SOCIAL
SCIENCES

Anthropology

The Anthropology Department specializes in social/cultural anthropology and archaeology. In social/cultural anthropology, students focus on the cultural roots of our world in the study of elites, gender, art, science, and medicine. Archaeology allows students to explore human prehistory through evidence of past human activities and excavations, notably in Africa. Anthropology offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Economics

The Economics Department specializes in microeconomics (how individuals make economic decisions), macroeconomics (how society makes economic decisions), applied economics (in health, tax, energy, labor, banking, finance), and econometrics (statistical theory). Economics offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, including a major in Mathematical Economic Analysis.

Linguistics

The Linguistics Department specializes in cognitive/functional linguistics, typology and language universals, sociolinguistics, discourse studies, phonetics and speech processing, phonology, language change and grammaticization, and field studies in American Indian, Australian, Austronesian, and African languages. Linguistics offers an undergraduate and graduate program.

Political Science

The Department of Political Science specializes in American politics (U.S. government, elections, and citizens’ behavior), comparative politics (governments in other countries), and international relations (conflict and cooperation in the world). Political Science offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Psychology

The Psychology Department specializes in cognition (perceiving, remembering, learning, verbalizing), neuroscience (mapping of patterns of the brain), human factors/human-computer interaction (computer-based tasks and learning), industrial organization (human behavior at work), training (knowledge acquisition), social psychology (attitudes and social interaction), and perception (sensory processes). Psychology offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Sociology

The Sociology Department specializes in race and ethnic stratification (differences in income, health care, and education), gender (women’s groups and communication), religion (its influence on individuals’ decision making), health (access to care, differences in health problems across groups, drug use) and demographic change (migration and other population shifts over time). Sociology offers both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Sport Management

The  Sport Management Department explores basic business concepts as related to the sport industry, including finance, marketing, leadership, management, law, revenue generation, ethics, and public relations. Internships play a critical role in the learning experience for sport management majors. To that end, Rice has partnerships with the Houston Astros, Texans, Rockets, and Dynamo organizations. Sport Management offers an undergraduate program.