Department of History, Sociology, and Anthropology

Department Chair David Lunt – EVT 225F	Faculty & Staff
Administrative Assistant Jana Williams – EVT 225	Student Success Advisors
	Website

Overview of Programs

The Department of History, Sociology, and Anthropology provides a curriculum that educates students about the prehistory and history of past peoples and the roles played by culture and social organization in contemporary human societies. Its faculty equip students with analytical and communication skills that enable them to investigate past and present human cultures and societies and to communicate their findings logically and effectively. The Department offers major and minor programs for the disciplines of History, Sociology, and Anthropology, and interdisciplinary minors in Ethnic Studies, Sustainability Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. It also supports the History Education and Social Science Education Composite degrees for secondary teaching certification.

Mission

History

The history program is committed to preparing undergraduate students to understand their historical and cultural heritage. It supports the University’s mission by emphasizing excellence in teaching with courses grounded in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Its curriculum is designed to foster knowledge of human cultures and instill intellectual and practical skills involving inquiry and analysis, critical thinking, written and oral communication, teamwork, and problem solving. The history discipline supports the general education program at the University. In cooperation with the College of Education and Human Development, the program prepares students for teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools, and it works to qualify majors for graduate study and advanced administrative specialization. In keeping with the University’s mission, the program emphasizes personal and social responsibility by requiring students to complete projects involving civic engagement, experiential learning, and service learning that elevate students’ civic knowledge, intercultural competence, and ethical reasoning, experiences that provide foundations for engaged citizenship and lifelong learning.

Sociology

The sociology program’s mission is to prepare students for life in diverse, global societies by introducing them to applied and conceptual tools that enhance critical understandings of the social world. With a curriculum rooted in the liberal arts and sciences tradition, the sociology program supports the university’s academic mission (and general education requirements). It also fosters an understanding of sociological theories, principles, and methodologies, integrates service and experiential learning with other pedagogies, and prepares students for advanced education in addition to careers in teaching, social work, and a variety of administrative and research occupations.

Anthropology

The anthropology program provides an interesting, useful, and rigorous course of study for students interested in exploring the human cultural and biological experience through time and space. Students pursuing anthropology at SUU experience a four-field approach that emphasizes anthropology’s dominant sub-disciplines: archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and biological anthropology. They master a broad range of research, critical reasoning, and oral and written communication skills designed to prepare them for graduate and professional studies, as well as life and work in an increasingly multicultural world. Through courses dealing with human evolution, prehistoric culture change, human ecology, and the cultural and biological diversity of contemporary humans, students learn to question ethnocentric beliefs and attitudes, and to understand the incredible biological and cultural diversity that characterizes the human species. In keeping with the university’s mission, the anthropology program emphasizes experiential learning and community engagement opportunities.

Department/Program Learning Outcomes

History

Students demonstrate factual and critical knowledge about past historical events, institutions, movements, figures, and societies and have the ability to identify key events that express change over time in a particular place or region, identify how change occurs over time, and explain historical continuity and change.
Students demonstrate the ability to understand, describe, and critically assess historical theories, principles, and concepts and possess the ability to apply historical theories, principles, and concepts.
Students demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
Students demonstrate the ability to apply historical methods and research protocols to formulate historical questions, obtain data from primary and secondary sources, critically assess primary and secondary sources, and follow scholarly conventions of the discipline.
Students demonstrate critical and analytical thinking and reasoning skills and demonstrate the ability to construct well-organized historical arguments that utilize historical data in support of a thesis.

Sociology

Students will understand, describe, and critically assess sociological theories, principles, and concepts.
Students will understand, describe, and critically assess the role of culture and social structures in shaping individual lives.
Students will understand, describe, and critically assess inequalities based on race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexualities, immigration status, etc.
Students will understand, describe, and critically assess quantitative and qualitative methods used in sociological research.
Students will apply sociological concepts and methods to the analysis of social issues and social conflicts.
Students will design ethical sociological research.
Students will analyze personal experiences (inclusive of educational experiences) using the sociological imagination.

Anthropology

Students will understand, describe, and critically assess anthropological/archaeological theories, principles, and concepts.
Students will understand, describe, and critically assess the role of culture and social structures in shaping individual lives.
Students will understand, describe, and critically assess inequalities based on race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexualities, immigration status, etc.
Students will understand, describe, and critically assess methods used in anthropological and/or archaeological research.
Students will apply anthropological/archaeological concepts and methods.
Students will design ethical anthropological/archaeological research.
Students will analyze personal experiences (inclusive of educational experiences) using the anthropological/archaeological imagination.

Other Information

Our department sponsors two honor societies (Phi Alpha Theta in history and Alpha Kappa Delta in sociology) that reward high academic achievement and foster campus and community involvement. We also sponsor the Anthropology Club, the Earth Club, and the Arabic Club.

Programs

Bachelor’s Degree

Minor