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Sociology is the scientific study of patterns of human behavior and society. How do people live and act with one another? How do people create, maintain, and change social life? Sociologists explore how people structure social life and the consequences of those structures for human behavior. Since human behavior is social, sociologists have broad interests ranging from families, the experiences of racial and ethnic categories, organizations, social inequality, women and feminism, sexuality, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, human rights, to problems of peace and war. Sociologists have a distinct perspective on social inequality, patterns of behavior, forces for social change and resistance, and how social systems work.

What is unique about sociology is the way it reflects and interacts with real world issues. At a fundamental level, sociology invites us to break through our common-sense ideas about the world, in order to understand society and to strive to change society for the better.

Anthropology is the holistic study of humans. The intent is to examine all aspects, both physical and mental, of all humans, both living and dead.

Traditionally, the discipline encompasses four sub-disciplines:

• Archaeology
• Biological anthropology
• Lingusitic anthropology
• Socio-cultural anthropology

In recent decades, applied anthropology has gained such importance and so many practicioners that many consider it to be a fifth sub-discipline.

The future appears bright for sociology and anthropology as people increasingly realize that we must renew attemps to understand, ameliorate, or solve problems in the United States and around the world-problems that affect individuals, like alcoholism or unemployment, and problems that affect societies, like ethnic conflict or environmental pollution. If you are curious about social life, about what people do and why and with what consequences, then this major is for you!