Opportunities for Sociology and Anthropology Students

Faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology have a strong commitment to working with students and interacting closely with them. We offer a wide range of opportunities for faculty/student interaction ranging from collaborative research and in ternships to informal get-togethers such as the departmentÍs Spring Barbecue.

• Internships
• Faculty/Student Collaborative Research
• Senior Theses
• Travel Abroad
• SoAn Table
• Linfield Anthropology Museum
• Urban Plunges

Internships

Sociology and anthropology internships are important tools for students who wish to engage in a direct and applied experience within their field. Faculty of the department are committed to helping students gain practical experience in their given field; experience that may open job opportunities following graduation. Students work with faculty supervisors who work with the student to complete the internship successfully, and to critically analyze the experienc e they have had. The department also was the first to have an internship as a travel abroad program. Led by Professor Kristin Barker, the 15 students worked at an orphanage outside of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, during the January term of 1995. Other student s have had internship experiences in museums, police departments, and a variety of human service organizations.

Faculty/Student Collaborative Research

Research collaboration is a priority among the faculty of the department. Students have worked with professors on projects involving homelessness, museum studies, peace and justice movements, sex and gender issues, mushroom picking in the Olympic Penins ula, and on data from a survey of Guadalajara, Mexico. Faculty have also assisted students in presenting papers at the Pacific Sociological Association Meetings, American Anthropological Association Meetings, the Lewis and Clark College Gender Symposium, and have also participated in co-authoring papers. This is an important way for students to gain experience in academia, especially for those interested in continuing on to graduate school in their respective fields.

Senior Theses

Students who are interested, are encouraged to gain experience in original research through a senior thesis. The process involves working with a thesis advisor, but with the involvement of the entire departme nt at various points. Recent topics include gender issues and homelessness, contraception practices in Mexico, health care in Hispanic culture, A comparison of Catholic and Quaker visions of peace and justice, and environmental racism.

As part of establishing a solid base for the senior thesis, students are required to take the Social Theory Seminar (385N) during Spring of their Junior year. Students are strongly encouraged to take Social Research Methods (307N) prior to their senior y ear, as it prepares them for work using a variety of methods ranging from ethnography to statistical survey data analysis using SPSS for Windows. Having these courses behind her/him allows the student to focus on the thesis during their senior year, thus having a realistic expectation of carrying the project out to its conclusion. During the first month of the senior year, students submit a short thesis proposal which is discussed with the four members of the department.

Travel Abroad

There is a wide range of opportunities for students who wish to travel abroad. Linfield College has a number of semester long study abroad programs, including programs in Costa Rica, Japan, England, and others. In addition, there is a travel abroad co mponent to the January Term, within which all members of the department have participated. Members of the Sociology and Anthropology department have led courses to Honduras, Romania, Peru, Nepal, and Nicaragua.

Our faculty strongly encourage students to seek out educational opportunities abroad. Students have also participated in other programs in Oaxaca, Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, Uruguay, and other countries.

SoAn Table

The department sponsors a SoAn table, which is a forum for a wide variety of topics that are relevant to the disciplines of sociology and anthropology. Majors are strongly encouraged to attend, as a means of staying current wi th issues in the disciplines, within the department, and with each other as students and researchers. Full-time and part-time members of the department present and discuss research findings, discuss current issues, and seniors also present their research during the SoAn table. See schedule here.

Down and Out/Urban Plunges

One of the more unusual opportunities available to students at Linfield College is the Down and Out in America course (275N). The Down and Out course is a month-long course taught during the January term that begins with an urban plunge experience (Down and Out Syllabus). Students also have participated in ñurban plungesî as part of Urban Sociology and Sociology of Deviance courses. Students spend a weekend on the streets of Portland, sleeping under bridges, eating at soup kitchens, and learning about homelessness first-h and. Both Professor Kristin Barker and Professor Jeff Peterson work with Christopher Craske as part of this experience. Mr. Craske teaches with us as an adjunct, and is a homeless advocate in Portland.

Linfield Anthropology Museum

Students have the opportunity to work with Professors on projects for the department's Anthropology Museum. Student curators and interns work closely with Professor on a variety of exhibits. One of the two most recent exhibits featured the Play of the Little Devils, using the masks and photographs brought back by Professor of Art Ron Mills from his work with indigeneous tribes in Costa Rica. The topic for another recent exhibit was work on North American bolo ties.