Although a small department the Sociology-Anthropology Majors continue to excel in research as seen in their representation at this year’s Student Research Conference this past Tuesday, April 16th.  Ten students currently enrolled in Dr. Johnson’s Senior Seminar course presented their polished work at the SRC’s  Poster Sessions. The research-focused curriculum propels students in preparation for graduate school. Dr. Amber Johnson, Professor of Anthropology, served as the students’ mentor.  

Pictured is sociology major, Sarah Trosen, discussing her poster work with other Truman students attending the conference.

Five anthropology majors from Truman, Kathryn Hedlund, Racheal Kissee, Zoee Matlock, Rose McCray, and Julianne Meyer, attended the Central States Anthropological Society annual meeting in St. Louis April 4-6 with Dr. Amber Johnson, Professor of Anthropology. Hedlund and Meyer also presented papers at the meeting. Hedlund’s paper was entitled “Cultural Views and their Impact on Mental Illness: An Analysis of Schizophrenia, Recovery, and Attitudes about Mental Illness across Cultures,” and Meyer’s paper was “The Devil Lives in the Apple Orchard and other Kansas City Ghost Tales.”

Professor Elaine McDuff with six sociology majors from Truman, Andrea Davis, Samantha Galloway, Tasheka Graves, Aaron Johnson, Erin McCann and Sarah Westfall, attended the Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting in Chicago March 27-30. Galloway and Graves also presented posters in the MSS Undergraduate Poster Competition.

Samantha Galloway (pictured) was awarded 3^rd place in the 50th Annual Undergraduate Student Paper Competition.  Her paper was entitled “It Depends on Who’s Watching: The Relationship between Perceived Audience Size and Gender Stereotyping in Advertisements as Measured by Super Bowl and Primetime Commercials,” and was mentored by Amber Johnson, professor of anthropology. Tasheka Graves poster was “Achieving Success: Exploring the Necessity of Attending Graduate School.”

Alumna Hannah Hemmelgarn sent an advertisement for a public seminar hosted at UC San Diego by the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (origins of humanity) focused on properties of the human mind. 10-15 students and faculty watched together on Friday, February 15. The CARTA website will eventually have videos of each speaker (and have videos from past symposia on similar topics). The web address is carta.anthropogeny.org. The next public symposium is May 10 (last day of finals/ day before graduation) on Behaviorally Modern Humans: The Origin of Us.

Danielle Clemons is a Sociology major and McNair scholar who will graduate in May 2013.  She is currently spending a semester doing study abroad in Ghana as part of the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP).  As part of the program, Danielle travels to places like Cape Coast to see the slave castle and walk on the canopy in the national forest.

Farmworkers’ compound in DeDoorns, near Cape Town.

Meeting of farmworkers to address recent wage cuts and status issues

Meeting of the Zimbabwean Apostolic Faith Mission church in Johannesburg

Since 2000, two to three million of Zimbabwe’s 12 million people have experienced “crisis-driven” migration (primarily to South Africa and the UK), because of political repression, state-sponsored violence, and economic collapse. Under colonial rule, large numbers of Zimbabwean men migrated from farms to cities and to the mines of South Africa to work, but the current migrant stream is far more diverse, including women as well as men, and Zimbabweans of all ages, education levels, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Dr. McDuff spent the 2012 fall semester interviewing Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa and the UK in order to learn about the feminization of Zimbabwean migration, and the impact of migrant experiences on gender roles and family dynamics. She is currently working on transcribing the interviews, with the help of Truman students.

The attached article notes the important skills which anthropology graduates can offer the workplace, including critical thinking, writing and research, rich cultural awareness and sensitivity. The article offers tips and strategies for social science students entering the work place, and a number of networking sites for anthropologists. 
http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/11/30/do-almost-anything-with-your-anth-degree/

The faculty of the Society & Environment Department want to wish all prospective, current, and former (alumni) students a laughter and fun-filled  holiday season! (pictured left to right: Anton Daughters, Muhammed Asadi, Amber Johnson, and Paul Sturgis. Not pictured: Elaine McDuff on sabbitical leave in Capetown, South Africa)

Presiding Circuit Judge Russell E. Steele swore in four new Adair County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers on November 7. CASA volunteers are trained citizens who are appointed by a judge to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in court. Front left are Jennifer Walston, Stacey Pugh, Erin Meier, and Katherine Kennison. Back left are Executive Director, Sandy Slocum, Friends of CASA, Lynn Van Dolah, Friends of CASA president, Jill Williams, Friends of CASA, Andrea Hampton, Presiding Circuit Judge, Russell E. Steele, Missouri CASA Association board president, Dr. Philip Slocum, and Guardian Ad Litem, Philip McIntosh.

Katherine is using her CASA experience for Sociology/Anthropology Internship credit toward her major.

ASA provides useful information regarding the skills and knowledge the sociology major will provide and how that will contribute to the major’s future success after graduation.

http://www.asanet.org/documents/research/pdfs/Hillsman_Ltr_Parents.pdf