A-to-Z Index


Sociology & Anthropology Undergraduate Research Symposium

This year’s symposium took place on Monday April 5 2010, between 12 and 5 pm.  The event consisted of eleven student presentations, followed by the presentation of awards to outstanding seniors and to new members of the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society, the Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society, and Phi Beta Kappa. The event was very well attended by students, faculty, and family and friends of the student presenters throughout the day.  A full schedule of events is below.

The variety and quality of the student presentations was impressive.  All the presentations were based on long-term research projects:  six of the presentations were based on research for honors theses; four of the projects were based on overseas fieldwork; four had distinctly local themes; one was presented as a poster and one presented its data as a film.

The forum was a great success.  It succeeds in bringing together diverse groups of students and faculty within the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and in keeping them over the course of a day engaged in intellectually and visually compelling work.  It provides a model for student research-centered research in the social sciences.  The families of the presenters were impressed by the intellectual endeavors of their children/siblings/nieces/nephews/grandchildren—and welcomed the chance to meet with their teachers. 

Sociology & Anthropology Undergraduate Research Symposium Presenters

Emily DeMeo, anthropology

“Belief that Heals: Tibetan Medicine and Buddhism in Ladakh” 

Marie McDonald, anthropology

“Irrigating a Ritual Landscape: Water, Culture, and Power in the Peruvian Highlands” 

Shannon Smith, sociology

“How Framing is Used by Professional Sexuality Organizations to Increase Support for Comprehensive Sexuality Education” 

Katie Cross, anthropology

“The True Identity and Distribution of Stay-at-Home Moms in Virginia” (poster) 

Daniel Osborne, anthropology

“Cultural Diffusion Across the Eastern Pueblo World Through Ritual Architecture”

Aaron Moss, anthropology

“A Community Built Upon the Rock and Moving with the Roll of Underground Music” (Film)

Kaitlyn Coffey, anthropology

“Effects of Tribalism on Post Election Violence of 2007 in Kenya”

Gregory Siron, anthropology

“Marxist Reflections on Art in Roman Society”

Meredith Burns, anthropology

 "Motivation and Hesitation in Language Acclimation"

Laura Rogers, sociology

“’Helping Them Help Themselves’: Volunteers, Staff, and Class Boundaries in a Homeless Shelter”

Kristi Van Sickle, anthropology

“Environmental Education in Kenya”

Sociology & Anthropology Honors Reception

Welcome - Dr. Tim Carter, Department Head

Outstanding Senior Sociology Student

Laura Rogers

Outstanding Senior Anthropology Student

Jacqueline Britz

Outstanding Archaeology Student

Daniel Osborne 

Outstanding Biological Anthropology Student

Emily Demeo

Outstanding Cultural Anthropology Student

Meredith Burns

Carl L. Harter Memorial Scholarship

Lindsay Holt

Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society

Cory Caswell

Lindsey Lennon

Brent McDaniel

Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society

Noelle Burgess            Lucy Clark

Lindsay Entwistle        Devyn Hunter

Mariel Muller              Megan Nibley

Sarah Poole               Rebecca Rodgers

Garrett Stern             Daniel Sumner

Patricia Wright

Phi Beta Kappa

Elizabeth Anderson     Scott Birckhead

Colby Bohn                Jacqueline Britz

Meredith Burns           Kathryn Cross

Kimberly Hughes        Devyn Hunter

Kathleen Imbriglia      Debrah Jacobson

Amanda Kelch            Michelle Messer

Grayson Shephard