excellence in research, the Department is active in the search for new knowledge, better theory and stronger methodology that will allow us to better understand the creation, maintenance and consequences of social structures and processes.

Since the faculty possesses the social scientific knowledge essential to a full understanding of the workings of society, we actively seek to be a critic of society and provide service in the hope of improving the quality of life in the broader community and society. We build upon our commitment to liberal learning and service through our support for general education, interdisciplinary instruction, experiential learning, participation in international education, and multidisciplinary learning.