Whether on Clark’s campus or in communities around the world, constantly evolving social dynamics impact each of our lives in powerful and sometimes hidden ways. As a sociology major, you will learn to reveal these social dynamics. You’ll study broad social processes — global dynamics, stratification, social movements, etc. — and explore diverse institutions, from the law and medicine to family and religion.
Why study sociology at Clark?
- Gain valuable hands-on experience through internships at vital nonprofits and regional institutions such as the Worcester Division of Public Health, Massachusetts Department of Corrections, and other organizations promoting positive change.
- You can choose to focus on a particular area, like law and social control, medicine and community health, or immigration and globalization.
- Take advantage of funding opportunities, like the annual Ross Social Justice Summer Internship Stipend — which provides $2,500 for students to complete research or an internship with a social justice organization.
- Apply
- Request Info
Are you ready to take the first step?
Featured Courses
Activism, Protest, and Social Movements
This course examines the dynamics of activist and protest movements, including the conditions that give rise to them, factors that shape their development, and the ways they affect culture, society, and politics.
Class and Status in Black American Life
Centered on the works of W.E.B. Du Bois and E. Franklin Frazier, and contemporary research by Karyn Lacy and Mary Pattillo, this course examines the evolution of class and status hierarchies within Black America.
American Jewish Life
What is Jewish and what is American about American Jews? How do they compare with other ethnic groups? Explore these questions along with related topics like immigration, economic mobility, gender and intermarriage.
Courses in the sociology major examine a wide array of social processes, such as social stratification, social movements, and social change. Through the investigation of social institutions, you will acquire the conceptual and analytical tools to enhance your understanding of not only your own life, but also the world.
Career Communities are industry-focused groups designed to support your professional exploration and narrow down your career interests within specific fields. You’ll connect to opportunities, professionals, and information that will support your career development. The following communities may be of interest:
Health Professions and Life Sciences
Non-Profit, Human Services, and Education
Qualified students can apply for membership in Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society. Alpha Kappa Delta sponsors annual student paper contests, presenting awards that include monetary prizes, travel support, and scholarships. In addition, by funding research symposia and honoraria for guest speakers, the society supports chapter activities that further education.
Executive Editor
Thomson/Wadsworth Publishing Company
Speech-Language Pathologist
Rhode Island Hospital
Match Support Supervisor
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Policy and Program Specialist
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
Associate Professor of Sociology
University of New York at Stony Brook
The Clark Experience
The Clark Experience brings together the exceptional education you’ll receive in the classroom and so much more. Through focus and flexibility, it ensures you’ll leave Clark with the creativity, confidence, and resilience to succeed and lead a life of meaning and consequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do with a major in sociology?
At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.
What skills will I learn?
- Critical thinking
- Writing and communication
- Quantitative literacy
- Comparative analysis
- Logical reasoning
What is the Addams-Mills Award
The Addams-Mills Award is given annually to honor one or two graduating sociology majors who exemplify the community service ideas of Jane Addams, a founder of community-based social work and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and the intellectual tradition of C. Wright Mills, an outspoken sociologist and critic of American power structures.
Is there a sociology honors program?
During your junior year, you might be accepted into the sociology honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors theses topics are:
- Racialization of Asian and South Asian International Students in the United States
- The Ambiguity Paradox of Queer-Ass Folk: Problems, Solutions and Costs of Queer Identity
- What Makes a Woman?: A study of Ladies’ Home Journal and Its Constructions of Femininity from 1950 to 2012
- Consumerist Frames and Pornographic Products: College Students and Views on Pornography
- Leaving Orthodoxy: A Study of Religious and Cultural Transformation
Be a force for change.
Come study at a small research university with a strong liberal arts core.