One of the more important distinctions between American Sociology and its European progenitor is its focus on race and ethnicity. Therefore, the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison maintains several faculty with varied interests and methodological approaches to the study of race and ethnicity and also hosts a Race and Ethnicity Workshop. This means that, in addition to different faculty offering graduate level seminars on a regular basis, students can further advance their understanding of the subfield, and gain feedback on their research and teaching efforts, during weekly meetings of the workshop. Moreover, while the Department provides regular course offerings and a workshop, students are encouraged to take related courses outside of the Department.