Sociology Program
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Community is our Laboratory
The UAA Sociology Program prepares students to work collaboratively in organizations characterized by complexity, rapid change, and high levels of cultural diversity. Our students are active in university life and have an excellent reputation for community-based social science and policy research.
Sociology is the study of society, ranging from interactions in small groups to large-scale forces transforming entire civilizations. Our department is committed to training students in both sociological theory and applied empirical research so that they may become practitioners and participants in building a better world. Alaska is an ideal setting for the study of sociology due to the diversity of its people, its dynamic social landscape, and its distinct urban and rural ways of life.
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Our students are active in university life and have an excellent reputation for community-based social science and policy research.
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Our faculty study an assortment of topics that intersect with life in the North, including housing and environmental issues, globalization and culture, and inequality.
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Our alumni are leaders in a range of fields including research, business, advocacy, public health, law enforcement, education, and policy.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Christina Hailperin has been awarded $34,000 through the Beinecke Scholarship to pursue graduate studies. Christina is also the first student from UAA to obtain this prestigious national award. Christina Hailperin is from Anchorage, AK, and is majoring in Sociology with a minor in Social Welfare Studies. She is currently interested in exploring matters of urban Indigenous identity and educational attainment. She hopes to use research to inform solutions aimed at improving outcomes for Indigenous people and communities. Outside of academics, she is an engaged mother of four remarkable children, enjoys the Alaskan outdoors and time spent among the elder and refugee populations. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. program in Sociology at Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, or The University of Michigan.
UAA sociology major is the university's first Beinecke Scholar
Featured Sociology Alumni
UAA Sociology Alumna Caitlin Taylor shares the importance of being engaged in research as an undergraduate, how the skills she acquired as a result help her in her job at the Anchorage Community Land Trust as a Program Manager, and the importance of Dr. Farrell's diversity research for the community she serves.