Department of Sociology

The American Sociological Association published a booklet, “21st Century Careers with an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology,” which includes common first job categories for sociology graduates:

Check out this list of jobs held by Boise State sociology graduates.
Explore insights from alumni who share how sociology helps them succeed at work.

What is sociology?

Dr. Sharon Paterson, professor: The concept of sociology and the study of sociology really encompasses thinking about society, thinking about structures, and thinking about the ways that people are navigating and negotiating that. A lot of looking at the structures has to do with thinking about power and inequality, and what’s normal and what’s not normal, and who gets to decide, and why do we do what we do and without even thinking about it. Um, which sometimes comes with looking under the hood of capitalism, looking at the hood in terms of race, looking under the hood in terms of gender constructs, and then thinking about how does that play out in our families, how does that play out in our work lives. Who gets to benefit from these from these structures, and and maybe which groups of people are in different positions.

Nicole Purdy, Sociology Undergrad: Imagine yourself down at the Boise River. She’s like, and imagine people are going down the river and they’re hurt, and you know something’s wrong. You know, they’re rafting down the river and something’s happened. A psychologist runs out into the river right there and asks the first person to see, “Are you okay? What can I help you with?” A sociologist walks up the river to find the source of the issue and deals with it there. So that was where I was like, “This is awesome. I that’s exactly what I would do.” And like I felt a click, and I went with it. And yeah, I think sociology is such an underappreciated thing.

“Sociologists study social change, diverse communities and their interactions and use scientific methods to find emperical answers to complex social questions. Studying sociology fosters creativity, innovation, critical thinking, analytical problem solving and communication skills. Sociology challenges you to see the world through the lens of different cultures and communities.” The American Sociological Association Website, 2018

Why is it important?

Ann Snelgrove, Sociology Graduate: Sociology is applicable just to everyday life, and I think in such a complicated time, it’s really important to like have an opinion or have a say, have some knowledge not only in the current events and of what’s happening, but to have some knowledge and understanding of what systems are at work so that we can try to fix those systems, change those systems to create a better society for everyone.

Dr. Patterson: You hear so much about people getting soft skills and being critical thinkers, but oftentimes, as a student, it’s like, “What the heck is that? And how do I get it?” And so it really may seem cliché, but sociology as a major and as a field of study actually does that. So when people talk about wanting teamwork, well, people have to understand people and how and why they work, and so that’s sociology. When people think about decision making, you have to think about what are the implications of this. Will people actually follow that policy? Will they actually do that law? Why do we have these laws? And so sociology helps you think about what to think about. And so because it’s in so many different topics like family and religion, it it there’s kind of something for everybody, but it really is a place to learn those soft skills and to learn critical thinking, and then be able to apply it wherever.

Why did you choose to study sociology?

Ann Snelgrove: So I didn’t even know what sociology was until I don’t even know when I learned about it. I definitely learned about like what this subject is in college, and I ended up taking a soc 101 and 201 class in the same semester because I thought this is probably what I’m interested in, and it turned out to be just like life-changing classes. And I went, “Oh yeah, I want to read theory. I want to think about the systems. I want to talk about capitalism. I want to read Marx.” Like, like Marx was kind of my entry into sociology. So I I decided yeah, this is this is where I belong.

What do you study?

Dr. Patterson: It’s not just sociology generic; it’s sociology of family, sociology of war, sociology of religion, society of education, and so it’s really it’s it’s it’s a degree and a specialty for for life as well as for jobs.

What careers are available?

Dr. Patterson: The amazing thing about sociology is that it really is the home base for so many careers. Sometimes people say, “What would you do with a sociology degree?” And the answer really is, “What can you not do with a sociology degree?”

So to be more specific, it’s a way of thinking. It’s the kind of questions that you ask. It’s looking at structures and how people interact with those structures. It absolutely can inform healthcare types of jobs because people are making health choices and those are often sociological questions about why do we do what we do, how do we see ourselves, what messages are we taking in from society, and then how do we go about that.

I think people tend to think about sociology as being social workers, which that’s certainly an avenue. Some people people also might think about sociologists as being advocates for folks, which is also absolutely part of it. Social service agencies. So there’s a variety of things you can that you can do, and we have a very long list of those those opportunities. And we also help students do internships. So it’s not a matter of just saying, “Oh, you can do all these things. You have these great skills.” But we actually help facilitate those experiences in kind of real-life situations.

Many of our students that major in sociology take sociology 101 and they say, “Oh my gosh, this this explains so much of how I see the world.” And so they they say, “Oh, I’ll major in something else,” and then they take another sociology class, and then they’re like, “You know what, sociology is my thing.” And so they they transfer later into into sociology. And so um that’s fine, but it’s super great to start off as soon as you can in sociology because then you can really experience the whole the whole range of things that we have to offer that the degree has to has to offer.

Nicole Purdy: I just I really I feel really lucky to have found the department because I feel like so many of the people who help run it are just so kind-hearted and open-minded and happy to like give you that help or support if you need it or if you ask for it, you know in an instant. So it’s just a very warm place to be.

Ann Snelgrove: There’s just a lot of opportunities and a lot of professors who like are very very knowledgeable.

Learn more about sociology at www.boisestate.edu/sociology or by visiting Riverfront Hall, room 204