Welcome to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton College! (We often abbreviate it as SOAN.) We encourage you to explore our website to learn about the department. If you have questions, please contact the Student Departmental Advisers, our administrative assistant, Danielle Schultz, or our Department Chair, Wes Markofski.

Can I major in Sociology or Anthropology, or both? Sociology and Anthropology is a combined major at Carleton. Students who major in SOAN are required to take courses in both Anthropology and Sociology. We don’t have official “tracks” in the department, but our students can develop different areas of interest through their electives. You may find that you become interested in a specific region (i.e., Latin America), topic (i.e., public health) and/or discipline (i.e., sociology or anthropology).

Topics covered: Sociologists and anthropologists separate themselves from other social scientists through their concern with the totality of human social life. We investigate just about anything that affects groups of people: family, law, art, religion, language, politics, health, social movements, gender relations, and more.

How to get started: Many new students choose to begin with Introduction to Sociology or Introduction to Anthropology, which provide broad overviews of the disciplines and a strong background for more advanced courses. Our Argument & Inquiry seminars teach students to use sociological and anthropological evidence in fascinating contexts. Other students start successfully in a course with a geographic focus such as Culture and Politics in India or in a course with a topical emphasis such as Modern Families. See a full list of SOAN courses. 

See the Department Overview for more information.