Department of Sociology

Sociology is to society what political science is to politics and economics is to the economy. Sociologists try to understand societies—both contemporary and historical—by observing how they operate. We differ from other social scientists in that we tend to examine an issue, or element of society, from several different angles at once. For example, in studying single parenthood, religious commitment, or business “downsizing,” we may look at social, economic, political, and cultural aspects. As a result, sociology alumni often remark that the major gave them a broad understanding of the contemporary world, preparing them well for further education and future careers.

Our faculty expertise is extensive in its substantive scope, as illustrated by the following general clusters:

Social Stratification: inequality; discrimination; race and ethnic relations; crime and social control; segregation; poverty; educational attainment and policies; gender; family structure and childhood experiences.

Comparative and Regional Sociology: Eastern Europe; Russia; East Asia; Latin America; Western Europe.

Economic Sociology: markets and their social underpinnings; household and other non-market economic activity; formal organizations; economic change.

Sociology of Culture: organized belief systems; cultural fields such as religion and the arts; cultural innovation; impact of culture on social organization.

Population and Development: urbanization and segregation; international migration and citizenship; population problems and programs; economic development and inequality.

Some of our majors choose to concentrate in one or two of these areas. Many prefer to diversify, studying a number of these issues during their time at Princeton. Junior and senior independent work permits unusual flexibility in the choice of topics. Advisers are drawn from the junior and senior faculty.

Princeton’s sociology graduates are well equipped to enter an array of fields. Charitable and political organizations benefit from their awareness of social problems and the plight of the disadvantaged. Law schools value their extensive understanding of social issues, as well as the tools of logic and reasoning they bring with them. Business schools build on their understanding of human and organizational behavior as well as their quantitative skills. Graduate departments in many disciplines respect the breadth of their undergraduate training as a foundation for graduate study. Each year some of our majors pursue Ph.D. programs in sociology or go to law school.