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Sociology

The sociology department at Randolph College focuses on experiential learning and applied sociology, service learning, gender and sexuality, and environmental issues.

Why Study Sociology at Randolph?

Sociology majors study societies and cultures within a broadly comparative framework.

The discipline illuminates the give-and-take relationship of human beings and their sociocultural environments and gives students a keener appreciation of their own social world, a less enthnocentric view of different ways of life, and a better understanding of the world system in which their society is one of many interdependent entities.

Students are encouraged to get out into the world and develop a deep and practical understanding of the structure and dynamics of society.

Beyond acquiring valuable people skills, sociology majors are trained to think critically and to analyze and understand symbolic content—skills that are vital to success in a wide variety of professions.

Degrees offered

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology

Minor in Sociology

Minor in Human Services

Curriculum and Courses

Related Programs

Environmental Studies

Gender Studies

Political Science

Psychology

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The Randolph Experience

An emphasis on “learning by doing” is one reason Randolph’s sociology majors graduate with skills that prepare them for life and work.

Internships

All sociology majors are required to complete an internship related to their personal and professional goals.

Recent majors have

  • conducted research at the Central Virginia Planning District Commission;
  • counseled people at retirement centers, halfway houses, children’s homes, and family-planning agencies;
  • worked on various projects for local government agencies and law offices;
  • helped provide health services to recent immigrants; and
  • participated in service-learning projects in the Caribbean.

Summer Research

Spend the summer working closely with a professor and focused on a specific aspect of philosophy.

Randolph’s intensive eight-week Summer Research Program enables students to conduct research that is complemented by a thorough review of the relevant literature; live in a residence hall on campus, participate in on-campus summer events, attend special seminars with guest speakers; and share the progress and results of their research. 

Learn more about the Summer Research Program.

Study Abroad

Randolph maintains partnerships with study abroad programs in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and  Japan, for full-year or semester-only experiences.

In addition, you can enroll in a foreign university or study abroad in an approved program coordinated by another U.S. institution.

Randolph also offers several unique international and cultural experience programs.

American Culture Program
Study abroad at home! This unique road trip program explores the diverse cultures of the United States.

Summer Study Seminars
Randolph professors lead 2-week study seminars across a range of academic disciplines and in countries around the globe either during winter break, spring break, or the summer. Recent destinations include Iceland, China, Cuba, and Rome, Italy.

Top Ranked Professors

Randolph College’s faculty are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation. The Princeton Review ranked the College in the Top 20 for most accessible professors in the 2021 edition of its flagship college guide, The Best 387 Colleges.

Randolph has been ranked in the top 20 for most accessible professors for four consecutive years.

Sociology Faculty

Danielle Currier

Associate Professor of Sociology

Read More... Danielle Currier

Abigail C. Moore

Assistant Professor of Criminology/Criminal Justice and Sociology

Read More... Abigail C. Moore

Julio Rodriguez

Associate Professor of American Culture, Director of the American Culture Program

Read More... Julio Rodriguez

Only at Randolph

Randolph students can take advantage of unique programs which give them a more enriching education than can be found anywhere else.

TAKE2

Two courses per half-mester means you get to focus in and dig deep into your coursework while still having time for the rest of the college experience. Two classes. Seven weeks. Repeat.

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Money for Your Research

The Randolph Innovative Student Experience (RISE) program provides every student a $2,000 grant to fund research, creative work, experiential learning or other scholarly pursuits.

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The Randolph Plan

Randolph students work with faculty mentors to explore a broad range of disciplines as they chart their academic path.

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The Liberal Arts Advantage

Randolph graduates learn to think critically, solve problems and work well with others. They are prepared to succeed in all aspects of life.

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Department News

Professor Brad Bullock retiring after more than 30 years behind the Red Brick Wall

Bullock arrived at the College in 1987 after a year teaching as a full-time professor at Vanderbilt University, where he earned both his master’s degree and PhD.

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Students inducted into national, international honor societies

On Tuesday, Randolph students from a variety of academic departments were officially inducted into international, national, and College honor societies.

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Bullock publishes paper on ‘Anger and Identity in the Divided States of America’

The paper appears in a special issue of the journal, "Living in the Age of Anger: Representing ‘Negative Solidarities’ in Contemporary Global Culture."

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Professor Brad Bullock retiring after more than 30 years behind the Red Brick Wall

Bullock arrived at the College in 1987 after a year teaching as a full-time professor at Vanderbilt University, where he earned both his master’s degree and PhD.

Read More

Students inducted into national, international honor societies

On Tuesday, Randolph students from a variety of academic departments were officially inducted into international, national, and College honor societies.

Read More

Bullock publishes paper on ‘Anger and Identity in the Divided States of America’

The paper appears in a special issue of the journal, "Living in the Age of Anger: Representing ‘Negative Solidarities’ in Contemporary Global Culture."

Read More
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Department Chair

Danielle Currier

Associate Professor of Sociology

Credentials:BA, Grinnell College
MS, Virginia Commonwealth University
PhD, University of Connecticut
Associated Departments:Sociology, Gender Studies, Criminal Justice
Office:Leggett 616
Phone:4349478561
Email:dcurrier@ejly.net

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I joined the Randolph faculty in 2011. I am Chair of the Sociology department, Director of the Summer Research Program, and I coordinate the Gender Studies and Human Services minors. Before coming to Randolph, I was at the College of William & Mary for three years and Radford University for four years. I earned my PhD in Sociology and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Connecticut in 2004. My dissertation was entitled “Gendered Athletes” and in it I examined the different way women and men athletes experience the hyper-masculine world of college sports. Over the years I have won various teaching awards, including the Distinguished Teaching Award at Randolph in 2015.

In my teaching and research I focus on issues of intersectionality and inequality, with an emphasis on gender and sexuality. I teach a wide variety of undergraduate courses including Sociology of Gender, Qualitative Methods, Social Theory, Sociology of the Family, and Sport Sociology. I am also faculty in the Master’s of Coaching and Sport Leadership program, teaching the History of Sport and Research Methods and Inquiry.

My areas of research include hookups among college students, sexual violence, gender and sport, and participation in social movements such as the Women’s March in 2017. I have done several multi-method research projects and have had many students work with me to learn researching techniques and develop strong analytic and writing skills.

My interdisciplinary publications include a book chapter entitled “Feminist Pedagogy” (2021), a co-authored book chapter with a political science colleague about women’s issues in national elections (“The Social Construction of Women’s Interests in the 2014 and 2010 Midterms”), a peer-reviewed article about hookups (“Strategic Ambiguity”, 2013), and a variety of book reviews addressing the topics of hookups, family dynamics and violence, and violence against women. I regularly go to sociology and gender studies conferences and take students whenever possible.

In my spare time, I love to travel, kayak, hike, read, and watch crazy series on Netflix. In 2018, I completed a bucket list item and drove around the entire United States, visiting every national park I could and visiting every state except Alaska (which is next on my list).

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Abigail C. Moore

Assistant Professor of Criminology/Criminal Justice and Sociology

Credentials:BA, Yale University
MA, University of Virginia
PhD, University of Virginia
Associated Departments:Sociology, Criminal Justice
Office:Leggett 616
Email:amoore@ejly.net

As a cultural theorist I am especially concerned with what power is, how it functions, how we can describe it, and what can be done to rectify power dynamics of domination in the world. My joint fields of sociology and criminology have been the perfect home for my current work about the language used to describe violence and race within various legal systems.

I’m thrilled about the opportunity to start a brand-new program at Randolph. Starting from scratch offers the opportunity to think very carefully about how to craft a curriculum that balances skills for the current job market, the needs of our greater society, as well as student interests.

My teaching style is very interactive and rooted in discussion. Students should learn as much from each other as from me, and learning to listen well and clearly communicate concepts and ideas are essential to any field, but especially to those as oriented to the real-world as criminology and sociology.

I try to keep my syllabi fresh every year, with lots of contemporary reading assignments from news sources and various forms of media. In my classes we spend a lot of time figuring out how to read a piece: who published it and what might that tell us about what their goals and motivations were in writing the article? What kind of methods were used, and how do they shape the author’s conclusions? What kinds of sources and data were included, and how old are they? Were there other available categories of source and data that were left out? These questions are as important to watching a TikTok as they are to reading a research paper.

Students in my courses take a constructivist approach, which means asking why and how certain phenomena get classified as crime, deviance, or social problems. Who gets to define those categories, how, and with what consequences?

We’ll especially be looking at changes throughout history—100 years ago it was illegal for women to wear trousers in most public settings; now of course most of us consider it very normal. Twenty years ago, marijuana use was illegal; now a majority of Americans favor its decriminalization. What do changes like these tell us about the cultural production of our ideas about deviance and criminality?

Outside of work, I love to stay active outside. I regularly run, walk, and bike the Blackwater Creek Trail, as well as the trail on Percival’s Island downtown. I go camping at least one weekend per month, all throughout the year, and I love to kayak, rock climb, hike, and birdwatch. Winter is my favorite season for outdoor activities—no humidity, and no bugs!

In addition to outdoor activities, I focus on creative reuse: figuring out how to refresh and reuse old things instead of buying new ones. I sew and make clothing and love a good home project.

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Julio Rodriguez

Associate Professor of American Culture, Director of the American Culture Program

Credentials:B.A., East Stroudsburg University
M.A., Bowling Green University
Ph.D., Bowling Green University
Associated Departments:Media and Culture, Sociology, African and African American Studies, Film and Video
Office:Leggett 601
Phone:4349478304
Email:jrodriguez@ejly.net

News Headlines

Professor Rodriguez has published articles on baseball, basketball, boxing, and the performance of masculinity in sports films.

He is currently working on a book-length project examining the role of neo-conservative foreign policy in action-adventure films released during George W. Bush’s presidency.

In the summers he tirelessly, but fruitlessly, tries to break 80 on the golf course, quitting the game on a regular basis. The winter brings snowboarding and the to-date successful attempt not to break anything. Sports have always been central to his work and leisure. They instruct and inform his personal and professional search for a comprehensive understanding of the male gender.

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