Family Studies

• Foster intellectual curiosity. 

• Achieve breadth of knowledge across socio-anthropological substantive areas and depth within one area 

• Write and speak clearly and fluently while also incorporating the socio-anthropological knowledge (i.e. terms, concepts, and theories) that they have gained in their socio-anthropological coursework. 

• Practice the skill of connecting social observations with theory so that the theories alluded to in #3 can be used by graduates throughout their lives to develop sophisticated assessments about the causes and effects of human actions. 

• Develop a foundation of socio-anthropological theory about the way humans interact with the social and physical world such that they can use them to understand and assess a variety of human actions around the world. 

• Develop the skills and knowledge to conduct basic socio-anthropological investigations. This would include being familiar with the process by which an individual can: develop sociological hypotheses; collect pertinent sociological data; analyze data qualitatively and quantitatively; develop conclusions about the issue(s) in question. 

• Find, understand, and critically assess scholarly and analytic socio-anthropological literature. 

• Break free from the leash of cultural conformity by learning to think critically and creatively about issues for themselves without relying on others (authorities) to make the assessments for them. 

Full Course Catalogue  Course Descriptions

Major Requirements

• SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (fulfills General Studies Foundations Social Science course)
• SOC 210 Research Methods
• SOC 211 Statistics (fulfills General Studies Quantitative Reasoning course)
• SOC 213 Social Theory
• SOC 490 Senior Seminar
• SOC 203 Human Services for Families and Children
• SOC 261 The Family
• SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
• SOC 311 Domestic Violence
• ANT 320 Sex, Gender, & Culture
• SOC 382/482 Internship, travel abroad course, or a 400-level approved substitution
• Two of the following:
  • SOC 201 Social Problems
  • SOC 230 Cultural Sociology  
  • SOC 251 Crime & Deviance  
  • SOC 262 Social Stratification
  • SOC 266 Sociology of Race
  • SOC 291 Environmental Sociology
  • ANT 101 Introduction to Anthropology
  • ANT 285 The Human Animal

Combined Major Requirements

• SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology (fulfills General Studies Foundations Social Science course)
• SOC 210 Research Methods
• SOC 211 Statistics (fulfills General Studies Quantitative Reasoning course)
• SOC 213 Social Theory
• SOC 490 Senior Seminar
• SOC 261 The Family
• One of the following intermediate courses:
  • SOC 203 Human Services for Families and Children
  • SOC 270 Parenting & Technology
  • SOC 302 Juvenile Delinquency
  • SOC 311 Domestic Violence
  • SOC 351 Race and Families
  • ANT 320 Sex, Gender, & Culture

Students are also encouraged to complete an internship as an elective. 

Field Study Experiences: The Albright College sociology and anthropology department hosts a variety of opportunities for field study within the City of Reading, and the city, in a way, becomes a socio-anthropological laboratory. Students have worked with faculty to assess local social service agencies, study changes in neighborhoods experiencing reinvestment, explore the impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on communities, measure gang involvement and risk factors for gang membership, interview community members on town-gown relations, and compare religious services, among others.

Some of the field studies in which students have engaged took place in:

• Barber shops
• Pet stores
• Roller rinks
• Childcare facilities
• Nightclubs
• Homeless shelters
• Agricultural animal auctions
• Abortion clinics

Internships and Career Support

Students can connect with the Career Development Center to find internships with social service agencies, schools, government programs, or nonprofit organizations while developing skills for careers in research, policy, or community work.

ACRE Undergraduate Research

Students in any major can engage in interdisciplinary undergraduate research through the Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE), partnering with faculty mentors to pursue independent research or creative projects and present their work beyond the classroom.