"The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. That is its task and its promise."

C. Wright Mills wrote these words fifty years ago as Sociology was taking its place as a vital field within the social sciences. Sociology still plays a critical role within academia, in society at large, and at William and Mary.

The Sociology Department at William & Mary was founded in the early 1940's. Today, at any given time we have around 100 majors and each year between 40 and 50 seniors graduate with a degree in Sociology. Many other students take Sociology courses to inform their majors or to explore interests in some of the critical questions of our day. The social consequences of our aging population, globalization, immigration, and segregation are only a few of the issues tackled in our department.