Department of Sociology

Greetings from the Chair: Fall 2005

We hope that your summer was rejuvenating and productive for you.  I know that the department faculty were hard at work this summer, preparing their courses and conducting their research.   Professors Hall, McNamara, and Palacios are back, from England, China and Korea, and Los Angeles respectively; and Professor Mikell is gone once again—but only down to the third floor of the ICC to again direct the African Studies program.  We welcome Professor Melissa Fisher, an anthropologist who joins the faculty, recently moving here from New York City.  We also welcome Professor Youlanda Gibbons to the full time sociology faculty, who taught with us last year on a part time basis.  Please feel free to drop in and introduce yourself to our newest department members to discuss your and their special interests in the discipline.  You can find out more about Professor Fisher by going to her department bio page; and likewise by clicking here to go to Professor Gibbons’ bio page. 

There are numerous opportunities for you to undertake exciting sociological and anthropological research projects this semester.  These vary in terms of methodologies involved (quantitative, qualitative or mixed), whether they are community-based or campus-based, individual or group projects, and whether you work on them for one semester or the whole year.  We are offering a Research Seminar in Family Patterns, led by Professor Hall, an ethnographic research on migration seminar taught by Professor Brennan, and our community-based research seminar, taught by Professor Cooke.  We encourage you to consider undertaking one of these serious primary research-based courses, if not this semester then in the future, and to submit your research paper upon completion for one of the many conferences or competitions designed to promote undergraduate research.

By way of quick updates, let me note the following items and encourage you to read more about them elsewhere in this newsletter:

• For Sociology Seniors, you should be enrolled in the one-credit pre-thesis seminar workshop, offered by Professor Wickham-Crowley.  This is a new requirement, adopted by the department last spring.
• The department is pleased to announce that Professor Joanne Rappaport now has a joint appointment in Anthropology (in addition to her home department, Spanish) and will regularly offer anthropology courses.  Similarly, Professor Susan Terrio also has a joint appointment in Anthrpology (in addition to her home department, French); however she is away on research leave this year.
• The Sociology faculty, headed by Professors McDonald, Daddio, and McNamara, are working on a proposal to create a Masters degree program, International Crime and Global Justice, which we hope to launch next year.
• The Social Justice Analysis concentration is now fully operational and we encourage you to consider this option for fulfilling your Sociology major or minor requirements.
• Professor Brennan will be on research leave during the Spring semester, so if you plan to take a course with her this year, you better register for it for the fall semester.
• I will not be teaching this year, but instead will focus more of my time on a research project on equitable community development.  I am looking for students interested in the topics of affordable housing and community development to work with me on this research, which will entail work in the DC community.

Each year we elect a student representative in Sociology to participate in the department’s governance activities.  Please consider whether you would like to run for the position of student representative and stay tuned for the call for nominations.  Then watch your email for the election ballot and be sure to vote for your favorite candidate for student representative.

Finally, I would like to point out that we have changed our advising process this year.  We are pleased to inform you that we now have an Undergraduate Program Director for Anthropology as well as for Sociology.  Anthropology majors and minors should see Professor Brennan for advising and approvals, while Sociology majors and minors should see Professor Wickham-Crowley. 

Have a terrific school year!

Peace,

Sam Marullo, Chair

Dr. Sam Marullo - AY 2009
Dr. McDonald and Dr. McNamara - AY 2008
Dr. Sam Marullo - Fall 2006
Dr. Sam Marullo - Fall 2005
Dr. Sam Marullo - Spring 2004
Dr. Sam Marullo - Fall 2004
Dr. Sam Marullo - Fall 2003
Dr. Sam Marullo - Fall 2002