The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers undergraduate (BA) and graduate degrees (MA and PhD in Anthropology (established in 2009) and MA and PhD in Sociology).

Department History

John Porter founded the Department of Sociology in 1950. It was the second such department in Canada, the first being McGill in 1925. Courses in Sociology and Anthropology were offered at the undergraduate level almost from Carleton’s beginning in 1942. The department was officially recognized as Sociology and Anthropology in 1970, the same year as its PhD in Sociology program was established. We are excited to announce that we have added a Ph.D. in Anthropology to our well-established M.A. program, beginning Fall 2009.

The Two Disciplines

The department has always presented its two disciplines as part of a liberal education as well as areas of specialized knowledge. Our research pursuits cross the boundaries between the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. This variety of orientations characterizes both sociology and anthropology, and indeed our individual careers. The outcome of that variety is a creative and complementary research community with over a half-million dollars in SSHRC grants, covering areas ranging from the criminal justice system to development in Africa and Latin America to changes in work (and work places) in the new knowledge economy. Our research and our development of placements and internships have involved partnerships with government departments such as Statistics Canada, Justice Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Health Canada among others, as well as with non-governmental organizations.

Graduate Programs

Our graduate programs have been traditionally strong and have been recognized and enhanced as well in the award of the Canada Research Chair. That strength has been made in the number of requests for post-doctoral participation in our department. We receive numerous requests for visiting arrangements from scholars around the world. Our alumni (both graduate and undergraduate) have made major contributions in academia, in public service and in the private sector.