Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and Anthropology both concern the study of society. They explore social and cultural issues such as gender, the family, class and social status, ethnic divisions, religion and culture. Sociology is the study of contemporary social issues, social institutions, and social relationships to understand social order and social change.

Sociologists study the ways we organise our lives with a focus on issues of inequality, power, globalisation, and identity. Anthropologists study cultures ranging from small-scale indigenous groups to advanced capitalist societies, with a focus on fieldwork studies to understand people's way of life.

For further information, contact the SOCANTH Head of Discipline Dr Steven Threadgold

Study Options

Sociology and Anthropology (SOCANTH) offers a comprehensive range of study options at both Newcastle and Central Coast campuses contributing to:

• Undergraduate Major in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Science
• Honours (additional year of study for a BA Hons or BSocSci Hons)
• Postgraduate Coursework (Graduate Certificate/Masters in Social Science; Graduate Certificate/Masters in Social Change and Development)
• Research Higher Degrees: MPhil and PhD

You can also choose from elective courses on various social issues which contribute to a range of programs in:

• Development studies
• Education
• Geography
• Nursing
• Nutrition and dietetics
• Occupational therapy
• Physiotherapy
• Social work
• Theology

Career Opportunities

The benefit of studying SOCANTH courses is that they provide fascinating insights into how society works - both the societies that we live in now and the wide variety of different cultures that have existed over millennia.

Graduates gain employment in a broad range of public sector agencies, community organisations and private firms, in jobs such as:

• Social researchers
• Policy analysts
• Program managers and project coordinators
• Community development officers
• Case managers and welfare officers
• Human resource managers
• General administrators

Honours

Honours represents an opportunity to add value to your base degree by completing a fourth year of research-oriented study that will be viewed by future employers as signalling your capacity to conduct high quality social research and analysis. It enhances your competitive advantage for employment by allowing you to specialise in particular skills and knowledge.

For those who do well, the possibility also exists to proceed to doctoral (PhD) study. Each year Honours students present their work to a public audience.

For further information, contact the SOCANTH Honours Convenor Dr Daniela Heil

Student Prizes

The SOCANTH Discipline offers two undergraduate student prizes:

• The Lois Bryson Award for Academic Excellence in Sociology
• The Sociology Prize for Academic Excellence in First Year

Research Higher Degrees in Sociology and Anthropology

Current topics being supervised

Dominiek Coates		PhD (SOCA)	Identity transitions and new religious movements: a symbolic interactionist exploration of life histories of former members.
Kate Davies		PhD(SOCA)	Consumer perspectives on evidence: A tool for shaping human services?
Asha Lal Tamang		PhD(SOCA)	Experiences of Civil Conflict in Nepal
Graham Lucas		PhD (SOCA)	When Power Networks Collide: Using Actor Network Theory to Analyze Community Consultation for an Australian Town's Electricity Supply.
Rosemary Mooney		PhD (SOCA)	Fertility in Young Australian Women.
Richard Morrison		PhD(SOCA)	The mental health experiences of early retired men in the Hunter.
Lucy Shule		PhD (SOCA)	Beyond the Cold War: Challenges to Tanzanian Foreign Policy and Conflict Resolution in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Godlif Sianipar		PhD (SOCA)	Christian-Muslim Relationships in Medan and the ‘Dalihan na Tolu’ – A Social Capital Study of Bataknese Traditional Values and Their Effect on Interfaith Relationships.
Sharifah Syed Adbullah		PhD (SOCA)	Cultural Rules and Patterning in Food Systems and Nutrition of Indigenous people of Malaysia.
Emma Warren		PhD (SOCA)	'The Procreation Contract: Elective Childlessness and Citizenship in Twentieth Century Australia and the West

Recent RHD completions

Hedda Askland	PhD (SOCA)	East Timorese Expatriates: Negotiating Diasporic Identities in the Shadow of Sociopolitical Change.
Melanie Boursnell	PhD (HUMA)	Parenthood and Mental Illness.
Caroline Campbell	PhD (SOCA)	Keeping Body and Soul Together: Social Transformation and Health Inequalities in Rural East Java.
Mitchell Hobbs	PhD (SOCA)	Paper Cuts: Newspapers, the Iraq War and the Politics of Rupert Murdoch
Lena Rodriguez	PhD (SOCA)	The social construction of obesity and implications for health and well-being in the Maori and Pacific Island community in Australia.
Emma Kirby	PhD (SOCA)	The Meaning(s) of Marriage: Young People's Views, Intentions and Expectations in Newcastle and the Lower Hunter Region.
Steven Threadgold	PhD (SOCA)	Youth in Reflexive Modernity: Class, Risk and Culture.
Jessica Walton	PhD (SOCA)	Korean-Australian Adoptees and Transnational Adaption: Representing, negotiating and contesting identities.

 

Academic Staff in Sociology and Anthropology

To view more information about a staff member, including research interests, please select the "web" option to visit that staff member's profile.