Welcome to the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Mission and Goals of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
The mission of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work is to provide quality undergraduate and graduate teaching in the social sciences and services. This teaching furnishes students with insight and understanding of the dynamics of their societies, cultures, and environments and prepares them to participate in a complex and diverse social world. The Department seeks to serve the local community, state, nation and global networks by conducting research, extension and outreach programs. The Department serves the University by offering two courses in the core curriculum, Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Anthropology.
The Department aims to prepare students with the intellectual, social and ethical tools they will need to reach their professional and personal goals and aspirations. In their instruction, faculty members direct students to develop critical thinking skills, specific expertise in a social science or social service, outreach capabilities, and the ability to understand and appreciate diversity across societies and cultures.
The Department offers three undergraduate degree programs with corresponding minors in Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work; all three contribute to a holistic education in the social sciences and services. The Department offers MA and MS degrees in Sociology. The Department also plans to initiate feasibility studies for a Masters of Social Work degree program and a Masters in Applied Anthropology degree program over the next two years.
Faculty members in the Department teach, conduct research and participate in outreach in areas of violence and substance abuse, family and child welfare, homelessness, community organizations, medical sociology/anthropology, archaeology, cultural resource management, environmental anthropology, and the culture of sports.
Course work in all three degree programs explores these substantive areas within the United States and across the globe, giving specific attention to the southeastern US, Africa and the African diaspora, South Asia, Latin America and the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica. Four concentrations unite the Department's three programs and these are “Social Issues and Marginalized Populations,” “Human Behavior,” “Social Organizations and Institutions,” and “Health and Environment.”
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Last updated on April 30, 2008