The curriculum in sociology is designed to introduce students to the sociological perspective, which explores social structures, cultural factors, and other variables that intersect with, and influence, individual lives.
Welcome to the Sociology Department at Bates! We are a vibrant, dynamic academic unit with faculty and students interested in a wide array of issues shaping our societies and world today. Located in Lewiston, Maine, our focus goes from the very local to the global. With expertise in areas such as immigration, race, gender, class, crime, health, the family, urbanization, the economy, and politics, we offer a rich variety of courses and research opportunities for students.
If you are interested in learning more about the sociological perspectives, our faculty and curriculum, and the career possibilities that a Sociology major can lead to, we invite you to explore our website and reach out to any of us.
We also invite you to take a look at the American Sociological Association’s overview of sociology as a major.
The Major
Learn about the major in Sociology at Bates.
Our Faculty
Meet the faculty and explore their interests.
Life After Bates
Sociology provides an excellent background for a broad range of careers
Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken, winner of the 2024 Kroepsch Teaching Award, teaches students in her course “EDUC 231 – Perspectives on Education” in Pettigrew 30 on January 16, 2025. EDUC 231 – Perspectives on Education This course introduces students to foundational perspectives (anthropological, historical, philosophical, psychological, and sociological) on education and helps students apply these perspectives to contemporary schools and classrooms. The course considers several large questions: What should be the purpose of education in a democratic society? What should be the role of the school? Who should participate in making decisions about schools? In what ways do schools reflect and perpetuate larger social inequities, and, alternately, how can they contribute to a more just and inclusive society? Students must complete at least thirty hours of fieldwork.
Professor of Sociology Emily Kane meets this morning with students in her First Year Seminar, “Inequality, Community, and Social Change,” a course in which students explore community-engaged efforts to advance social change and the role of colleges and universities in those efforts. . This morning between 9 a.m. and noon, members of the Class of 2023 gathered with their First Year Seminar classmates and instructor, who will also be their students’ first-year adviser. They spent their time discussing the course as well as their academic advising. . Swipe left to see some moments the classroom with Kane and her students and with Lecturer in Environmental Studies Ethan Miller ’00, who met with his students in his First-Year Seminar “Life Beyond Capitalism,” a course that draws on tools from economic anthropology and geography to examine myriad, existing noncapitalist livelihood practices in contemporary industrialized societies.
Professor of Sociology Emily Kane meets this morning with students in her First Year Seminar, ìInequality, Community, and Social Change,î a course in which students explore community-engaged efforts to advance social change and the role of colleges and universities in those efforts. . This morning between 9 a.m. and noon, members of the Class of 2023 gathered with their First Year Seminar classmates and instructor, who will also be their studentsí first-year adviser. They spent their time discussing the course as well as their academic advising. . Swipe left to see some moments the classroom with Kane and her students and with Lecturer in Environmental Studies Ethan Miller í00, who met with his students in his First-Year Seminar ìLife Beyond Capitalism,î a course that draws on tools from economic anthropology and geography to examine myriad, existing noncapitalist livelihood practices in contemporary industrialized societies. Caitlyn Hanley ’23
A day in the life of Pettengill Hall, featuring staff, faculty and students engaged in learning, studying, and working, with both internal and external images. Francesco Duina teaches “Theoretical Foundations of Sociology,” G65
A day in the life of Pettengill Hall, featuring staff, faculty and students engaged in learning, studying, and working, with both internal and external images. Francesco Duina teaches ìTheoretical Foundations of Sociology,î G65
A COMMON READ BINDS THE CLASS OF 2022 Just before Convocation on Sept. 4, students gathered in and around Commons with their First-Year Seminars to discuss this year’s Common Read, Real American: A Memoir, by Julie Lythcott-Haims.