Sociology

Sociology explores social life in all its fascinating variety as well as the relationships among and between individuals, social groups, organizations and institutions. The subject matter of the discipline ranges widely, as do the research interests of our faculty: from the big global forces that shape migration, immigration and refugee status in the United States and elsewhere, to the most personal of identity group membership and structural inequalities faced by all of us; from the powerful impact of law and politics on the design and flow of urban life, to the changing boundaries of gender, race, class and ethnicity; from social life shaped by medicine, education, family and other hierarchical institutions, to the most intimate realm of sexuality and the body; and from the organization, ideology and functioning of social movements that shake established structures, to the use of social media, popular culture, and political speeches to translate something significant about our contemporary society.

The methods sociologists use vary: Some scholars look to the sciences using large-scale survey and quantitative data to uncover causal connections among social phenomena; others embrace the methods of historical inquiry, delving into archives and oral history to create and analyze biographical narratives; and still others are drawn to the practices of participatory observation and ethnography, heading to the field to clarify conundrums through in-depth interviews, intimate contact, and close observation.

The Barnard Department of Sociology offers courses to help students process, historicize and critique the various forms of inequalities that continue to shape society and differentially impact its members. Many of our classes incorporate sociological analyses of contemporary subjects such as the COVID-19 health pandemic and the ongoing social movements across the world for racial justice and police reform. Through our curricula we will directly analyze the origins and present-day impact of anti-Blackness, institutional racism, and the intersection of race, gender, class, sexual orientation and religion in the creation and maintenance of structural inequalities in society—and, as importantly, on the collective challenges that ordinary people launch to transform them.

Fall 2026 Information for Current Students

Fall 2026 information for current students, including the block schedule, course listings, and details, has moved to Portal.

Going forward, the Portal will be the primary place for schedule updates and announcements, so we recommend bookmarking it and checking in regularly.

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Undergraduate Conferences and Journals

Conferences

Annual Western Departments of Anthropology and Sociology Undergraduate Research Conferences, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA

Conference planners will post website updates when the information is available.

Program
Students participating in our conference present original interdisciplinary research and ideas in a collegial professional conference. The venue is ideal to present capstone research projects and field research.

Purpose
The annual conference promotes and recognizes original research at the undergraduate level in Anthropology, Sociology, and related social sciences facilitating communication and professional exchange among students and faculty from colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Type of Paper
We welcome empirical, theoretical, and review papers but will also consider other forms of artistic expressions.

Journals

Critical Theory and Social Justice Journal of Undergraduate Research (Occidental College)
CTSJ is dedicated to providing a forum for undergraduate students to develop and share critical research and writing on the intersections of "race", "sexuality", and "nationality" as they relate to problems of social justice. The journal seeks to foster exchange of ideas across disciplines and deepen understandings of systems of injustice, and in this way advances the mission of Occidental College: to develop critical, thoughtful, and active participation in an increasingly pluralistic and conflict ridden global culture.

Eleven (University of California, Berkeley)
The Undergraduate Journal of Sociology publishes excellent sociological papers written by current and recent UC Berkeley undergraduates, as well as undergraduates from across the nation and countries such as Canada and Norway. A student-run publication, the journal provides an academic forum that highlights outstanding scholarship in the social sciences. In the spirit of Marx’s Eleventh Thesis on Feuerbach that mandates one to engender constructive change, the journal offers opportunities for an intellectual space that encourages critical engagement with the world. NOTE: Our own alumnae, Erin Ward, is featured in Volume 5 of Eleven.

Habitus (Yale University)
HABITUS seeks to provide a forum for examining the social world. We envision a unique outlet for the publication of undergraduate work in the social sciences, with a central focus on sociology. We hope to create a document, in print and online, that combines the intellectual rigor of an academic journal with the dynamic format of an undergraduate magazine. Issues will center around changing themes to integrate a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives and, in addition to showcasing high-quality academic papers at the core of every issue, HABITUS may feature thought-provoking work in other formats - for example: photographic work, columns, and book or film reviews.

Inquiries (Jamaica Plain, MA)
Student Pulse is an edited publication that provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world an accessible platform for the dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines.

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (Pacific University and Central Washington University)
International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities is a peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to the publication of outstanding scholarship by undergraduates and their mentors from academic institutions of higher learning. The Journal accepts submissions of research articles, fiction, poetry, photography, videos, and other creative works from undergraduate students in all academic disciplines. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis and will be published on the Journal website after successful review.

Journal of Integrated Social Sciences (California Lutheran University)
Journal of Integrated Social Sciences is a web-based, peer-reviewed journal committed to the scholarly investigation of social phenomena. We especially encourage students and their faculty advisors to submit the results of their investigations.

Journal of Student Research (Houston, TX)
Journal of Student Research is based in Houston, TX. It is an electronic, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research. Our aim is to familiarize student authors with the process of manuscript publication. Researchers strive to be successful at publications; and with JOFSR, students aspiring to publish will receive scholarly feedback once their submission is reviewed. These feedbacks will not only help authors identify areas of improvement to their submission, but help them better understand the process in order to be successful at publication. Once published, it will provide a global platform for them to showcase their work.

Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence (Colorado State University)
JUR publishes extraordinary undergraduate work in an easily accessible and professional peer-reviewed journal. Our mission is to print outstanding undergraduate research, scholarly articles, and creative works in order to make them available to the public and connect the worldwide community of college undergraduates.

Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review (University of Pittsburgh)
The purpose of the Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review is to advance independent undergraduate scholarship. The PUR aims to bring research to the forefront of undergraduate awareness. By presenting provocative ideas, the PUR catalyzes further intellectual innovations and pursuits, thereby energizing the academic community.

Sociological Insight (UT Austin)
The Sociology Department launched Sociological Insight in the fall of 2008. It is a peer-reviewed sociology journal promoting undergraduate scholarship in the social sciences. Sociological Insight seeks to provide an opportunity for undergraduates in the United States and abroad to publish their very best academic papers and reap the benefits of subjecting their research to a rigorous peer-review process.

Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal (Stanford University)
The Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal (SURJ) is an annual peer-reviewed publication of research articles written primarily by Stanford undergraduates, but also by well-qualified students at other institutions, from all academic fields.

Undergraduate Journal of Humanistic Studies (Carleton College, MN)
The Undergraduate Journal of Humanistic Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal that promotes undergraduate research in the humanities and social sciences. Our goal is to present papers that bring to light new narratives and fresh points of view. Highlighting work that challenges dominant perspectives, the UJHS serves as a forum for contributors and readers to reconsider their position within the context of their society. In the spirit of the liberal arts, the UJHS is a multidisciplinary journal that accepts submissions from a broad range of subjects, demonstrating how student research can contribute to a variety of fields.

Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences (Kappa Omicron Nu Leadership Academy, MI)
The URC Undergraduate Research Journal is an annual online national, reviewed journal dedicated to the publication of undergraduate student research. The twofold purpose of the journal is to foster and reward the scholarly efforts of undergraduate human sciences students as well as to provide a valuable learning experience. The articles represent primarily the work of the undergraduate student(s). Faculty members, who deserve recognition, are identified by an asterisk next to their names.

Law and Society

Columbia University Journal of Politics and Society (Columbia University)
The Helvidius Group is a student organization at Columbia University, established in 1989 by Peter Tomassi, CC ’91, to provide a forum for undergraduate discourse on issues concerning law and public policy. The Journal of Politics & Society is the realization of that mission. Originally an annual magazine distributed to Ivy League universities and to members of Congress, it has adopted a more scholarly focus and has grown to encompass all of the social sciences. The Journal is not affiliated with or sponsored by any political organization, and it remains staunchly nonpartisan.

Ramapo Journal of Law and Society (Ramapo College of New Jersey)
The Ramapo Journal of Law and Society is an interdisciplinary, online journal devoted to the publication of undergraduate scholarship in Law and Society. The journal is published by an editorial board of students and faculty representing the Ramapo College of New Jersey undergraduate program in Law and Society, in collaboration with our colleagues at other colleges and universities nationwide.

Women and Leadership

On Our Terms (Barnard College)
On Our Terms s an online, peer-reviewed, academic journal of women and leadership. Produced under the auspices of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College, this publication features scholarship by undergraduates from across the globe seeking to enhance our generation’s discourse on the theme. We are a journal created for students, by students, and our goal is to provide a platform for student thought, debate, and voice through the publication of original academic articles and multimedia pieces.

Women's and Gender Studies

Spaces Between: an Undergraduate Feminist Journal (U. Alberta)
Spaces Between is a student-run, student-written, peer reviewed undergraduate journal. This publication is a forum for undergraduate students to publish their work in Women’s and Gender Studies as well as feminist research and writing within other disciplines. Spaces Between is wide in scope: we welcome research and writing that critically engages with gender, sexuality, race, class, (dis)ability, nation, imperialism, (de)colonization, and globalization.

Preparation for Graduate Study

Students interested in graduate study in Sociology are advised to complete the two-semester thesis for their senior requirement.

Research Programs

University of Maryland

University of Michigan

The Survey Research Center Summer Internship Program

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Northwestern University

The Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)

Princeton University

Texas A&M

Research Initiatives

Department of Sociology, Centers & Research Groups

The department works closely with several research centers and projects. Each of these research centers has a separate suite of offices, including administrative support, faculty and student offices, conference and data analysis rooms. Collectively, these centers account for several million dollars in annual research funding.

Website: http://socy.umd.edu/research/centers-and-research-groups