Why Study Sociology and Anthropology?
Why Study Sociology and Anthropology?
Every life story feels unique. Whom we love, the way we manage our time, the house where we live, the music we listen to – all these seem unique to us, and rightly so. The sociological point of view reveals, however, the extent to which our identities, our language, our gender, our ethnic, class or religious affiliations are all shaped by society and culture.
The courses and seminars at the Bar-Ilan Department of Sociology and Anthropology provide insights into the relations between the individual and society, and answers to an array of questions that are foremost on everybody’s mind. We ask what are the real meanings behind familiar social labels such as masculinity, old age, traditionalism or Israeliness? And how do they vary with the social context? How do economic changes affect relations of inequality in society? How do women and men meet the contradictory demands of the workplace and family? What social forces push fulltime employees under the poverty line? How do new technologies transform our sociopolitical lives – for example, how did Facebook affect our social relationship networks and the information available to us? What are the sources of new religious and ideological groups? What is the importance of social movements and how can they lead to social justice and change? When do individual feelings such as shame or anger become collective?
Sociology provides answers to these questions. It equips us with a toolbox for understanding societies, groups and organizations, and explains social processes and human behaviors. Studying sociology hones the social awareness required in civil society organizations, and provides the theoretical and practical knowledge required by managers, business and organizational consultants, welfare and HR managers, as well as employees in research institutes, in the political system, in advertising agencies and more.
Why Study Sociology and Anthropology at Bar-Ilan?
Because of the Department
Our department is young and energetic, abreast of recent global developments while at the same time knowledgeable in classical sociological subjects and constantly exploring them for their relevance to the current lives of every one of us. The department offers undergraduate and graduate studies (with and without thesis) in three specialization tracks: organizational sociology, social psychology, and society and culture. The department also offers an a doctoral degree in sociology and anthropology.
Because of the Faculty
Our staff members are first-rate researchers and lecturers, who consider teaching and cultivating the next academic generation to be an important social mission. Many of our faculty members are graduates of the world’s most prestigious universities and publish their studies in leading professional journals.
Because of the Fascinating Subjects
During your undergraduate studies in sociology and anthropology, you will be exposed to fascinating subjects, including analysis of Israeli society, culture in traditional and modern societies, social psychology, stratification, gender and ethnicity, the labor market, organizational sociology, globalization, economic sociology, the sociology of medicine, and the sociology of emotions.
During your studies, you will be acquainted with a variety of schools of thought and research methods. You will develop your cognitive skills, your imagination and your ability to apply the principles learned. You will become sensitized to the relationship between individual identity and social status and broader social processes.
Because Our BA Degree Opens Every Door
Undergraduate studies give you an advantage in admittance to graduate programs in social psychology and organizational sociology, and provide a strong foundation for a practical MA in social sciences, as well as organizational consulting programs that are highly in demand in both the private and public sectors.
Because Our MA Degree Is an Asset
Graduate studies equip our students with research, analysis and scientific writing skills that are essential and considered an asset in today’s labor market. You will be trained as researchers and professionals in close interaction with our faculty members, who will involve you in their research interests and studies and prepare you for your final papers.
