Taking up the designation of Head of Department is for me both a privilege and a gratifying undertaking. This is a department from which I took my first degrees in Sociology, though our in-house expertise comprises more than a singular discipline. Beyond the name of the department that reads as ‘Department of Sociology’, we are a strong cast of academics and educators with research and pedagogical expertise in Sociology, Anthropology, and Demography. As one of the largest Sociology departments in the world today, our faculty members’ varied research domains traverse across the different parts of Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. As a rich and diverse community of scholars, our department is committed to empirical rigour, conceptual and theoretical sophistication, and public engagement in the research work and writing that we take on. Our day-to-day operations are also ably supported by a dedicated and experienced team of administrators in managing student affairs and faculty requirements.

Anchoring upon our intellectual-jointness which may be traced back to 1965 when the department was founded, we offer a range of exciting and challenging courses for both undergraduate and graduate training. The department continues to expand on our curriculum offerings over the years to include modules that reflect on themes connected to tourism, economic sociology, comparative-historical sociology, popular culture and communication, senses and emotions, kinship, gender and family studies, health and demography, social stratification, work and inequalities, human rights, law and deviance, as well as social movements, migration, urban studies, and science and technology, among many others. Across the range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, we instill both methodological and theoretical breadth and depth in order to facilitate student-learning and to equip them with the requisite skill-sets that prepare them for academia and beyond. Our graduates are well-placed after completing their degrees, serving in various fields and capacities in the public and private sectors, academia, NGOs, and numerous other industries.

We invite you to explore the various pages of our department website where you can find out more about our undergraduate and postgraduate programs, research profiles and projects, as well as the latest faculty publications, and seminars, events, and activities organized by the department.

Welcome to the Department of Sociology.

Assoc. Professor Kelvin E.Y. Low
Head of Department