Loyola University Chicago

Department of Sociology

Overview

Sociology sign

What Is Sociology?

Sociology is the study of the various ways that people interact and organize themselves...in nations and families, cities and tribes, in factories, churches, schools and gangs. The subject matter is the world around us. A sociologist might study the work life of waitresses, the role of men in raising children, white-collar crime, poverty and injustice, how and why people oppose nuclear power, the way rumors spread or why the birth rate in the United States is declining. The perspective gained from sociology teaches us to look in a different way at the world we often take for granted. Introducing students to sociology as a social science, the department seeks to develop a critical understanding of the ways in which people relate to each other through the organization of society and the ways in which social structures influence our lives.

Department History/Overview

Undergraduate and Graduate students entering Loyola University Chicago's Department of Sociology become part of a distinguished program with a long history of teaching, research, and service to the community begun in 1914. With eighteen full time active sociologists our department supports both an active research agenda and a teaching program that grants personal attention to our students, small class sizes, and faculty student collaborations. Our expanding number of undergraduate majors is complimented by over eighty full and part-time graduate students working toward advanced degrees in a program which has a continuing commitment to quality teaching, a plurality of methodological and theoretical styles, and the application of sociological analysis to community problems.

Degree Offerings

The department offers an undergraduate BA degree in sociology. We also offer a five-year combined BA/MA in sociology for selected sociology majors. In addition to offering undergraduate courses, the department maintains an active internship program that provides students with experience in community-based research and/or service.

The department also has an excellent graduate program offering the MA and PhD degrees in sociology. While our particular areas of focus in the graduate program are: 1) urban society and social policy; 2) religion, culture, and knowledge, our faculty’s diverse research interests extend to many other areas, including globalization, mass media, poverty and technology to name a few. In addition, there are opportunities to work with our Center on Urban Research and Learning (CURL), conducting community based studies throughout the city of Chicago.