Sociology is the social scientific study of human social relationships and institutions. At Boston College, sociologists conduct methodologically sophisticated and theoretically engaged research on many of the most serious challenges facing the world today. This work contributes to both core areas in the discipline and various interdisciplinary fields. The department has particularly strong concentrations of faculty expertise in: Advanced Statistical Methodology; Environmental Sociology; Global and Transnational Sociology; Medical Sociology; Political Sociology; Race, Class, and Gender; and the Sociology of Development. The Sociology Department offers both graduate (Ph.D. and M.A.) and undergraduate programs of study.