Department of Sociology and Anthropology

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. Students in the major 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.

We encourage students to pursue their interests through community-based research, internships, study abroad, 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 the USA to South America. 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 advisor 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.

Faculty and Fields of Interest

Maria da Glória de Sá (emeritus) Immigration and Ethnicity, Ethnic and Race Relations, the Family and Stratification, Portuguese-speaking Diaspora in the United States

Margarita Huayhua, BA 1999 Universidad San Antonio de Abad de Cuzco, Peru, MA 1996 Facultad Latinoamericana de Diencias Sociales, Ecudaro, PhD 2001 University of Michigan. Sociolinguistics and the Andes.

Andrea C Klimt (emeritus), 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, BA 1977 Oberlin College, MA 1999, PhD 2005 New York University, 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, BS 1993 Union College, MEd 2003 Harvard University, PhD 2010 Brandeis University, Visual Culture, Media Democracy, Social Movements, Gender and Race, Participatory Action Research Methods

Yale R Magrass (emeritus), Social Theory, Historical and Political Sociology, Social Movements, Social Impact of Science and Technology

Larry M Miller (emeritus), Historical Sociology, Social Evolution, Social Theory, Sociology of Art and Literature, Sociology and History of Judaism, Meso-America

Robin A Robinson (emeritus), PsyD George Washington University, PhD Brandeis University, Heller School, Female Deviance, Delinquency, and Criminality, Social Policy, Restorative Justice, Psychology of Crime and Justice, Female Religiosity

Isabel Fêo Rodrigues (Chairperson), BA 1994 Northeastern University, MA 1996, PhD 2002 Brown University. Processes of change and power asymmetries brought about by European colonialism and inequitable globalization, including: consumption and commodification of nature, food insecurity and coping mechanisms, cultural and linguistic creolization, and postcolonial resistance to these transformations.

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.

Admission into the Departmental Major

Enrolled UMass Dartmouth students seeking admission into the Sociology and Anthropology major may enroll freshmen year with a minimum overall GPA of 2.00. Transfer students seeking admission into the Sociology and Anthropology major must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.00. Students will select a concentration in either Anthropology or Sociology 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.

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.