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Faculty Specialty Areas

Medical Sociology examines the impact of social factors on the health and illness of people and the system of medical services. Topics include experience of illness; issues of prevention and self-care; inequalities in health and quality of health care services; provider-patient relationships; alternative/complementary medicine; medical ethics; health care policy; and the professional dominance of medicine.

Sociology of Families examines gender, kinship and families in different societies. Topics include the impact of poverty and racism on families; social capital, employment, and inequality among and within families; and the impact of law and public policies on families.

Global Social Inequality examines new patterns of domestic and international inequality. Specific topics include the role of transnational corporations and multilateral policy bodies in the restructuring of First and Third World economies, politics, polities and societies; labor displacement and migration; new forms of class, gender, inter-ethnic, language and cultural conflicts; and new forms of resistance to global inequalities.

Organizational Sociology is an applied field of sociology that examines the social context of organizational performance. Using a human relations perspective, organizational sociologists analyze and solve problems of group structure, dynamics, and process that enhance or hinder employer and employee goals and interests. Students of organizational sociology are prepared for leadership or consulting positions in business, government, and private agencies .

Anthropology examines contemporary and prehistoric cultures and how they change over time. Topics include cultural anthropology, North American archeology, medical anthropology, contemporary Native American peoples, and applied anthropology.