The Department of Sociology at SUNY Brockport is dedicated to nurturing a "sociological imagination" in our students.

This mission is stated most eloquently by C. W. Mills, who thought that an important goal of educators "is to turn personal troubles and concerns into social issues and problems open to reason" (Mills, 1959: 186).

We embrace this mission and interpret it as follows. First, we seek to teach our students that "things are not always as they seem." Second, we aim to develop in our students a deeper understanding of the ways their lives are influenced by a variety of social phenomena, including social institutions, interactions, and relationships, particularly as they relate to social inequality.

Thinking sociologically means being able to use sociological theory to critically examine social forces combined with a thorough grasp of the tools necessary to analyze and research the social world. We encourage students to use these skills toward "praxis," an active involvement in the larger community, ranging from citizens' thoughtful reflections and daily practices to participation and initiation of social action.

Our mission mirrors that of SUNY Brockport in that we seek to build student success by combining an interdisciplinary and liberal arts context with competence in concrete skills that are applicable in a variety of business, nonprofit, or governmental sectors of the communities in which we live and serve.