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Notes from the chair
Dr. Joan Brehm, department chair and professor of sociology Another eventful year has come and gone and I remain honored and grateful to serve as Chair for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. It is a privilege to serve such an outstanding and committed group of faculty, staff, and students and I am grateful to be able to continue to lead and support the exciting and important work of the collective. This year brought a very significant and unexpected loss for our department with the sudden passing of Emeritus Distinguished Professor Dr. Jim Skibo in April, 2023. Jim was a beloved teacher and mentor and a renowned archaeologist who taught at Illinois State University for 27 years, serving as Department Chair from 2014 -2018. His passing has left a substantial hole in the hearts of so many. You can read more about Jim’s monumental impacts and our efforts to honor his legacy with the new “Skibo Scholars” scholarship in our Memorium of Jim Skibo. Although the pandemic has seemed to fade from public discourse, the residual impacts are evident throughout higher education, and I suspect we will continue to see new and enduring challenges emerge as we grapple with some of the more lasting affects. We also continue to struggle with some momentous social issues, including ongoing institutional and structural racial and social injustices, an extraordinary loss of various basic human rights due to unprecedented decisions from our highest court, and global conflicts that are unsettling and traumatic. These issues and injustices are not new, but they are even more significant today, as we find ourselves at a critical tipping point in time where direct and consistent action is needed. Despite the difficulties, I continue to witness actions and engagement that give me tremendous hope and personal encouragement. Our faculty, staff and students have continued to demonstrate immense resilience, compassion, and commitment as we all come together to support each other through the evolving struggles on campus and in our broader society. There is a very palpable commitment to social justice and basic human rights that is inspiring and motivating. These experiences continue to propel me forward with the continued dedication to support and empower those around me and have made me immensely proud to be a member of this department. Our faculty, staff, and students continually seek and find the strength and commitment to persevere, and not only survive, but in many ways thrive. As you will see in the following pages, we have much to celebrate this year as we grow and flourish at Illinois State University and beyond. We are excited to welcome three new Tenure Track faculty to our Department, two in Anthropology and one in Sociology, Dr. Katie Sampeck has received a prestigious Global Professorship from the British Academy to support her innovative scholarship, Dr. Logan Miller has returned to leading our world-class field school, we honored our outstanding students with various scholarships and awards in our Spring Awards Banquet, and we celebrate one of our recent Alumni, Anna Tulley, in her new position with SWCA Environmental Consultants. We also share the bittersweet news of the retirement of Dr. Chris Wellin after 14 years of service. Dr. Wellin leaves a significant gap in our department, and he will be deeply missed. However, we are grateful for his willingness to continue to work with some of our graduate students as he mentors them through their programs, which also allows us to see Chris on a regular basis in the hallways. There are so many accomplishments to celebrate among students, staff, and faculty and reasons to have hope for the future. It is this hope that carries us forward to work for a more collective and socially just worldview. I hope you enjoy reading about our successes and join me in congratulating everyone in our department on the multitude of outstanding accomplishments and milestones. |
Remembering Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jim Skibo The Department of Sociology and Anthropology mourns the passing of Dr. Jim Skibo, committed teacher, mentor, and scholar at Illinois State University for 27 years. |
Read More
Video: ISU students unearth history of ancient Native American village during archaeological field school During the annual field school at the Noble-Wieting archaeological site, a group of Illinois State students received hands-on training while uncovering the history of a 700-year-old Native American village. |
SOA student recognition and awards 2023 The Department of Sociology and Anthropology celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of our students at our Spring Awards Banquet in May 2023 |
Dr. Christopher Wellin retires (Editor’s note: The following is a tribute to retiring faculty member Christopher Wellin written by fellow faculty members Susan Sprecher and Joan Brehm.) “Please don’t retire!” and “we won’t let you retire!” were frequent statements made by both of us (Susan Sprecher, one of the two most senior members of department, and Joan Brehm, chair |
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology welcomes new faculty, staff Sociology and Anthropology welcomes new faculty and staff into its department. |
Sociology and Anthropology undergraduate advising news The undergraduate program in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology shared its latest news and updates. |
Sociology graduate program news and updates The master’s degree in sociology shared its latest news and updates. |
Anthropology graduate program news and updates The master’s degree in anthropology share its latest news and updates. |
SOA student ambassadors program 2023-24 Sociology and Anthropology’s Student Ambassador program introduces its newest cohort for this academic year. |
Sociology and Anthropology alumni spotlight: Anna Tulley Upon graduating from Illinois State in the spring of 2022, I was eager to put my bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history to work. While I originally attended Illinois State with the intent of entering the museum field, I found a deep passion for archaeology. In the summer of 2022, I embarked on the opportunity |
SOA faculty publications & presentations 2022-23 The Department of Sociology and Anthropology celebrates its faculty’s publications from 2022-23. |
SOA Research Series 2022-2023 The Department of Sociology and Anthropology rounds up its research series talks from 2022-23. |
Sabbatical news from Sociology and Anthropology Dr. Aaron Z. Pitluck and Dr. Logan Miller summarize their time away from ISU campus on their respective sabbaticals. |
Dr. Kathryn Sampeck awarded British Academy Global Professorship Dr. Kathryn Sampeck is the first from Illinois State University to receive the nearly $1 million award from the British Academy. She will lead a team recentering the study of chocolate with an Indigenous Mezoamerican perspective. |
Schroeder Hall gallery seventh annual exhibit: What is hip hop culture? Dr. Frank Beck recaps the seventh annual Schroeder Hall gallery exhibit, “What is Hip Hop Culture?” |
Megan Lowe named Bone Scholar The Department of Politics and Government congratulates Megan Lowe, who was selected as a 2023-24 Bone Scholar. |
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