Degrees & Programs Sociology and Anthropology
Study patterns of human behavior through courses in sociology, anthropology and social work.
Majors choose from three tracks: general sociology, human services and cross-cultural. Professors encourage you to be aware of ongoing social inequalities and engaged with local and global communities to work toward social justice and cultural redemption. You learn about the social nature of economic inequality, globalization, family, race, technology, gender, culture, religion and deviance from a Christian perspective. Earn academic credit for internships with agencies addressing social problems. Take advantage of off-campus programs, especially Westmont in San Francisco. Conduct independent research and present your work at the Western Sociology-Anthropology Undergraduate Research Conference and Westmont’s Student Research Symposium. Professors work closely with you and get to know you personally.
Sample Schedule
Required Major Core: 18 units
Required Lower-Division Course: 4 units
SOC 001 Introduction to Sociology (4)
AND
AN 001 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (4) (preferred for the Cross-Cultural Track)
Required Upper-Division Courses: 14 units
SOC 108 Quantitative Research Methods (4)
SOC 109 Qualitative Research Methods (4)
SOC 195 Senior Seminar (2)
SOC 197 Senior Research Capstone (4)
This track is designed for students who are seeking a broad training in the sociological perspective. It prepares students with a critical understanding of society that is essential to many careers including those in the non-profit sector, education, business, governance, church ministry, and media. It is particularly suited for students who wish to pursue further work in academic sociology beyond the B.A.
Required Courses: 28 units
SOC 171 Sociological Theory (4)
Select one course from four out of the following five categories: (16)
- Sociology of Religion
SOC 120 Religion and Society (4) - Deviance and Social Control
SOC 177 Interpersonal Violence (4)
SOC 182 Sociology of Deviant Behavior (4) - Social Stratification
AN 135 Gender and Sex Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective (4)60
SOC 180 Human Services and Social Policy (4)
SOC 189 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (4) - Comparative Sociology/Globalization
AN 140 Food Systems (4)
SOC/AN 155 Sociology of Global Inequality and development (4) - Social Interactions
SOC 130 Sociology of the Family (4)
SOC 145 Social Psychology(4)
SOC/AN 150 Cross-Cultural Communication (4)
SOC 175 Internet and Society (4)
*Department-approved upper-divisional sociology or anthropology electives (8)
This track is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a career in the helping professions or in community organizations. It is appropriate for students interested in pursuing careers in social welfare and other human service areas as well as those drawn toward careers in counseling and the criminal justice system.
Required Courses: 28 units
- SOC 171 Sociological Theory (4)
- SOC 177 Interpersonal Violence (4)
- SOC 180 Human Services and Social Policy (4)
- SOC 190 Internship (4-8 hours). Eight units of practicum (4 per semester) are
- strongly encouraged to provide continuity for both the student and the sponsoring
- agency. If only 4 units of practicum completed, students must take an additional
- upper-divisional department approved elective (4).
- *Two of the following Department-approved Electives (8)
- SOC 110 Social Problems (4)
- SOC 130 Sociology of the Family (4)
- AN 135 Gender and Sex Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective (4)
- SOC 182 Sociology of Deviance (4)
- SOC 189 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (4)
- Other department approved upper-divisional sociology or anthropology elective (4)
This track is designed for students who are interested in studying the diverse cultural groups of the United States and the developing world. It is especially recommended for those who are interested in missions and cross-cultural ministries as well as for those who desire to pursue inter-cultural affairs for other applications.
Required Courses: 28 units
- AN 145 Culture Theory (4)
- SOC 189 Racial and Ethnic Relations (4) or AN 115 Peoples and Cultures (4)
- Four of the following: (16)
- AN 130 Applied Anthropology (4)
- AN 135 Gender and Sex Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective (4)
- AN 140 Food Systems (4)
- AN 150/SOC 150 Cross-Cultural Communication (4)
- AN 155/SOC 155 Sociology of Global Inequality and Development (4)
- AN 196/SOC 196 Topical Seminar (2-4)
- Department-approved Upper-Division SOC/AN Elective (4)
- SOC 001 Introduction to Sociology (4)
- SOC 171 Sociological Theory (4)
- and Four Upper-Division SOC classes: (16)
Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Highlights
Explores trauma recovery, posttraumatic growth and resilience to help people make positive changes and Chair of the department
Examines the associations between religion/spirituality and population health and well-being.
Writes and speaks on contemporary digital practices and rapidly evolving digital media industries.
Looks at the role of religion in both perpetuating and mitigating different forms of social injustice
Meet the Staff
Career Paths
- Social Work
- Counseling
- Probation
- Law Enforcement
- Youth Services
- International Relief
- Development Work
- Foreign Service
- International Business
- Missionary Outreach in Developing Countries
- Law
- Public Administration
- Church Ministry
- Community Development
- Health Industry
- Non-Profit Organizations
- Media
See career paths for graduates who majored or minored in sociology at Westmont.
See career paths for graduates who majored or minored in anthropology at Westmont.
Felicia Song delivered a lecture, “Exhausted by your Insta-Snap-Tweet-Texting Life? Sociological and Theological Reflections on Technology” at Duke University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Iowa. She advised 12 different student projects at the 21st Annual Westmont Spring Research Symposium.
Congratulations to the Westmont graduating class of 2022.
Felicia Wu Song, a cultural sociologist of media and digital technologies at Westmont, offers a way to unpack the soft tyranny of the digital age in a new book, “Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age.” The book is available through Amazon and InterVarsity Press.
Felicia Song received a substantial grant from the Louisville Institute to support her work on this book that explores how theological traditions of historical Christianity can provide resources for negotiating our digitally saturated world. She seeks to help people imagine sustainable digital practices that are rooted in an incarnational theology of human flourishing. As part of the project, Felicia conducted a pilot study during her sabbatical year featuring interviews with parents about how they monitor their children’s engagement with digital devices.
Dr. Kent, assistant professor of sociology, co-authored a national study examining the link between perceived relationship with God and mental health from a sample of more than 1,600 Americans. The research suggests that religious believers who relate to God in an uncertain or anxious manner are more likely to experience symptoms of psychological distress, including anxiety, paranoia, obsession and compulsion. "Attachment to God and Psychological Distress: Evidence of a Curvilinear Relationship" appears in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Dr. Meredith Whitnah is currently working on a book titled “Faith and the Fragility of Justice: Religious Responses to Gender-Based Violence in South Africa.” This historical study investigates how faith-based NGOs in South Africa that had resisted apartheid have addressed gender-based violence.
Sociology and Anthropology Alumni
Janie Purcell Anderson ’80: “I enjoyed the San Francisco Urban program and being a resident assistant in Page during my years at Westmont. I worked at a home for unwed mothers (Florence Crittenton) until I had my own family. Later I went back and got my teaching credential and taught in private school and then in public school, mostly fourth and fifth grades.”
Steven Alcala ’13: “I graduated from the Los Angeles Police Academy in 2014 and have been working in the field since then. A majority of the calls I have responded to have dealt with domestic violence. I’m always looking to better myself and be the best police officer I can be.”
Frieda DeBoer Brands ’81: “I attended Westmont from 1977-1979 and was part of the San Francisco Urban. I had a great experience at Westmont and graduated from CSU Long Beach with a degree in social welfare. I am director of children and family services with the Lake Elsinore Unified School District and oversee all the 0-5 programs for our district. I earned a doctorate in educational leadership at CSU San Bernardino.”
Kathy Bowden Derringer ’77: “I worked for several years following graduation for the Rape Crisis Center and then as a victim advocate at the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office. I married and moved to Florida and have worked since then managing parenting programs for families with young children. I have loved my career in social work.”
Jennifer Eskridge ’05: During an internship in Uganda with Samaritan’s Purse, she lived in Lira and visited rural sites and Kampala, allowing her to complete required field work for her Master of Public Health at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She works as a public health professional with the Oregon Health Authority.
Kristin Moll Flynn ’02, chief human resources officer at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo: “I have the opportunity to work with a wide range of people and consider myself fortunate to have this career. My sociology background was so instrumental in bringing me to where I am today.”
Marta Johnson ’07: “ I graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2011 with a Master of Social Work and worked for a child welfare organization as an adoption specialist, serving primarily as a foster care case manager with kids whose cases will likely result in termination of parental rights and adoption by their foster families. I became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2013 and continued my work in child welfare through a specific program through the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, completing social history reports for the court and making treatment recommendations for children and families newly involved in the system. I now work as a psychotherapist in private practice.”
Janay Ramos Marshall ’01: “I earned a Master of Arts in counseling and guidance at Cal Poly and worked at a level 12 group home through Transitions Mental Health as a counselor. After I graduated, I took a job with San Luis Obispo County working with teenagers in long-term foster care, preparing them for their emancipation and independent Living. I moved to Visalia and became a social worker with a foster care agency. I loved this job and became a supervisor, which I loved even more. It was such a joy to encourage and train other social workers. I’ve also worked as an elementary school guidance counselor in Anaheim and as a social worker with a foster care agency in Orange County.”
Christen Krogh Gomez ’01 ran the Center for Therapeutic Education at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara and worked at Devereux for four years while completing her teaching credential and Master of Education at UC Santa Barbara. She is a special education high school teacher for Englewood Schools in Colorado.
Christina Robertson Matanick ’08: “My husband and I have been considering becoming foster parents, so much so that we took foster parent training classes last spring. In those classes we were inspired by the emotional journey of kids in care, and, being filmmakers, we proceeded to make a short film hoping to convey that same understanding to others.”
Maureen McConaghy ’67: “After graduating from Westmont, I worked briefly as a Kern County social worker and then earned a doctorate in sociology at UCLA. I taught sociology in Maryland and then went back to school for a master’s degree in marriage, family, and child counseling from CSU Dominguez Hills. My husband and I raised two wonderful daughters, and then I became a licensed marriage and family therapist. I started a private practice and specialize in parenting issues, couples’ counseling, and mood and anxiety disorders. I have no plans to retire because I love the work I do.”
Carolyn Skinner Moreau ’83: “I loved my sociology major and then the San Francisco Urban Program. I also earned a Master of Social Work in administration and planning at the University of Texas at Arlington. I worked in community planning and in early childhood intervention at the state level. After taking a break from paid work while my boys were young, I turned to more grassroots direct service supporting Hispanic immigrant parents through classes and home visits.”
Jeff Swanson ’85, professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, earned a doctorate in medical sociology at Yale University.