Sociology and Anthropology

Because human society and culture are intertwined, sociology and anthropology are combined as one major at Augustana. You’ll customize your path according to what inspires you most, with faculty mentors as your guides.

Whatever path you choose, you’ll learn social science methods ranging from statistics and quantitative survey design and analysis to qualitative ethnographic fieldwork. You’ll have opportunities to collaborate with professors on research, and will complete your own substantial project.

Your research experience will give you direction for your future, and your project will reflect your thinking and skills as you head into a career or graduate school for anthropology, archaeology, sociology, social work, criminal justice, law, museum studies, public administration, education leadership or counseling.

Distinctions

• Every year, students are invited to showcase their research at college, regional and national conferences.

• Students have conducted ethnographic research in Bermuda, Ireland, Israel, West Africa, with Native American communities, refugees in the Quad Cities, and more. A $2,000 Augie Choice grant helps cover expenses for internships, travel and research.

• Employers seek Augustana sociology and anthropology majors for their research skills and knowledge of social relations and organizations. Every year, students complete internships in non-governmental and nonprofit organizations, business, public health, education, museums, research and publishing.

• Along with internships and research, students can get hands-on experience working on community projects with local organizations such as World Relief and the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.

• On-campus student groups of special interest include the Sociology and Anthropology Club and Augustana’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, the international honor society.

• A senior member of the faculty is the Richard A. Swanson Professor of Social Thought and director of the Center for the Study of Pluralism and the Civil Sphere at Augustana, bringing known sociologists and other scholars to engage students and speak on campus.

Recent grads

Tracy Pham ’21 is pursuing a dual-degree M.D. and M.P.H. at the University of Illinois-Chicago College of Medicine.

Krishna Marmé '20 is pursuing the M.P.H. in Health Policy at the University of Iowa.

Catherine Priebe '20 is attending Mercer Law School in Macon, Ga.

Abi Buchanan '18 is pursuing a doctorate in medical anthropology through a full-ride scholarship to Michigan State University.

Lizandra Gomez-Ramirez '17 is an assistant public defender in Rock Island, Ill.

Samantha Turner '15 Lundeen is the director of marketing and events for the DANK Haus German American Cultural Center, Chicago.

Micaela Terronez '15 is a Special Collections librarian and instructor at the Tredway Library, Augustana College.