Student Experience
A department that offices together, a discipline that spans the world – discover what makes Sociology at UofL a community.
Sociology Student Life
Sociology at UofL is a department you can actually find – faculty, adjuncts, department fellows, graduate assistants and staff all office together on the first floor of Lutz Hall, in the same hallway as the graduate classrooms. That proximity shapes the culture: professors know your name, graduate students and faculty collaborate on research and conference presentations, and the whole department gathers at end-of-semester celebrations. The calendar keeps its own traditions, from SOCTalks through the spring Rieger Speaker Series to the Alpha Kappa Delta induction ceremony each April. It's a close community studying the biggest possible subject: how social life works.
Beyond the Classroom
Sociology students plug in quickly – here's how:
Rieger Speaker Series – The department's marquee lecture, each February or March, bringing leading voices in the field to campus.
SOCTalks – The department's own talk series, connecting students with sociological research and careers.
Alpha Kappa Delta – The international sociology honor society; the department gifts memberships to its highest-achieving students each year.
Student organizations – The Sociology Student Association for undergraduates and the Sociology Graduate Student Association for graduate students – with annual department awards for graduate teaching, research and service, conference travel support and individualized teacher training.
Scholarships & funding – Alpha Kappa Delta gift memberships for top undergraduates, plus graduate assistantships, doctoral fellowships and Rieger endowment support (apply by December 15 for fall funding consideration). You'll find more support through College of Arts & Sciences Scholarships.
Support Services
Ready to transform social understanding into meaningful impact?
Explore Sociology at the University of Louisville — where critical research skills, community engagement, and tracks in Health and Well-Being, Relationships and Inequality, and Urban Studies prepare graduates for careers in social work, public health, policy, education, and beyond.