Department History

Sociology courses were offered at the University of Alberta as early as the 1950s, but it was not until 1961 that the Department of Sociology came into being. It was the third Department of Sociology to be established in Canada, with six professors and Dr. Robert James as its first department Chair.

In 1966, the Department of Sociology took up residence in the newly opened Henry Marshall Tory Building. The department grew rapidly in the years that followed, with enrolments in sociology courses more than doubling between 1966 and 1970.

Today about 9000 students register annually for Sociology courses and the department is home to dozens of graduate students.

 

Henry Marshall Tory Building, circa 1967

Dr. Gordon Hirabayashi

Dr. Gordon Hirabayashi was chair of the Department of Sociology from 1970 to 1975. He was a lifelong champion for social justice. During World War II, Hirabayashi personally defied the forced relocation of Japanese Americans to an internment camp, which led to his incarceration and a prolonged battle with the U.S. federal government. After his death in 2012 at the age of 93, Dr. Hirabayashi was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama for his principled stand.

Dr. Hirabayashi’s life story has inspired a documentary and a play called Hold These Truths.

Watch the documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-1JcKDRGbQ