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Undergraduate Programs
Expand your knowledge of human culture, behavior, social institutions, and the impact of all these on lifeways past and present. Develop the critical thinking skills you need to succeed wherever your path leads.
Explore Our Programs
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The major fields of study in our department are sociology, anthropology and criminology. Despite differences in approach and scope, each field examines components of human society – our systems, structures, cultures and practices – with the goal of elevating our understanding of human nature.
Our faculty, lecturers and staff are passionate about our students’ education. We will encourage you to be curious and critical thinkers and to ask the difficult, probing questions about the world in which you live.
Anthropology
Meet a Current Student
Colin Gravelle
This anthropology student recently interned at the American Museum of Natural History.
Anthropology focuses on the interrelationships between the cultural, social and biological bases of human behavior in evolutionary and contemporary contexts. The program emphasizes exposure to different cultures through classic ethnography, and a better understanding of both the past and present through archaeology and human skeletal analysis.
We offer a general concentration with a B.A in anthropology. We’ll encourage you to take an international perspective as we examine diverse cultures and areas of the world. In the process, you’ll gain valuable tools to analyze and solve problems in our increasingly global society.
Come study how past human ways of life, biology and culture intersect to help us better understand the complexity of the human experience.
Criminology
Spotlight on Recent Grad
Spechel Wooten
Before graduating with majors in criminology and anthropology, Wooten interned with the Wake County Public Defender's Office, NC State Bureau of Investigation and NC State's CSLEPS.
Criminology is the scientific study of crime from a social and individual perspective that encourages students to think critically about the causation, correction and prevention of crime.
Our undergraduate degree in criminology provides a professional orientation that will be relevant to your occupational goals as well as your participation as a citizen in community affairs.
You’ll gain a general background in crime causation and agencies of criminal justice. You can also explore juvenile delinquency, the court system, deviance and correctional facilities, among other areas.
Opportunities for internships include field placements with agencies related to the criminal justice system.
Sociology
Spotlight on Recent Grad
Sarah Nilson
This recent sociology grad interned with a startup focused on developing a waterless, odorless toilet.
Sociology is the study of social life, social change and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, societies and how people interact within these contexts.
Sociologists understand social inequality, patterns of behavior, forces for social change and resistance and how social systems work.
Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of work to the sociology of sports.
Sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our time – and is a rapidly expanding field with potential increasingly tapped by those who craft policies and create programs.
Student Organizations
The Taylor Sociology Club was founded in 1960 and was named after Dr. Carl C. Taylor, first Head of the Department of Rural Sociology (now called the Department of Sociology and Anthropology). This student organization provides students the opportunity to pursue their sociological interests and promotes an understanding of the discipline of sociology. Working together, students and faculty explore their social worlds. The members are able to meet the department’s professors, as well as students of similar interests. Any student, regardless of major, may join. Because it is student-maintained, students themselves plan, organize, and execute projects that include films, guest speakers, field trips, service to the community, and discussions of social issues.
View our Student Involvement page or contact Alivia Canter for more information.
The Anthropology Club was established in the early 1980s. This organization, open to all majors, provides students opportunities to pursue their interest in anthropology through interact with professors, fellow students, guest speakers, and planned activities. Like the Taylor Sociology Club, the Anthropology Club is supported by funds from the Humanities and Social Sciences Council.
Contact Dr. Tim Wallace for more information.
Alpha Kappa Delta is an international sociology honor society that serves to promote academic scholarship and interest in the sociological understanding of human life. A major goal of the organization is to stimulate ongoing research and discussion among college students who have demonstrated excellence in the field of sociology. The name Alpha Kappa Delta, reflecting the major orientation of the group, is based on the first letters of three Greek words – anthropon or mankind, katamanthaneim or to investigate, and diakonesein for the purpose of service.
The first chapter of AKD was established in 1920 by Dr. Emory Bogardus at the University of Southern California. By early 1982, AKD membership had grown to 276 chapters in the U.S., thirteen of which are located in North Carolina. The NCSU (Beta) chapter of AKD was the second North Carolina chapter to be organized (in 1950) and continues today.
Membership in AKD is on a lifetime basis and is open to graduate students and undergraduates who meet certain requirements based on academic achievement, professional interest in sociology, and affiliation with a recognized host institution. Faculty members meeting certain criteria may also join AKD.
The purpose of the Criminal Justice Club (CJC) is to provide students interested in the criminal justice field an environment in which to further foster their interests, meet like-minded peers, and allow them the opportunity to network within the field. Membership is open to currently enrolled NC State students including both undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of major or minor.
The CJC is a student-maintained club where student members plan, organize, and execute projects that include films, guest speakers, field trips, service to the community, and discussions of topics related to criminology and criminal justice.
For more information, view our Facebook page: Criminal Justice Club NCSU, contact the 2017-2018 president, Miranda Myers, or the CJC faculty advisor, DeAnn Judge.