Christine Kray, Program Director
585-475-4686, cakgss@rit.edu
Program overview
The sociology and anthropology major is dedicated to understanding and appreciating social and cultural complexity and diversity across the globe and through time. Students are exposed to critical perspectives, theories, and research skills that are necessary to engage complex global and local issues that crosscut the economy, politics, society, gender, ethnicity, and culture. Understanding societies both past and present better prepares us to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world and to assume positions of leadership that promote vision and equity.
Plan of study
This integrated, multidisciplinary degree program explores the common scholarly roots and creative differences of sociology and anthropology, through which students gain a synergistic set of perspectives and skills that prepare them for social analysis in the widest array of social and cultural settings. Students choose one of the following specializations: archaeology, cultural anthropology, sociology, or thematic.
Graduates pursue careers in medicine and public health, law, business, international development, the not-for-profit sector, urban planning, architecture, social work, education, and government, among other possibilities.
Cooperative education and field experience
Students apply their classroom knowledge with opportunities for hands-on learning through cooperative education assignments, internships, archaeological, ethnographic, or linguistic fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and study abroad.
Curriculum
Sociology and anthropology, BS degree, typical course sequence
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| Choose one of the folllowing: | 3 | |
| ANTH-102 | Cultural Anthropology | |
| ANTH-103 | Archaeology and the Human Past | |
| ANTH-110 | On the Cutting Edge: Research and Theory in the 21st Century | 3 |
| SOCI-102 | Foundations of Sociology | 3 |
| ACSC-010 | Year One: College Experience | 0 |
| LAS Perspective 1 (ethical) | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 2 (artistic) | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 3 (global) | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 4 (social) | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 5‡ (natural science inquiry) | 3 | |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| First Year Writing Seminar | 3 | |
| Wellness Education* | 0 | |
| Second Year | ||
| ANTH-301 | Social and Cultural Theory | 3 |
| ANTH-302 | Qualitative Research | 3 |
| Track Courses | 9 | |
| LAS Perspective 6 (scientific principles) | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 7A (mathematical) | 3 | |
| LAS Perspective 7B (mathematical) | 3 | |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| LAS Immersion 1 | 3 | |
| Third Year | ||
| ANTH-303 | Statistics in the Social Sciences | 3 |
| Track Courses | 18 | |
| LAS Immersion 2, 3 | 6 | |
| LAS Elective | 3 | |
| Choose one of the following: | 0 | |
| ANTH-498 | Practicum | |
| ANTH-499 | Cooperative Education | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Program Elective | ||
| ANTH-502 | Scholar’s Thesis I | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| ANTH-501 | Senior Research Project | |
| ANTH-503 | Scholar's Thesis II | |
| Free Electives | 6 | |
| LAS Electives | 18 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
Please see General Education Curriculum–Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) for more information.
(WI) Refers to a writing intensive course within the major.
* Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two Wellness courses.
‡ Students will satisfy this requirement by taking either a 3- or 4-credit hour lab science course. If a science course consists of separate lecture and laboratory sections, students must take both the lecture and lab portions to satisfy the requirement. The lecture section alone will not fulfill the requirement.
Tracks
Archaeology
| Required Courses | |
| ANTH-103 | Archaeology and the Human Past |
| ANTH-215 | Field Methods in Archeaology |
| ANTH-250 | Themes in Archaeological Research |
| ANTH-255 | Regional Archaeology |
| Electives–Choose five of the following | |
| ANTH-230 | Archaeology and Cultural Imagination: History, Interpretation and Pop Culture |
| ANTH-260 | Native North Americans |
| ANTH-312 | People Before Cities |
| ANTH-315 | Archaeology of Cities |
| ANTH-328 | Heritage and Tourism |
| ANTH-360 | Humans and their Environment |
| ANTH-375 | Native American Cultural Resources and Rights |
| ANTH-415 | Archaeological Science |
| ANTH-420 | Exploring Ancient Technology |
| ANTH-435 | The Archaeology of Death |
| ENVS-250 | Applications Geographic Information System |
Cultural anthropology
| Electives–Choose nine of the following | |
| ANTH-104 | Languages and Linguistics |
| ANTH-201 | The Ethnographic Imagination: Writing About Society and Culture |
| ANTH-210 | Culture and Globalization |
| ANTH-220 | Language and Culture: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology |
| ANTH-225 | Globalizing Africa |
| ANTH-235 | Immigration to the U.S. |
| ANTH-245 | Ritual and Performance |
| ANTH-260 | Native North Americans |
| ANTH-265 | Native Americans in Film |
| ANTH-270 | Cuisine, Culture, and Power |
| ANTH-275 | Global Islam |
| ANTH-280 | Sustainable Development |
| ANTH-285 | American Indian Languages |
| ANTH-290 | Language and Sexuality |
| ANTH-305 | Comparative and Historical Linguistics |
| ANTH-310 | African Film and Popular Culture |
| ANTH-320 | Practicing Anthropology |
| ANTH-325 | Bodies and Culture |
| ANTH-328 | Heritage and Tourism |
| ANTH-330 | Cultural Images of War and Terror |
| ANTH-335 | Culture and Politics in Latin America |
| ANTH-345 | Genocide and Post-Conflict Justice |
| ANTH-350 | The Global Economy and the Grassroots |
| ANTH-361 | Digitizing People |
| ANTH-365 | Culture and Politics in the Middle East |
| ANTH-370 | Media and Globalization |
| ANTH-375 | Native American Cultural Resources and Rights |
| ANTH-380 | Nationalism and Identity |
| ANTH-385 | Anthropology and History |
| ANTH-390 | Marxist Perspectives |
| ANTH-410 | Global Cities |
| ANTH-425 | Global Sexualities |
| ANTH-430 | Visual Anthropology |
| ANTH-455 | Economics of Native America |
| INGS-101 | Global Studies |
Sociology
| Required Course | |
| SOCI-220 | Minority Group Relations |
| SOCI-225 | Social Inequality |
| SOCI-235 | Women, Work and Culture |
| Electives–Choose six of the following | |
| SOCI-210 | African American Culture |
| SOCI-215 | The Changing Family |
| SOCI-230 | Sociology of Work |
| SOCI-240 | Deaf Culture in America |
| SOCI-245 | Gender and Health |
| SOCI-250 | Globalization and Security |
| SOCI-255 | Disaster, Public Health Crises, and Global Responses |
| SOCI-300 | Sociology and American Life |
| SOCI-310 | Housing Policies in the U.S. |
| SOCI-315 | Global Exiles of War and Terror |
| SOCI-322 | Society, Environment, and Health |
| SOCI-330 | Urban (In)Justice |
| SOCI-340 | Urban Planning and Policy |
| SOCI-345 | Urban Poverty |
| SOCI-350 | Social Change |
| SOCI-355 | Cyber Activism: Diversity, Sex and the Internet |
| SOCI-361 | Digitizing People |
| SOCI-390 | Marxist Perspectives |
| SOCI-451 | Economics of Women and the Family |
Thematic
| Students choose three thematic modules of three courses each from modules approved by the department. |
Quarter Curriculum - For Reference Only
Effective fall 2013, RIT converted its academic calendar from quarters to semesters. The following content has been made available as reference only. Currently matriculated students who began their academic programs in quarters should consult their academic adviser for guidance and course selection.
Program overview
Eighty percent of U.S. residents work, learn, and raise families in metropolitan areas. Countries around the world are rapidly urbanizing, and the urban populations of the world are linked participants in a global economic and cultural system. Cities also present challenges regarding land use, access to resources, cross-cultural communication, pollution, crowding, and traffic. The prominence and interdependence of today’s urban landscape create a pressing need for individuals who possess the skills, aptitude, and commitment to create sustainable cities and communities for our shared future.
The bachelor of science program in urban and community studies explores the institutional and structural forces that shape, interconnect, and subdivide geographically bounded communities. The program’s interdisciplinary combination of classes in the liberal arts, sciences, and computing gives students a broad knowledge base that lets them approach urban issues from a number of perspectives.
Students enter the work force technically grounded in and knowledgeable of urban theories, policies, and practices. Upon graduation, students will be equipped to take on positions in city and regional government, social services, and local or international development.
Tracks
The urban and community studies program offers three distinct tracks, allowing students to focus their interests in one particular area. The urban and community development track investigates the role of public, private, and nonprofit organizations in how cities function, with an emphasis on topics such as housing, urban planning, neighborhood revitalization, and crime and justice. A second track, communities in global perspective, is designed for students interested in regional economic and cultural issues within international settings. The third track, community: race, class, and gender, examines how political, economic, social, and environmental forces shape the life experiences of different subgroups. Special attention is paid to issues such as poverty, racial segregation, gender inequality, work and labor, and family life.
Curriculum
Urban and community studies, BS degree, typical course sequence (quarters)
| Course | Qtr. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| 0515-442 | The Urban Experience | 4 |
| 0515-444 | Social Change | 4 |
| Choose one of the following courses: | 4 | |
| 0515-210 | Foundations of Sociology | |
| 0510-210 | Cultural Anthropology | |
| Mathematics and Science Requirements‡ | 22 | |
| Liberal Arts* | 12 | |
| 1105-051, 052 | First-Year Enrichment | 2 |
| Wellness Education† | 0 | |
| Second Year | ||
| 0526-440 | Quantitative Methods | 4 |
| 0515-406 | Qualitative Methods | 4 |
| 0515-485 | Diversity in the City | 4 |
| 0510-445 | Global Cities | 4 |
| 0515-413 | Urban Planning and Policy | 4 |
| 4002-320 | Introduction to Multimedia: The Internet and the Web | 4 |
| Liberal Arts* | 24 | |
| Wellness Education† | 0 | |
| Third Year | ||
| 0526-441 | GIS Applications in Urban and Community Studies | 4 |
| UCS Track | 24 | |
| General Education Electives | 20 | |
| Cooperative Education or Internship (summer) | Co-op | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| UCS Track | 4 | |
| General Education Electives | 12 | |
| Senior Thesis | 4 | |
| Free Electives | 20 | |
| Total Quarter Credit Hours | 184 | |
* Please see Liberal Arts General Education Requirements for more information.
† Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information.
‡ Please see Mathematics and Science General Education Curriculum.
Additional information
Cooperative education and field experience
Students will perform fieldwork with government and not-for-profit agencies and organizations through internships or cooperative education assignments.