About
"If you want to understand what sociology is all about, you have to be able to reflect and visualize yourself as being one person among others."
—Norbert Elias
Welcome to the Department of Sociology at Yeshiva College.
We offer both a major and a minor in sociology, as well as a minor in public health. Classes in the Sociology Department may fulfill general requirements in social science.
A sociology degree is excellent preparation for graduate study or a career in law, criminal justice, law enforcement, social work, research, public administration, business, medicine, counseling, health care management or other service professions.
If you have any questions about sociology at YC, please contact Professor Joseph Luders at 212.340.7849 or luders@yu.edu.
What Is Sociology?
From the American Sociological Association:
"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, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. 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. In fact, few fields have such broad scope and relevance for research, theory, and application of knowledge.
"Sociology provides many distinctive perspectives on the world, generating new ideas and critiquing the old. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, or problems of peace and war. Because sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our time, it is a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who craft policies and create programs. Sociologists understand social inequality, patterns of behavior, forces for social change and resistance, and how social systems work."