<p>About all I know is Anthropology = Humanity and Sociology = Society. What are the specific differences between these two majors, in terms of course lists, big ideas, and more importantly the job market.</p>
<p>I am an anthropology major, although I can’t quite comment on sociology. From my personal experience, anthropology is more about looking at specific societies, specific time periods, biology of humans, evolution, etc. That type of thing. Sociology seems to look at “topic” and Society. For example, I am in “American Indian Women” whereas a sociology minor friend of mine is taking a class called “Environment and Society”. </p>
<p>Just from taking a quick look at program requirements, it appears as though anthropology has much looser requirements than sociology. There are only three absolutely required classes to take for anthropology, the rest come from groups (for example, you have to take one of four for your “methods” class or one of about 20 for your “topics” class). However, in sociology there are 6 required classes, one that comes from a group, and only 9 left over for sociology electives. Anthropology leaves you with 15 electives. </p>
<p>If you tell me what you are looking to go into or what you want to study, I can probably point you in the right direction. Also, both degrees offer a BA and a BS program. </p>
<p>FWIW- I am getting my BS in anthropology, but all of my classes have been in Native American studies so I’m not sure how helpful I’ll be about the anthro program as a whole. Let me know if you have any questions though :).</p>
<p>Well, the thing is I decided on journalism with a double major in sociology or anthropology.</p>
<p>I would like to be educated in specific cultures/religions/countries/geography etc and how these groups interact with each other. I would like to focus on the big picture of country interactions all the way down to urban farming. I would like to apply my knowledge to current events to either work for the government in international relations / affairs or to work for a news agency reporting on international news.</p>
<p>Anthropology is a lot more focused on culture in particular regions/countries/particular people. Sociology touches on cultural issues, but also is more group-psychological and speaks more to the organization of social institutions (family, individual, urban vs rural etc.). </p>
<p>“I would like to be educated in specific cultures/religions/countries/geography etc and how these groups interact with each other. I would like to focus on the big picture of country interactions all the way down to urban farming. I would like to apply my knowledge to current events to either work for the government in international relations / affairs or to work for a news agency reporting on international news.”</p>
<h2>^to be completely honest, I think there are majors that would be better suited for this purpose than both anthropology or sociology. I would seriously look into the “global studies in the arts & humanities” major within the College of Arts & Letters. Here’s the major description - it seems to be completely in-line with your aims. </h2>
<h2>“The Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities provides students with the tools to encounter and understand the representations, values, concerns, and debates that shape human experience. It focuses on scholarship related to experiences at the crossroads of cultures, the circulation of goods and services, and the tensions within and across global spaces, as they are reflected upon through literary, philosophical, linguistic, and artistic practices. Students who select this major will study systems, governments, or cultures, and investigate the specific contributions, perceptions, and interventions offered by humanistic engagements with the issues affecting the peoples of the world. The major will assist in the preparation of students for positions in government, business, or non-governmental organizations engaged in global activities as well as for graduate studies.”</h2>
<p>You might also want to look into the Comparative Cultures & politics major within James Madison College if you want to get a more current affairs/politics based perspective.</p>
<p>In regards to the job market, all of these majors are so broad and versatile in terms of interest so I doubt one major is better than the other. If you had to choose one over the other, I’d stick with Anthropology over sociology just because of the regional focus (might help you seem more specialized).</p>
<p>Oh yeah! One more (sorry if this is not what you want, just wanted to let you know about the other majors that seem in-line with your interests)- </p>
<p>Look into global/area studies-within the College of Social Science.<br>
According to the website: Global and Area Studies focuses on global systems and how they play out in different world regions. Students gain knowledge of particular world regions (including foreign languages) or of global themes that are important across regions, depending on the concentration they choose. Areas of study include:
World conditions and historical trends
Geography and geopolitics
Global and national interdependence
Processes of continuity and change in different world regions
The varied and changing nature of global realities and the complexities of addressing world problems
Diverse ideas, practices, worldviews, and cultural expressions of people from different cultures
Students select a concentration of a specific region of the world or a global topical area in order to deepen their understanding of critical issues that affect the lives of many people in the world and the interrelation between the United States and the rest of the world.</p>
<p>thank you very much!</p>
<p>I have a lot of thinking to do… I’m heading down to Lansing Thursday so I’ll be sure to bring up the above programs. I feel bad for the MSU change of major people haha… I’ve already changed once but I’m going to wait until my orientation for my “final” major.</p>
<p>I’ve taken courses in the GSAH program. Just don’t do it. There are MUCH better options out there lol. </p>
<p>If you DO decide to go with one of anthro or soc, anthro is definitely where you want to be. Sociology does (almost?) nothing with regards to specific regions- at least that I know of. If you choose, all of your anthropology electives can be on specific regions.</p>
<p>Global and Area Studies seems to be more what you’re looking for. Remember you can get area concentrations as well (Latin-American Specialization for example).</p>
<p>I’m just wondering what the job market is for such a major… otherwise from what I’ve read that’s exactly what I’m looking for…</p>
<p>Any input as to whether or not this is even necessary/possible with a journalism degree? I would like to be prepared for both journalism related positions as well as government related (both homeland and international travel) jobs. Whether it be in international relations or writing on international relations. hmm</p>
<p>Global/area studies by itself is not the most useful major. However, coupled with journalism I feel like it would give you a definite boost, particularly for the field of international journalism/news coverage (especially since the journalism program at MSU is not really world affairs based). It won’t necessarily give you a higher salary, but it will open up a lot more jobs to you (particularly within government…anything world affairs based is pretty desirable). Also, you don’t necessarily have to major in global/area studies. You can instead get a specialization in any region of interest (Latin American/Caribbean studies, Eastern European studies, Asian studies, etc.) or a topical specialization such as international development. These specializations can be added onto whatever major you want (you can even double major in journalism, anthropology, and get a specialization on top of that?), and it is extremely versatile/multidisciplinary in terms of the classes you can take.</p>
<p>lol overall there are TONS of options you can choose from. Seriously, don’t worry about it too much, the average student changes their major 2 times (and for at least the first year of college, you definitely do not have to have the exact major/classes you want planned out yet).</p>