The Department of Sociology at Emory is a vigorous community of scholars. We engage in cutting-edge research, take pride in excellent teaching, and actively contribute to the University and wider community. Our faculty focus on four core areas in the discipline:

Comparative Political Economy and Global Analysis (including political sociology; political economy; global development and change; social movements; revolutions; world-systems; welfare states)

 

Culture (including mass media; religion; social change; world culture; music, literature, and the arts; popular culture; identity construction)

 

Social Psychology (including interpersonal and group processes; social structure and personality; status and power; justice; racial attitudes; legitimacy; identity formation and negotiation; emotions: criminology; health and well being)

 

Social Inequality (including sociology of education; work and industry; medical sociology; gender, race, class, and ethnicity; criminology; organizations)

We also collaborate in exploring links across these areas. For example, several faculty are initiating projects that explore the effects of inequality on physical, mental, and social well-being (e.g., educational achievement, residence in low-crime communities). Other faculty have begun to explore the interface between social psychology and culture. These faculty offer an ongoing workshop that assists graduate students with research on such topics as identity, injustice, and institutions. Others are examining the factors that impact health across a range of societies. Such efforts are closely tied to the University’s strategic initiatives in such areas as Race and Human Difference, Health, and Religion and the Human Spirit.

Our graduate program aims to prepare outstanding new scholars for productive careers. Our graduate students build a record of accomplishment in research and teaching. A large portion obtain positions in high-quality academic and research institutions. Our program provides:

• solid foundation in methods, statistics, and theory
• a low student-faculty ratio
• full funding for five years, including tuition waiver and a stipend
• an extensive teacher training program and opportunities to teach independently
• excellent facilities, including computer and social psychology laboratories
• abundant opportunities for research -- frequently in collaboration with faculty

Our undergraduate program aims to provide a challenging introduction to the discipline as part of a first-rate liberal arts education. We help to prepare students for a range of careers as well as graduate and professional study. We are committed to undergraduate teaching and our major is one of the largest of any at comparable institutions. Our program features:

• small classes
• award-winning teachers
• a wide range of courses
• an active internship program and a Summer Study Abroad Program on Health Care
• opportunities for research
• the SouthEastern Undergraduate Sociology Research Symposium (SEUSS)
  

Faculty and students are able to draw on a range of resources in the University and Atlanta area, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Carter Center of Emory University, Institute for International and Comparative Studies, Rollins School of Public Health, Candler School of Theology, Goizueta Businness School, Office of University-Community Partnerships, and Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.