Anthropology + Sociology

Hands-On Research

Anthropology+Sociology majors have many opportunities to conduct and present research on many aspects of culture and society. Seniors design and conduct original research for an in-depth thesis project that results in written and oral presentations. Students regularly present their work at regional conferences, and are also encouraged to seek venues for publishing their written work.

Faculty members actively mentor students and aid them in finding additional support to expand their research, from on-campus funding to prestigious fellowships such as the Fulbright.

During your senior year, you'll have the opportunity to apply your qualitative research skills through an anthropological and sociological lens. In the capstone course, ANSOC 400: Senior Seminar, students engage in original research of their choosing. You'll develop your own research question, research protocol, conduct the research, and then analyze and present your findings at a professional academic conference and to your peers and faculty members at the university.

Individual faculty members also involve talented Anth+Soc student researchers in their own ongoing research, on topics ranging from U.S. attitudes towards activism and the social dynamics of physical activity among American youth.

These are some examples of students' research:

Kailey DeFina '23
“Questioning the Girl in Girl Scouts: How Policies Surrounding Gender and Sexuality Affect the Feeling of Belonging in a Single-Sex Organization”
Thesis with Distinction

Tobias Pydych '23
“The Working Man, His Masculinity, and The Performance of Foodwork”
Thesis with Distinction

Jeraldyn Ramirez '23
“Law and the Border: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding the Complexities of the Immigration System”’
Thesis with Distinction

Rachel Barrows '22
"Tweeting and Shit Like That: An Intersectional Approach to Attitudes and Representation of Activism"
Thesis with Distinction

Racquelle Blanchette '22
"I Didn't Choose The Mug Life, The Mug Life Chose Me: Aesthetic and Identity Performance In Rhode Island Coffee Shops"
Thesis With Distinction

Mikala Nims '21
"A Familiar Dance: Inside The Past and Present Complexities in the Eurocentric Narratives of Ballet and Modern Dance"
Thesis With Distinction

Elizabeth West '20
"Lavender Lens: Understanding The Queer Community Through Anthropology 1990-2020"
Thesis With Distinction

AnnaMarie Bakovic '19
A War on Two Fronts: The Battle of Being Both a Second-Generation Immigrant and First-Generation College Students

Jonica Degrasse '19          
Refugee Narratives: Reaching the Dream Together

Preparing for Successful Careers

We prepare our students for successful careers throughout your years in the program, with a particularly strong focus in your senior year. The A+S department partners with the RWU Center for Career & Professional Development to help each student develop personal interviewing, résumé-building and networking skills, and to host informal coffee hours, where students can meet with career advisors and get advice on preparing for the job search and interviews. In the spring, we present an alumni panel geared specifically at addressing our current undergraduates' questions about what they can do with a degree in anthropology and sociology. In addition to making our students career-ready, we also provide students with opportunities to attend and present at professional conferences, where students share their research with experts in the field and make connections that open doors to job opportunities. 

Our Thriving Alumni

Our major, minor and core concentrators find themselves in all different career fields. However, many draw on the same skills they studied and learned in their anthropology + sociology courses. They believe their courses made them more culturally sensitive, and this translated into the work they do and their interactions with colleagues. Our alumni say these are some of the qualities and skills that the Anthropology + Sociology program provided them:

• By understanding people of a variety of values, principles, commitments, and backgrounds, they effectively work with and for people and institutions.
• Instilling attentiveness to and understanding of group dynamics.
• The ability to understand the different lenses through which people engage the world.
• The Anthropology + Sociology program's focus on hands-on projects involving collaboration, data collection and analysis translated directly into understanding the social interactions of the workplace.

Celebrating Student Excellence

Congratulations to our 2022 award winners for best new students Alexis Wozdusiewicz, Jeraldyn Ramirez, and Rachel Barrows.

These students represent an exceptional new cohort of Anthropology + Sociology students . They are wonderful in class, high-performing academically, and express the values of the department.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Integration of anthropology and sociology
2. “Hands‐on” applied learning
3. Global competency
4. Value of service
5. Original research
6. Critical engagement, requiring thoughtful and questioning participation in learning

Study Abroad

The Department of Anthropology+Sociology sponsors a study abroad program, led by our expert faculty. “Social Life in Global Cities,” based in London and Paris, is co-directed by Dr. Jason Patch. The program carries between six and seven academic credits. For more information on this program, contact the responsible faculty members or visit the Spiegel Center for Global and International Programs.

Social Life in Global Cities

This program connects students to two key global cities, London and Paris. Students visit key city sites (museums, memorials, and street markets), and contrast the urban social life of these cities: use of sidewalks, use of public transportation, consumption patterns, and security practices. Attention is given to each city’s important ‘third places’, changing social geography, urban restructuring, and contemporary cultural manifestations. Students also engage in research projects incorporating introductory field research.