Washington University has not offered a sociology degree to its students since the department closed in 1991, but that may change as administrators contemplate bringing the major back.

As one of the only top universities that don’t offer sociology as a major, Washington University is, for once, behind the curve. Broadly, sociology is the general study of human social behavior and its origins, development, organizations and institutions. Sociology is also a discipline that runs parallel to many of the other majors that Wash. U. offers and would create opportunities for students to expand their areas of study.

The elimination of the sociology department in 1991 wasn’t for a lack of success on the part of the department. In fact, it was one of the top sociology departments in the nation. At one point, it consisted of 75 graduate students and 25 professors, 14 of which were tenured.

The controversy surrounding a particular sociology study helped lead to the department’s eventual disbanding. The study, dealing with homosexual activity in public restrooms, was condemned by the University—the doctoral student who conducted the study was denied a degree, based on the reasoning that the activities he’d studied were, at the time, felonies in the state of Missouri. The University also tried to revoke the federal research grants of the faculty members who had approved the project. Though the controversial study didn’t result in the elimination of sociology at Wash. U., it was the beginning of the end for the department. Over the next seven years, the department was denied tenured positions for junior members by the administration six times. With dwindling faculty and the resulting waning of student interest, the sociology faculty voted to close the department in 1991.

A sociology department would add to the diverse range of options offered at the University. If Washington University chooses to offer sociology again, there is no doubt that the program would attract students. Even the smallest and most obscure fields of study have students studying them, and a subject as common and broad as sociology will certainly draw interest. Additionally, sociology relates well to programs that already exist and could prove a fruitful second major or minor for students studying these related fields.

However, even if the University decides to bring sociology back, it certainly won’t be a quick process. The department needs tenured professors, and that takes time. There are steps that the University can take, though, to start sociology on a comeback track. Adjunct professor of American culture studies Linda Lindsey holds a doctorate in sociology and would be an excellent starting point for a department. Though the road to bringing sociology back won’t be a quick or easy one, the discipline is worth the effort.