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As a Sociology and Anthropology student at Alma College, you develop an awareness of the influence of social and cultural forces which shape societies and individuals. Sociology and Anthropology are disciplines which get below the surface, go beyond assumptions and help you learn to look at the world in new ways.
As a part of the Sociology and Anthropology program at Alma, you gain:
- Experience and skill in computer applications.
- Analytical skills that help you process and examine information.
- Help from Alma’s faculty members in building a program of study to meet your interests and developing effective double majors.
Special Programs
Anthropology. In a world that is increasingly global, it is important to understand other cultures as well as your own. Anthropology students have important new options for study at Alma, overseas, in graduate school and in careers following graduation.
Gerontology. If you have the passion to deal with one of the most challenging and rapidly growing issues of our time with compassion, intellect and moral commitment, gerontology might appeal to you. Alma’s Gerontology Program offers a multi-disciplinary minor with core courses from many perspectives and opportunities to gain experience in several settings within the larger community.
Women’s Studies. You can develop a substantial interdisciplinary background in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences on topics and issues concerning women’s images, realities and choices through the Women’s Studies minor.
In addition to enhancing your awareness of women’s contributions, concerns, perspectives and theories, course work in women’s studies considers diversity of class, ethnicity, race and sexual orientation from various feminist perspectives which counterbalance traditional biases.
Computer Laboratory
Innovative Sociology and Anthropology computer laboratories help you develop analytical and research skills that stimulate critical thinking and intellectual development. Such skills improve your ability to understand issues, interpret facts, and access and process information. These abilities also provide you with a competitive advantage in fields such as law, market research, politics and social work.
Using computer programs, you learn to interpret data, for example, based on 240 variables from all 50 states or data on 1,600 individuals. As an illustration, you can consider the variables of race, level of education, and income by region throughout the country and reach conclusions about the cause and effect of such factors. Graphs and charts displayed on the computer screen help you to see how these variables can be related. The analytical skills you develop interpreting such data are in high demand as the United States moves from an industrial to a knowledge economy.
Career Possibilities
The study of Sociology and Anthropology has many practical applications for future careers. Through work in community institutions, agencies and schools as an Alma student, you acquire work-related experience that links your liberal arts education with a career. Alma’s Sociology and Anthropology students gain on-the-job experience in medical social work, a Summer Youth Employment training program, youth services, shelters for abused women and their children, and law enforcement agencies. These recent experiences helped students evaluate the directions their careers would take.
Recent Sociology and Anthropology graduates have gone on to careers in anthropology, archaeology, banking, business, government, journalism, law, ministry, research, sociology, social work and teaching. Others have joined the Peace Corps.
Recent alumni choosing graduate schools have attended the University of Chicago; Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan State, Northwestern, the Ohio State and Pennsylvania universities, as well as Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Michigan Law School and Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Many who enter professional careers immediately after graduation from Alma also have plans for continuing their education, some with company support.
