Academic Programs - Undergraduate

Sociology

Sociology is the study of our social world. You will probe how people interact with one another and with the social structures that impact our lives.

Asking questions about society and everyday life

A diverse group of three female students laugh as they walk up the hill to Wheelock Dining Hall. The Vaughan Memorial Library and Minas Basin is visible in the background.

When you study sociology at Acadia, you will ask questions of our social world. You will challenge commonly held assumptions about important issues:

  • What causes inequality?
  • Why do some people achieve greater social mobility than others?
  • What creates the demands for greater cultural diversity?
  • What are the roots of crime and injustice?

The Department of Sociology is one of the largest in the Faculty of Arts. Our class sizes are small. Students and faculty work closely together. We offer minor, major, honours, and master’s programs.

As a sociologist, you will examine how society is organized and how everyday life is experienced. You can choose from among a variety of courses that focus on a range of social issues. These can be broad, such as anthropology, cultural studies, international development, and political economy. Or they can deal with addictions or criminology and deviance. You may be interested in the sociology of education or the environment. Or perhaps you want to delve into critical health and health care, disability, families, food, gender, queer studies, or race and ethnicity.

Whatever courses you choose, you will be encouraged to use your imagination and to think critically about your world. Social theories help explain why a society is organized as it is. They help us understand why we experience daily life as we do. Problems such as homelessness, addiction, or incarceration are often seen as the result of an individual’s poor choices. In sociology, you will investigate the social structures and institutions that make certain groups more likely to experience such outcomes. Learning about research methods will give you the research skills to better understand social phenomena.

Addressing major social problems, such as climate change, requires collective solutions. Social movements, sociology of knowledge, and sociology of inequality are areas that help us move away from relying on individual actions and toward collective solutions.

What can you do with a sociology degree? The choice is yours. Students from our program acquire the knowledge and critical thinking skills to succeed in a broad range of careers.

First Year at a Glance

First semester

  • SOCI 1xxx
    1st-year sociology course
  • ENGL 1413
    Writing & Reading Critically 1
  • LANG xx13
    Language other than English
  • HUMANITIES xx13
    Introductory humanities course
  • SCIENCE xx13
    Introductory science course

Second semester

  • SOCI 1xxx
    1st-year sociology course
  • ENGL 1423
    Writing & Reading Critically 2
  • LANG xx23
    Language other than English
  • HUMANITIES xx23
    Introductory humanities course
  • SCIENCE xx23
    Introductory science course

Future Careers

  • Doctor
  • Health services worker
  • Lawyer
  • Mental health counsellor
  • Policy analyst
  • Politician
  • Program developer for community organizations
  • Social worker
  • Sociologist
  • Teacher
  • University professor
 

Apply to
Acadia

If you’re looking for a high-quality, high-engagement university experience, you’ve come to the right place. Bringing out the best in you is what we do best.

Applying online takes about 15 minutes. Let’s get started!

Continue Exploring

Visit the Department of Sociology

Related Programs

You may also be interested in programs including:

Campus Life & Residences

Most first-year students choose to live in residence to make friends and stay close to class, recreation facilities, and downtown Wolfville. Learn more about our residence experience and the student services here to support you.

Residences & Meal Plans Student Services
 
A smiling Acadia staff member speaks with a student in the KC Irving Centre Garden Room

Speak to Us

Our enrolment advisors are here to answer your questions about the application process, campus life, and more.

Connect Now
An Acadia student gestures as she leads a campus tour. The campus chapel is visible in the background.

Visit Campus

Seeing is believing. Book a campus tour to explore Acadia in person.

Book a Visit