Liberal Arts

Sociology and Anthropology

Professors Ballantine, Cargan (Emeritus), Cross (Emeritus), Islam (Emeritus), Melko (Emeritus), Riordan, Savells (Emeritus), Siegal, Welty (Emeritus)

Associate Professors Bellisari, Durr, Koebernick (Emeritus), Orenstein, Shepelak, Steinberg (WSU - Lake Campus)

Assistant Professors Bogumil, Bush, Molina, Steele, Wilcox

Instructor Bergdahl

Sociology

Sociology is concerned with social relations: how people relate to each other as individuals, in families, or in groups; how they communicate in business and governmental situations; and how their behavior is judged as socially acceptable, deviant, illegal, or immoral. The Bachelor of Arts program in sociology trains students to observe and measure these interactions, predict likely outcomes from certain situations, and determine how we can develop programs to change behavior for the good of individuals and society.

Sociology graduates typically find careers that involve dealing with people, often working for large businesses or organizations or in community service, public relations, teaching, or research.

Sociology majors are required to take five or more upper-level courses designed to develop their writing skills and thinking capacity.

Degree Requirements - Sociology

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Sociology Honors Program

The department encourages qualified students to conduct independent research through the depart-ment’s honors program. Students are eligible for the program if they have a GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in sociology. Departmental honors are awarded at graduation. Under SOC 490, students must complete an honors project under the guidance of an honors advisor. Interested students should contact the departmental office for further information.

Minor in Sociology

The minor in sociology allows students to supplement their education in many fields. Students take SOC 306 (Sociological Methods) and five courses at the 300 - 400 level, four of them from one of the following concentrations: social organ-izations; deviance/criminology; social change; family/socialization. The minor requires a total of 28 credit hours.

Anthropology

Anthropology studies the behavior and biology of the human species, both current and past, often drawing on information from the social and biological sciences. The Bachelor of Arts program in anthropology focuses on three areas: cultural anthropology, archaeology, and physical anthropology.

Cultural anthropology exposes students to ways of life, belief systems, and value systems that differ from their own, examining the ways in which cultures deal with universal human problems, from the basic needs of food and shelter to the metaphysical questions of existence. Typical subjects for cultural anthropology include ecology and subsistence techniques, economics, political systems, religion, and cultural change.

Archaeology deals with cultures of the past. Archaeologists search for and study the material remains of past cultural activity and try to reconstruct the behavior patterns, technology, and social customs of people who no longer exist.

Physical anthropology focuses on the bio-logical aspects of the human species. Physical anthropologists study the fossil evidence to determine how evolution has influenced human behavior and biology. Studies of biological variability in modern populations are also part of this discipline, since many physical differences among populations are the result of their having adapted to different environments.

Anthropology majors should normally complete the 200-level introductory courses before taking 300- or 400-level courses.

Degree Requirements - Anthropology

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Anthropology Honors Program

The department encourages qualified students to conduct independent research through the depart-ment’s honors program. Students are eligible for the program if they have an overall GPA of 3.0 and an average of 3.5 in anthropology by the end of their junior year. Departmental honors are awarded at graduation. Under ATH 492, students are required to complete an honors project under the guidance of a faculty honors advisor. Interested students should contact the departmental office for further information.

Minor in Anthropology

The minor in anthropology provides a cluster of courses that form an introduction to the subfields of anthropology. It is intended for students in other majors who wish to supplement their study with the perspectives unique to anthropology.

The minor in anthropology contains 29 credit hours. This includes 12 hours in three introductory courses (ATH 250, 241, 242) which expose students to the subfields of cultural and physical anthro-pology and archaeology. Upper-level courses are structured to allow students to examine the content of each subfield in greater depth. The required course in theory can be taken in either archaeology (ATH 468) or cultural anthropology (ATH 448).

Students are expected to maintain a 2.0 overall GPA.

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