College of the Pacific

Department of Sociology

Sociology is the study of our social behaviors, our interactions with each other, and the ways we socially organize these behaviors and interactions.  Because we all live in social worlds, we are constantly attempting to understand them.  The goal of sociology is to make our everyday knowledge of these worlds more systematic and precise.

To that end, our department offers classes in a broad range of subjects.  In addition to our core major courses, we offer classes that focus on deviant and/or criminal behavior; community health and social services; and culture, communication and social meaning.  Examples of some of the topics our classes examine include the social and political implications of gender differences in America; impacts of prejudice and racism on our society; how community organizations--especially non-profit organizations--operate; and the huge impact food preferences (and taboos) have in our collective lives.

 All of us, no matter our gender, color, creed or economic “worth” are--in the lens of sociology--small players in a large and complex world.  Only by extending our limited perspectives beyond our personal lives can we begin to understand--and perhaps change--the social forces that define and constrain us. We like to call this understanding the sociological imagination.  It is at the heart of what our discipline has to offer you.