About Us
Sociology and Anthropology at URI is unique in a number of ways:
- a close community of faculty with a broad spectrum of interests
- three different degree programs each with the flexibility to meet individual interests
- nationally and internationally known faculty who teach courses at all levels of the curriculum, from introductions to the field to senior seminars and independent study
- exciting opportunities for experiential learning in criminal justice, archaeology, coastal cultures and fisheries, human services, and more
- supporting students through the provision of individual attention and personalized advising
What's Happening Now
Katie Hannah, an undergraduate sociology major from Bradford, RI, just returned the the American Sociological Association Annual Meetings in Las Vegas.Katie was an Honors Fellow selected after a national competition. The Honors Fellows presented their work - Katie's essay was an analysis of the role of race in contemporary film - attended other scholarly sessions, and hobnobbed with famous and not so famous sociology. Katie said the experience was "fantastic." And the view of Hoover Dam (shown here) was fantastic as well!
Kris Bovy and her work with what she calls "bird bones" will receive international recognition in Winter 2011. Kris is publishing "Archaeological Evidence for a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) Colony in the Pacific Northwest, USA" in Waterbirds, an international journal on waterbird ecology and conservation. The double-crested cormorant is, as you can see, one cool-looking bird.
Carlos Garcia-Quijano (along with Tomas A. Carlo-Joglar, and Javier Arce-Nazario) will be publishing "Human Ecology of an 'Invasion': Interactions Between Humans and Introduced Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana) in a Puerto Rican Estuary" in the prestigious journal, Human Organization in Spring 2011. That's the green iguana to the left, not Carlos.
Helen Mederer, Professor of Sociology, and Barbara Silver, Director of the University's NSF Advance Project have become nationally-known advocates for family-friendly policies in America's colleges and universities. The pair presented their findings at the national conference of College and University Work/Family Association held at Harvard University. Mederer and Silver urged institutions to take a distinctly sociological view of interactions between colleagues and between colleagues and supervisors (chairs, deans, etc.).
In addition, they urged close attention be paid to the underlying cultural imagery of the "ideal worker" whose career is his overriding concern while domestic concerns, including children, are left as the primary responsibility of a "stay-at-home wife." A fuller discussion of this important work can be found here.
What Students Are Saying
Professor Leo Carroll enlightened my views and broadened my perspective on things, He was that teacher who opened my eyes. He kept me interested and made me want to learn more.
Greg Borrelli, Sociology B.S., summa cum laude 2010
News & Announcements
Anthropology Honor Society
URI Anthropology students have been chartered as the Alpha Rhode Island Chapter of Lamda Alpha, the national anthropology honor society. This is a tribute to the hard work of several students and to the academic excellence of our majors and our faculty. Right now, the recruitment of charter members is underway. If you're interested in being one of the first Lamda Alphas, shoot off an email to Ashley Waggoner for all the details.
The URI Anthropology Society is also up and running. Check out their page too.
Department contacts
Department Chair
C. B. Peters, cbp@uri.edu
Justice, Law & Society Minor Coordinator
Professor Leo Carroll, lcarroll@uri.edu
Administrative Assistant
Theresa Nobile, nobile@uri.edu
