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  • <a href="/live/image/gid/83/width/650/86534_SOAN_main_image.jpg" class="lw_preview_image lw_disable_preview" tabindex="-1"><picture class="lw_image lw_image86534"><source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/500/height/479/crop/1/86534_SOAN_main_image.rev.1607736302.webp 2x" data-origin="responsive"/><source media="(max-width: 500px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/scale/2x/gid/83/width/500/height/479/crop/1/86534_SOAN_main_image.rev.1607736302.jpg 2x" data-origin="responsive"/><source media="(min-width: 501px)" type="image/webp" srcset="/live/image/gid/83/width/720/height/690/crop/1/86534_SOAN_main_image.rev.1607736302.webp 1x" data-origin="responsive"/><source media="(min-width: 501px)" type="image/jpeg" srcset="/live/image/gid/83/width/720/height/690/crop/1/86534_SOAN_main_image.rev.1607736302.jpg 1x" data-origin="responsive"/><img src="/live/image/gid/83/width/720/height/690/crop/1/86534_SOAN_main_image.rev.1607736302.jpg" alt="Maryann Bylander, associate professor of sociology, hosts students during her office hours. " width="720" height="690" data-max-w="1150" data-max-h="1200" loading="lazy" data-optimized="true"/></picture></a> <div class="hero-split_image_caption collapsable-caption">Maryann Bylander, associate professor of sociology, hosts students during her office hours. </div>
Home/ Academics/ Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and Anthropology

When you choose a major in sociology and anthropology, you become a member of an enthusiastic intellectual community dedicated to the study of the social and cultural processes that shape our contemporary world. You will develop the thinking tools, research skills, and social ethics that prepare you to understand the world and act in it.

Majors

Minors

Why Choose a Degree in Sociology and Anthropology?

Our program builds on the overlapping concerns and distinctive strengths of our two disciplines: sociology and anthropology. Rather than establishing separate tracks, we follow an integrated curriculum dedicated to providing solid preparation in the theories and methodologies of these intersecting fields. You will join in critical investigation of pressing issues of the day: capitalism, environmental sustainability, food systems, health care, migration, nationalism, religious commitment, social injustice, technological innovation, tourism, violence and suffering, and more. Our courses are attuned to how these matters impact the everyday lives of people globally.

We also believe in collaborating with students on research projects—whether through classes during the academic year, a paid humanities research summer program, or both—and helping them find and secure internships or practica in Portland and beyond. Our students graduate with research, writing, and analytical skills that equip them well for a wide range of professional endeavors and graduate programs.

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What You’ll Study

Our curriculum stresses the relationship between cultural formations and social structures set in historical context. Courses draw heavily on cross-cultural examples, focusing on areas of faculty expertise in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. The study of inequality across race, gender, class, and other forms of social difference provides a critical point of conjuncture for our joint curriculum. Our faculty are strongly committed to teaching a variety of methodologies and perspectives, including ethnographic fieldwork and interviewing, statistics and survey research techniques, textual and discourse analysis, historical methods, and computer-mediated modes of inquiry. This approach, which is in keeping with recent trends in both sociology and anthropology, provides a strong foundation for engaged student research that culminates in a senior thesis project.

We believe in collaborating with students on research projects around the world—whether through classes during the academic year, a paid humanities research summer program, both, or other channels—and helping them find and secure internships in Portland and beyond. Recent internships included placements with an Oregon senator’s office, immigration and refugee community-organizing groups, a local newspaper, and National Geographic. Many of our students also earn course credit while on an overseas program, and draw on their experience abroad in their senior thesis project.

Outside the classroom, our faculty and students come together for barbecues, hikes, pizza dinners, brunches, research presentations, and other departmental events throughout the year.

Curriculum

Connect With Lewis & Clark!

  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Medicine, Culture and Healing by Assistant Professor Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> I really enjoyed how this course gave me an insight into the medical realm from a social science perspective, and introduced me to medical anthropology as a field of study. This course was an excellent introduction into conducting rich and raw ethnographic research, and was just the beginning of my journey into sociology and anthropology.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/22185-sonali-blair"> <a href="/live/profiles/22185-sonali-blair">Sonali Blair BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Hispanic Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Topics in Medical Anthropology with Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> The class title is Specters of Intergenerational Suffering and Care. This class has helped me really tune into how to connect my personal, emotional experiences into an academic setting mixed with other learning modalities. I feel encouraged to bring a creative approach to anthropology, which has helped me connect the dots of how to use my SOAN major in my future career in the care-work realm.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/16200-audrey-perry"> <a href="/live/profiles/16200-audrey-perry">Audrey Perry BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology/Anthropology, French Studies (double) </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Nonfiction Creative Writing with Professor Pauls Toutonghi</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> Easily one of the most interesting, creative, and exciting classes I’ve taken. Every class was enjoyable and I grew a lot as a writer.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/19007-elsa-horsted"> <a href="/live/profiles/19007-elsa-horsted">Elsa Horsted BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Medicine Healing and Culture with Professor Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> This course greatly expanded the way I think about social constructions of health, healing, and illness. Professor Bajracharya invites students to engage deeply with their lived experiences, and facilitates fascinating discussions.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/22580-sophia-riley"> <a href="/live/profiles/22580-sophia-riley">Sophia Riley BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Contemporary International Fiction with Professor Rishona Zimring</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> It was the perfect blend of reading for pleasure while also honing in on my critical-thinking and argumentative writing skills. I really appreciated how engaged and passionate my classmates were in our discussions. Rishona is also a fantastic professor and really helped me articulate my ideas while analyzing my own thought process.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/16679-emily-larabee"> <a href="/live/profiles/16679-emily-larabee">Emily Larabee BA ’25</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Hispanic Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Topics in Medical Anthropology with Assistant Professor with Term Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> This has to be the most impactful class that I have taken during my time at Lewis & Clark. We discussed things like pain and suffering, how or why we care for the people that we do, and how these are political and significant acts. I ended up writing an ethnography about relationships to death and dying as my final project in the course, which completely changed my understanding of working with other individuals in research, as well as the topic of medical anthropology.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/16682-helen-guyton"> <a href="/live/profiles/16682-helen-guyton">Helen Guyton BA ’23</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Environmental Studies and Japanese (double) </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Social Theory with Assistant Professor Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> This was easily the best class I’ve ever taken. I left the class with more than knowledge about social theory in the academic sense—I came away with personal life lessons that I know I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I will never be able to thank her enough for that.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/20402-cameron-kalopsis"> <a href="/live/profiles/20402-cameron-kalopsis">Cameron Kalopsis BA ’24</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Feminist Theory with Associate Professor Kim Brodkin or Decolonizing Anthropology with Associate Professor Oren Kosansky</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> Feminist Theory was amazing because it is the gender studies minor capstone course, so we were able to have really exciting and thought-provoking discussions. Decolonizing Anthropology’s teachings have stuck with me and have often made me take a step back to view things from a decolonial lens.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/17697-eli-bricknell"> <a href="/live/profiles/17697-eli-bricknell">Eli Bricknell ’24</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Gender Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Social Power of Music with Associate Professor Bruce Podobnik</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> It was a class that made me look at the pop culture references I already knew and think about them in academic terms. I ended up writing my final paper about the Spice Girls, something I never expected to do in college.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/18360-jeremy-kregar"> <a href="/live/profiles/18360-jeremy-kregar">Jeremy Kregar BA ’24</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology and Hispanic Studies (double) </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Health Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Wines and Vines With Professor Deborah Heath</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> The course was about viticulture and oenology, and it covered a lot of fascinating topics in viticulture and oenology. Because wine making culture is very common throughout the globe, I realized how wine is not merely a beverage but functions as a versatile analytical tool to explore the countries and regions I visit through the cultural, historical, and geographical perspectives.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/19804-minami-yamauchi"> <a href="/live/profiles/19804-minami-yamauchi">Minami Yamauchi BA ’22</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Hispanic Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Space Place and Landscape with Assistant Professor Kabir Heimsath</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> It’s part of my major, and I have found the readings to be very inspiring and helpful for the essays that we wrote in the class, all of which have been very thought-provoking explorations of space for me.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/18349-cooper-kroll"> <a href="/live/profiles/18349-cooper-kroll">Cooper Kroll BA ’24</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Race and Ethnicity in the United States with Reiko Hillyer</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> I took that class my first year at L&C, and it remains one of my favorites because it challenged my previous education the most, and it really opened my eyes to the way that I was falsely educated about our country’s history. It was also one of the first courses that introduced me to concepts of critical race theory. Looking back, that was probably the course that altered my worldviews the most.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/18301-shalini-hanstad"> <a href="/live/profiles/18301-shalini-hanstad">Shalini Hanstad </a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Ethnic Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Topics in Medical Anthropology With Professor Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> Every class felt like a radical restructuring of how I viewed the body in pain, care networks, the biomedical industry, and so much more. Professor Bajracharya supported students as they explored their own experiences in pain, or the witnessing of someone else’s pain.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/19800-hannah-singleton"> <a href="/live/profiles/19800-hannah-singleton">Hannah Singleton BA ’21</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology; French Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Political Economy of Black Labor with Assistant Professor Kim Cameron-Dominguez</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> Kim is a fantastic professor whose classes I would recommend to anyone. This class was simultaneously my favorite and the most challenging class I have ever taken. Kim really pushes her students to think critically about topics in a new way. Although this was intimidating, it ultimately led to a very gratifying experience.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/22250-meilin-beloney"> <a href="/live/profiles/22250-meilin-beloney">Meilin Beloney BA ’26</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Gender Studies </div> </div> </div> </div>
  • <div class="statistics_slide swiper-slide"> <div class="statistics_box" style="text-align:left;"> <div class="statistics_box_inner"> <h4 class="statistics_headline" style="font-size: 3rem;"> Favorite Class </h4> <h6 class="statistics_summary" style="font-size: 2rem;"> <strong>Care, Healing, and Medical Anthropology with Professor Sepideh Bajracharya</strong> </h6> <!-- quote --> <div class="statistics_summary"> <p> I learned so much about our views on “care” and myself. One of my favorite ethnographies we read was “Life beside itself” by Lisa Stevenson and “Pastoral Clinic” by Angela Garcia. What I loved is that we read books and written pieces that were written by diverse authors - POC and from other parts of the world.</p> </div> <div class="profile-box_name" href="/live/profiles/18302-andrea-blobel-perez"> <a href="/live/profiles/18302-andrea-blobel-perez">Andrea Blobel Pérez BA ’19</a> </div> <!-- class year --> <div class="profile-box_field"> Major: Sociology and Anthropology </div> <div class="profile-box_field"> Minor: Political Economy </div> </div> </div> </div>

Complement Your Education With One of These Minors

The most popular minors for our sociology and anthropology majors are entrepreneurial leadership and innovation, ethnic studies, and gender studies.

What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark

  • Jeremy posing outside while on their overseas program in Spain.

    Sociology and anthropology is all about examining the world around us and thinking about why things are the way that they are. This ranges from looking at things like music and art to deep political decisions.

    Jeremy Kregar BA ’24
    Sociology and Anthropology and Hispanic Studies (double) | Health Studies | Westminster, Colorado
    More about Jeremy
  • Sophia smiling outside, wearing a black top and silver skirt.

    I love that I am pushed in every class, reading, and conversation to engage deeply with essential questions of why we (as humans) are the way we are and how we engage with others and the world around us.

    Sophia Riley BA ’25
    Sociology and Anthropology | Kauai, Hawai’i
    More about Sophia
  • Sonali posing outside in a green garden. She is wearing a white top with buttons and grey pants.

    I have encountered a broad range of perspectives and specialties, offering me insight into various fields of study. My major has provided different experiences and meaningful connections that have inspired me to explore more in my post-graduate studies and career opportunities.

    Sonali Blair BA ’25
    Sociology and Anthropology | Hispanic Studies | Denver, Colorado
    More about Sonali

What Can You Do With a Degree in Sociology and Anthropology?

Our alumni use their BA in sociology and anthropology to pursue graduate studies and professional work in a wildly diverse set of fields that range from medicine to urban planning, law to secondary education, public policy to cultural studies.

Dedicated Faculty

Our expert professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth.

Meet the Professors

Invest in Yourself

A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think. Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate with their bachelor of arts degree in four years that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition.

Find Your People

Students can join a variety of student-run organizations that relate to their sociology and anthropology major, like Students for Transformative Action, Abolition, Resilience (STAAR). Don’t see what you’re looking for on the club list? Start something new and build your own community of peers!

Where Lewis & Clark Will Take You

  • Hannah Singleton BA '21

    My education at Lewis & Clark allowed me to build the foundation to reach this height in my career as a young professional, and supported me in my belief that I could achieve it.

    Hannah Singleton BA ’21
    Sociology and Anthropology; French Studies | Corvallis, Oregon
    More about Hannah
  • Andrea Blobel Perez BA '19

    Take classes that inspire and interest you. Make connections with people and make the most out of this time to explore who you are and what you’d like to become.

    Andrea Blobel Pérez BA ’19
    Sociology and Anthropology | Political Economy | Santiago, Chile
    More about Andrea
  • Jillian Jin BA '21

    I strongly believe that the work I did here prepared me for law school, particularly because the L&C professors gave such great feedback.

    Jillian Jin BA ’21
    Sociology and Anthropology | Renton, Washington
    More about Jillian

More News and Events →

Bylander

Maryann Bylander

Associate Professor of Sociology, SOAN Department Chair
bylander@lclark.edu
503-768-7617