Department of Sociology

In 1890 Samuel G. Smith was hired to teach the first course in sociology at the University of Minnesota. The course as listed in the 1892/93 Catalogue of the College of Science, Literature and the Arts was "Principles, Elements and History of Sociology, with discussions of crime, pauperism, prison reform, etc." and was offered in Political Science. It was so popular that an article appeared in the 1893 Ariel, stating that "it is time that this course should be added to our curriculum. The science is growing in importance and is of especial interest to college students, since the men who are to deal wisely with the difficult questions of crime and poverty will be recruited from the ranks of college graduates".

The 1901/02 Bulletin of the College of Science, Literature and the Arts lists sociology as separate from politcal science for the first time. Three courses were offered, Elements of sociology, Social pathology and Social theory. In 1903 three additional courses were offered, Anthropology, Social groups and The study of institutions, all taught by Samuel Smith who had been promoted from lecturer to professor of sociology in 1901.

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