The department combines a social scientific approach with one informed by the humanities, the traditional heritage of Boğaziçi University. The department maintains strong links with the departments of Political Science and International Relations and Economics, as well as with the departments of History, Philosophy and Psychology.

The academic interests of the department's permanent staff are wide-ranging, overlapping with related disciplines such as anthropology, demography, health and population, history, political science and philosophy. The faculty shares a strong international orientation, reflecting their training in major American and Western European universities, their continued involvement in international professional associations, and their on-going collaborative research and writing colleagues outside of Turkey. In addition to the permanent faculty, the range of courses and scholarly exchange in the department is extended each year by part-time professors and visiting lecturers from other countries. Research fellows financed by international sources are also provided with various facilities as well as invited to join departmental seminars.