Sociology is the study of how societies work. We study social life at every level, from personal relationships to institutions, nations, and global interconnections. Sociology enables us to understand the power structures and dynamics of societies, and their intricate connections to patterns of human behaviour, public issues, everyday life, politics, culture, and individual life chances. It examines how various social forces produce social order and social change and in so doing influence what we do and how we think.
Why Study Sociology at Queen’s?
We provide a supportive and stimulating environment for our students, offering a broad range of courses in cutting edge areas with an approachable team of expert faculty. Our faculty members are well-published scholars with national or international reputations, yet they still manage to maintain an open-door policy and establish mentoring relationships with students. We provide a personal, friendly and stimulating environment for our students, offering courses that combine lectures, tutorials, and small group seminars, with an approachable team of expert faculty.
In Sociology, we enable students to relate their personal life and biography to broader aspects of social and cultural change, fostering a thoughtful and systematic approach to understanding patterns of contemporary life in Canada and throughout the world. As a student you will learn how to think sociologically, engage with the most pressing sociological issues of our time, encounter the latest research through our teaching, where our faculty teach their own specialisms in digital sociology, consumer culture, criminology and the law, policing, surveillance and power, gender and ethnicity, globalization, post-colonialism, and social theory and methods. The Department of Sociology fosters a critical understanding of society alongside expertise in social research, enabling our students to pursue successful careers in academia, professional programs, marketing, law, media, management, the non-profit sector including international development and social, health, education, and counselling services.