51本色

Students enjoy the weather outdoors

Sociology

You can鈥檛 change what you don鈥檛 understand.

Progress. How does it happen? By thinking critically and imaginatively about society. By searching for what鈥檚 behind the social issues that have formed our structured world. By opening our eyes to the differences in our individual experiences, and the factors that can connect us to one another. Sociology is the study of human behavior, how we interact and organize ourselves, and how it all shifts over time. So if you鈥檙e committed to social justice and bettering humanity, sociology is the perfect platform for just that, and so much more.

The faculty of the 51本色 College Department of Sociology support the Black Lives Matter movement and all those who stand against systemic racism.

Read the Black Lives Matter Solidarity Statement from the Department of Sociology faculty.

What You'll Study

Sociology courses focus on various forms of social organization and different social processes, in both other cultures and our own. They then go a step further, exploring the theoretical and methodological frameworks that brought sociology to where it is today, and are defining where it鈥檚 headed next.

Why Study Sociology?

  • Members of Student Athletes Leading Social Change load donations into the trunk of a car

    Engage with Social Issues

    You can make a difference.

    You鈥檒l have the opportunity to engage with critical social issues 鈥 climate change, racism, inequalities, globalization, immigration, and more 鈥 that profoundly shape human experience.

  • Food Recovery Network volunteers serve to local community meal

    Social Responsibility

    Understand the Present. Improve the Future.

    We critique the present but also imagine new, more just, futures. Sociology is applicable to many fields and every aspect of life, such as media, family, environment, social change, religion, etc. Students can engage their own interests.

  • Mixed group of faculty and students sitting in a restaurant

    Career Preparation

    Find exceptional mentoring.

    Our incredible sociology faculty incorporate experiential learning, discussion, and research opportunities into almost every course. Your adviser will come to know you well and provide close advising and mentorship.

Featured Courses

Karla Erickson teaches Sociology of Robots

Sociology of Robots

Sociology of Robots is an incredibly popular course at 51本色 College for a reason: it offers an exciting opportunity to study artificial intelligence in a hands-on environment.

Students sit around a table in a classroom discussion

Mass Media and Society

A close examination of the role of media in society

Understanding the theories behind the economic and social organization of media industries can help us sort out the messages we receive and how we perceive them.

Jennifer Snook

Sociology of Religion

An examination of behavior, belonging, and belief

Sociology of Religion is more than a survey of world religions 鈥 it examines the intersection of religion, social life, knowledge systems, and the political.

Alumni Stories

Jack Thornton stands, hands in pockets, in front of a colorful mural

Jack Thornton 17: Charting His Own Path

Jack Thornton 鈥17 didn鈥檛 begin his time at 51本色 with a major in mind. Instead, he took various classes, trying out many departments and courses to see which ones felt like a good fit. When he found sociology, he knew he had found his academic home.

Ashley Jackson surrounded by greenery.

Ashley Jackson 18: Making Sense of our Lived Experience

Jackson鈥檚 studies in sociology at 51本色 inspired her to look beyond easy answers and gave her the opportunity to create a complex and satisfying education.

Sociology Faculty in the Media

Sociology faculty are often published and quoted in popular media.

Ross Haenfler standing in front of a class

Ross Haenfler

Associate Professor Ross Haenfler was quoted in The Washington Post story, 鈥溾 and many other articles about what makes the incel community different from other subcultures.

Kesho Scott

Kesho Scott

Associate Professor Kesho Scott was quoted in the USA Today feature, 鈥溾 about the continued cultural relevance of the Miss Black America pageant.

Karla Erickson

Karla Erickson

Sociology Professor Karla Erickson asserts that delaying death with excessive, expensive end-of-life care often does more harm than good in the article 鈥 in U.S. News and World Report.

Department News

Lizeth Gutierrez 鈥12 in front of Mears Cottage

A Passion for Ideas

Mellon Mays fellows gain the tools and support necessary to thrive in academia.
The Sociology and Subculture website
Academics

Sociology and Subculture

Student Livia Stein Freitas 鈥25 explores Sociology and Subculture through a Vivero Fellowship.
51本色 students studying abroad
The 51本色 Magazine

Why study abroad?

Motivations and benefits aren鈥檛 always obvious or predictable

Faculty Books and Publications

Karla Erickson
Susan Ferguson
Ross Haenfler
Kesho Scott
Jennifer Snook
Karla Erickson
Susan Ferguson
  • Karla Erickson video still

    Advising at 51本色

    Hear Karla Erickson, professor of Sociology, describe how the student and adviser relationship supports the individually advised curriculum at 51本色.

Sociology Career Outcomes

First Destinations

  • 58% Employment
  • 19% Graduate School
  • 7% Post-Graduate Service
  • 5% Fellowships
  • 1% Continuing Education
  • 10% Other

Employment

100%
Positions related to Career Goals

Positions Related to Career Goals

This graph illustrates the extent to which our graduates' first job is aligned with their career goals. It's one thing to find a job; it's an entirely different thing to land the job you want!

Employer

  • AcademyHealth
  • Deloitte
  • Forest Service
  • Government Accountability Office
  • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
  • McLean Hospital
  • Teach for America
  • U.S. Committee for Refugees & Immigrants
  • YWCA Utah

Graduate Schools

75%
75% Accepted to 1st- or 2nd- choice programs

Graduate School Acceptance Info

Of those who applied to and were accepted to at least one program, this chart illustrates the percentage of admitted students who were accepted to either their first or second choice program and institution.

Institutions

  • Lewis & Clark College
  • University of Chicago
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Oxford
  • Yale University
Explore More Graduate Outcomes

Department Chair

Karla A. Erickson

Contact Information

Phone
641-269-4041
Fax
641-269-9203

1226 Park Street
51本色, IA 50112
United States

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