Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Faculty and Fields of Interest

Brian R. Broadrose: sociocultural anthropology; race/racism, ethnicity, gender, colonization, American Indian archaeology and repatriation, socio-cultural anthropology; social movements

Margarita Huayhua: sociocultural anthropology and language; race/ethnicity; racism, gender, everyday social interaction, conversation analysis, relations of power and social domination; Andes and Latin America

Andrea C Klimt: sociocultural anthropology; medical anthropology and visual anthropology; ethnicity and nationalism; transnational migration; history and memory; urban studies; Europe, contemporary U.S. and the Portuguese diaspora

Lisa Maya Knauer (Chairperson) sociocultural anthropology, media ethnography; race, ethnicity and gender; transnational migration and diaspora; indigenous peoples; music, visual and performed culture; ethnography; Guatemala, Cuba and their diasporas; contemporary U.S.

Rachel Kulick: visual culture; media democracy; social movements; gender and race, participatory action research methods

Yale R Magrass: social theory, historical and political sociology; social movements; social impact of science and technology

Larry M Miller: historical sociology, social evolution, social theory, sociology of art and literature, sociology and history of Judaism, Meso-America

Robin A Robinson: female deviance, delinquency, and criminality; social policy; restorative justice, psychology of crime and justice; female religiosity

Isabel Fêo Rodrigues: ethnicity, race, gender; creolization, nationalism, colonialism; Sub-Saharan Africa, Afro Atlantic, Luso-African Atlantic, and Brazil

Maria da Glória de Sá: immigration and ethnicity, ethnic and race relations, the family and stratification; Portuguese-speaking diaspora in the United Sates

Jack Stauder: cultural anthropology; social change; sex,marriage and family; social class and status; ethnic groups; American society; war and culture; religion and culture

About the Department

As an interdisciplinary department, Sociology and Anthropology offers students a unique opportunity to explore the social world through distinct but related branches of knowledge in the social sciences.

We offer one interdisciplinary major, a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology. Students select one of two concentrations – Sociology or Anthropology – that share the broad goals of understanding society and culture through a comparative and historical perspective, and exploring the impacts of global, regional and national developments on local communities. Specifically, the curriculum is designed to foster students’ understanding of the social construction of difference, entrenched systems of inequality and oppression and the dynamics of local and global distributions of power.

Our wide range of courses explore the complex interconnections between race, class, ethnicity, culture, gender and sexuality and focus on understanding contemporary social issues both in the U.S. and around the world. Students in the majors learn how to apply theoretical debates in sociology and anthropology to the investigation of social life, and develop critical insights into possibilities for social change.

The department’s curriculum features multiple opportunities for connecting classroom learning, community engagement, and individual exploration. We encourage students to pursue their interests through community-based research, internships and seminars, as well as in independent study and thesis research. A central aim of the department’s curricula is to help students develop the essential skills of critical thinking and clear and persuasive self expression.

Faculty research interests span the globe, from nearby Fall River to Sub-Saharan Africa. Many of us are deeply engaged with the communities and issues that we research, and invite our students to join us. We use our knowledge to help make change, from working on regional food systems, to providing expert testimony in asylum cases.

Students may pursue a degree in any of the following areas:

BA in Sociology and Anthropology with a concentration in Anthropology
BA in Sociology and Anthropology with a concentration in Sociology
Minor in Sociology
Minor in Anthropology
BA/MPW Accelerated Program (see below)
3+3 Program with Law School

Our department offers a B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of our faculty and the close relationship between those disciplines. Students entering the department will select a concentration in either Anthropology or Sociology in consultation with their departmental adviser after completing 9 credits in the department (typically after 1 or 2 semesters). Students may select a concentration in one discipline and then complete a minor in the other discipline (i.e. major in Sociology and Anthropology with a concentration in Anthropology, and minor in Sociology, or vice versa). It is not possible to double major within the Department. Students who are not in the College of Arts& Sciences who choose to minor in Sociology or Anthropology do not need to fulfill CAS distribution requirements .

There are many other fields that complement study in sociology and anthropology. The department encourages students to consider choosing a double major or adding a minor in fields such as history, psychology, political science, sustainability, women’s and gender studies, Black studies or a foreign language. Students should discuss possible options with their advisors.

For more information on courses offered by the Department, see Sociology and Anthropology course listings.

Advising

All majors will be assigned an academic advisor within the department. We encourage students to meet with their advisors regularly during their college career to discuss their degree progress and explore possibilities for internships, research, jobs and graduate school.

Student Learning Goals

Discipline-specific :

Understanding concepts of culture and society;
Understanding systems of inequality and the dynamics of local and global distributions of power;
Understanding the constructed nature of gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation and culture;
Understanding basic theoretical arguments in sociology/anthropology as appropriate to their major concentration;
Critical understanding of social scientific approaches to research, sound research designs and basic social scientific research methods; and
Ability to apply knowledge from discipline-specific research and theory to issues in their lives and communities. General skills:
Present organized and coherent arguments both orally and through written essays
Understand and critically evaluate social-scientific work
Ability to assemble relevant published background research, critically evaluate the research, and integrate it into an argument.

Admission into the Departmental Major

Enrolled UMass Dartmouth students seeking admission into the Sociology and Anthropology major must have earned a minimum of 30 credits with a minimum overall GPA of 2.50. Transfer students seeking admission into the Sociology and Anthropology major must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.75. Students will select a concentration in either Anthropology or Sociolggy in consultation with their faculty adviser after completing at least 6 credits of SOA courses (usually after 1 semester in the department

For general information. contact the department at 508-999-8401.

BA/MPW Accelerated Program

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Department of English

Program Description

The BA/MPW accelerated program offers exceptional undergraduate students in Sociology and Anthropology the opportunity to complete both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Master of Professional Writing (MPW) in an accelerated 5- year program.

Graduate students in the Professional Writing Program join a writing community where they engage in extensive writing and editing practice and receive a solid background in rhetoric and communications . Our goal is to prepare students for the realities and challenges of writing professions, whether they seek new professional opportunities or publication. Our students focus in their main areas of interest while developing a broader range of communications practices in order to become more professionally versatile. The acquisition of an MPW along with an undergraduate degree in sociology will enhance students’ competitiveness on the job market and give them necessary skills to pursue a range of professional goals.

Students who meet eligibility requirements apply to the program after achieving 45 credits, usually juniors with a minimum of a 3.2 gpa. Selection will be decided by ENL MPW faculty. The timing of admission decisions needs to allow students to register for appropriate courses their senior year. BA/MPW students will have dedicated advisors, one from MPW and one from SOA, who will work together to make sure each student finds an effective way to complete both programs within 5 years.

The sequence of courses will ensure that students will complete their BA in four years -regardless of whether or not they continue to pursue the MPW. Students are encouraged to take two prerequisites their junior year (ENL260 and ENL257) as well as ENL 355, 357 OR 358 and ENL 510 their senior year. Students are encouraged to take their MPW Internship course over the summer after their 4th year - or at least complete the internship over the summer and register for the course in the Fall of their 5th year. Two courses will count for BOTH the MPW and BA degrees: ENL510, Thesis Research; SOA 420, Senior Capstone.