The mission of the Department of Sociology and Gerontology is to provide its students with opportunities and the expectation to be active learners fully engaged in exploring our most important societal issues, including social justice, aging and criminology. The curriculum, faculty, and research of the department reflect an emphasis on knowledge generation and transmission, inquiry and discovery, application of knowledge, and critical thinking. Our commitment to these goals serves to promote life-long learning, a richer understanding of the social world, and a realization of the activist potential of our disciplines.