Sociology

The collection’s primary function is to support research and teaching in the field of sociology and as it relates to other subjects. 

Departments and Programs

The Department of Sociology at Yale University provides Ph.D. concentrations in the fields of Comparative and Historical Sociology, Cultural Sociology and Social Theory, and Social Stratification and Life Course Research.

Graduate student work is oriented to one or more of the following departmental clusters: Comparative and Historical Sociology; Culture/Knowledge; Economic Sociology and Organizations; Family/Gender/Sexuality; Global, Regional and Transnational Sociology; Health, Medicine, and Biosocial Interactions; Law and Criminology; Methods; Political Sociology and Social Movements; Race and Ethnicity; Religion; Social Networks; Social Stratification; Theory. Also, the department encourages students to pursue work in any unit of the university that furnishes additional dimensions to sociological analysis, including:

• Institution for Social and Policy Studies
• Program on Nonprofit Organizations
• MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies
• Law School
• School of Management
• School of Public Health

The Sociology Department offers three undergraduate programs leading to the B.A. degree: (1) the standard program focuses on sociological concepts, theories, and methods; (2) a combined program allows students to combine sociology with a concentration in another field; (3) a concentration in markets and society focuses on the cultural frameworks, social ties, and social institutions that give rise to markets and that shape economic behavior.

The Sociology Department offers joint degree programs with the School of Law (J.D./M.A.), and the School of Medicine (M.D./PhD).

The collection also supports related programs in Women’s Studies, School of the Environment, Urban Studies, and area studies.

Formats and materials acquired generally

• Scholarly journals (electronic preferred),
• Scholarly monographs (print and online)
• Conference proceedings

Formats and materials collected selectively or by request

• Collected works

Formats Not Collected

• Ephemera
• Instructor’s manuals
• Hardware and software manuals
• Juvenile works
• Pamphlets
• Preprints
• Manuscripts
• Microform
• Consumable workbooks

Primarily English, with a limited number of sociological resources collected in other languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, and German.

The library collects both current and historical materials. Primary and secondary historical resources are collected by and about classical theorists. 

Coverage is worldwide, with an emphasis on the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.

Government Documents

The Library’s extensive holdings of United States government publications and United Nations and international documents constitute important resources for sociological research. 

Statistical datasets

The Data Librarian at Marx Library can acquire and provide access to statistical data sets used for primary research by faculty and graduate students if they are deemed to be of general use.  

Related Collections

“The Law Library is the primary collecting unit at Yale for criminology, criminal justice administration, penology, police science, and forensic science.  In particular, [they] purchase significant books of a scholarly or innovative nature, as well as significant books on “true crime” or famous trials.  [They] collect only lightly in the areas of social work with delinquents and criminals, police science, penology, and juvenile delinquency, and also collect foreign-language materials only lightly.” (See http://library.law.yale.edu/criminal-justice)