SOCIOLOGY at University of Florida

Sociology is the study of social life, including the significance of social relationships and institutions, the impact of social change on individuals, groups and the environment, and the causes and consequences of inequalities and disparities of all kinds. Sociology majors examine current research and public policy pertaining to healthcare, the environment, families, employment, housing, the community, education, politics, criminal justice, and the law.  Upon graduation, sociology majors are skilled in evidence-based problem solving, collecting, analyzing, and presenting data, communicating and collaborating in diverse groups, thinking critically, and writing effectively.  

The Sociology major offers broad theoretical perspectives and rigorous methodologies to study social life and to analyze the causes and consequences of human behavior.  In particular, sociologists examine how race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, class, ability, geography, and other identities are used to create and maintain barriers to access, participation, opportunity, and outcome across all social institutions.  Our faculty teach and conduct research on social justice and systemic inequalities; health disparities in physical and mental well-being; environmental justice and natural resource management; deviance, social control, and conflict management; gender, families, and sexualities; social and political movements; nationalism, migration, and ethnic conflict; and culture, technology, and media. Students examine the most pressing social problems in these areas, as well as how different social groups experience and perceive these issues.