Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health



Faculty

Chair

J. Kevin Eckert
B.A., Ursinus College, 1969; M.A., Northwestern University, 1973; Ph.D., 1978

Associate Chair

Sarah Chard
B.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1991; M.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1995; Ph.D., 2001

Professors

Marina Adler
B.A., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1981; M.A., 1984; Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, 1990

J. Kevin Eckert
B.A., Ursinus College, 1969; M.A., Northwestern University, 1973; Ph.D., 1978

Associate Professors

Bambi L. Chapin
B.A., University of Virginia, 1988; M.A., University of California, San Diego, 1998; Ph.D., 2003

Sarah Chard
B.A., Bryn Mawr College, 1991; M.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1995; Ph.D., 2001

Brandy Harris-Wallace
B.S., University of Alabama, 1998; M.A., 2001; M.S., Florida State University, 2003; Ph.D., 2006

Loren Henderson
B.A., Northeastern Illinois University, 2006; M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2008; Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014

Andrea L. Kalfoglou
B.A., University of Virginia, 1991; Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 1999

Christine A. Mair
B.A., University of Florida, 2005; M.S., North Carolina State University, 2007; Ph.D., 2011

John G. Schumacher
B.S., John Carroll University, 1986; M.A., Bowling Green State University, 1994; M.A., Case Western Reserve University, 1997; Ph.D., 2000

Takashi Yamashita
B.A., Tokyo Gakugei University, 2003; M.A., M.A., Ball State University, 2007; Ph.D., Miami University, 2011; M.P.H., University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2017

Assistant Professors

Jennifer A. Callaghan-Koru
B.A., University of Virginia, 2002; M.H.S., Johns Hopkins University, 2008; Ph.D., 2011

Aubrey L. Jackson
B.A., Rice University, 2005; M.A., Ohio State University, 2008; Ph.D., 2013

Camee Maddox-Wingfield
B.S., Towson University, 2008; M.A., University of Florida, 2010; Ph.D., 2015

Dena T. Smith
B.A., Goucher College 2003; M.A., Rutgers University 2006; Ph.D., 2011

Brian Soller 
B.A., Saint Mary’s College of California, 2005; M.A., California State University, East Bay, 2008; Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 2013

Jamie L. Trevitt
B.A., Duke University, 2003; M.P.P., Georgetown University, 2006; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 2010

Research Faculty

Senior Research Scientist

Ann Christine Frankowski
B.A., Alfred University, 1965; M.A., Binghamton University, 1970; Ph.D., Indiana University, 1983

Assistant Research Scientist

Laura M. Girling
B.S., Clemson University, 2007; M.S., Loyola University, 2010; Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2015

Lecturers

Katie K. Birger
B.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, 1994; M.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2013

Meryl Cozart
B.S. Morgan State University, 1995; M.A. University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1996

Anthropology Core Faculty

Bambi Chapin, Director
Sarah Chard
J. Kevin Eckert
Camee Maddox-Wingfield

Health Administration and Policy Core Faculty

Katie Birger, Director
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru
Meryl Cozart
Andrea Kalfoglou
Jamie Trevitt

Sociology Core Faculty

Marina Adler, Director, Graduate Program in Sociology
J. Kevin Eckert
Brandy Harris-Wallace, Co-Director, Undergraduate Program in Sociology
Loren Henderson
Aubrey L. Jackson
Christine A. Mair, Co-Director, Undergraduate Program in Sociology
John Schumacher
Dena Smith
Brian Soller

Courses in this program are listed under ANTH, HAPP, and SOCY.

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health (SAPH) is home to undergraduate programs in Sociology (SOCY), Anthropology (ANTH) and Health Administration and Policy (HAPP). We offer minors in Sociology and Anthropology, a Master’s in Applied Sociology, as well as a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Nonprofit Sector. An Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s is available, as well as special options for double majors in Sociology and Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology, Sociology and Social Work, and Health Administration and Policy and Social Work. The department collaborates with three outstanding Ph.D. programs, including Gerontology (GERO), Public Policy (PUBL) and Language, Literacy & Culture (LLC) and hosts the Center for Aging Studies (CAS), a research center that conducts large scale, federally-funded research.

Throughout these programs, the department emphasizes three core areas: health & aging in society; diversity, gender & culture; and applied social science research. Consistent with UMBC’s goals, the department focuses its core strengths to 1. provide a distinctive undergrad experience, 2. support the development of graduate education, and 3. conduct faculty research that contributes to both undergraduate & graduate education.

Career and Academic Paths

Students pursuing the Cultural Anthropology, B.A.  gain knowledge, skills, and conceptual tools that prepare them for a wide range of careers, professional training programs, and graduate studies.

After graduation, our majors have found employment in government, non-profit, and private sector settings. They are especially well-suited for positions that involve human interaction, problem solving, and communication, and where an understanding of diversity is beneficial. This includes employment at social support and development organizations, private marketing firms, and companies involved in international business.

An anthropology major also provides a strong foundation for those intending to pursue graduate studies and professional training in fields such as medicine and public health, psychology and social work, education, business, international studies, public policy, and human services. Students who plan to engage in anthropology professionally generally continue to graduate school, entering M.A. and Ph.D. programs in anthropology around the country.

Upon completion of the Health Administration and Policy, B.A. , students will be prepared for careers in long-term care; hospitals; federal, state and community health agencies and other health-related organizations. After graduation Health Administration and Policy majors have found employment with such organizations as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Blue-Cross/BlueShield, the University of Maryland Medical Center, Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Maxim Healthcare and Mercy Hospital. Students also have gone on to graduate study at The Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, College Park, George Washington University, Harvard University, University of North Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth University and Yale.

The Sociology, B.A.  provides a general overview of sociology for students who plan to enter the labor force after graduation and for those planning graduate study. The Department has double majors that combine sociology and social work, sociology and anthropology, and sociology and psychology, as well as a combined social work major/sociology minor. These programs enable students to complete both majors with fewer credits than are required for each major separately. The Sociology Minor  is designed for majors in other disciplines who wish to add a study of social behavior to their other major. Students interested in pursuing the Master of Arts in Applied Sociology offered by the Department should consider the combined B.A./M.A. program described below.

The undergraduate major in sociology provides a well established and widely accepted path to careers and professional education in the human services. It is frequently the major of individuals employed in local, state and federal governments and in non-profit organizations. It typically provides appropriate preparation for many professional programs, including law, public health, health services administration, urban and regional planning, social work, human-services administration, human resources management, advertising, public administration and public policy. An undergraduate major in sociology is also appropriate preparation for research and policy-oriented graduate programs in sociology, public policy, health services research, criminology, demography and other disciplines that study social behavior.

Many sociology majors are transfer students from community colleges and other institutions of higher education. UMBC has articulation agreements with community colleges and public four-year colleges and universities in Maryland that enable students to count most sociology courses taken in those institutions for credit toward the sociology major at UMBC. The Department also accepts sociology courses taken at the accredited colleges in other states.

Academic Advising

Students must meet with their advisors each semester during advanced registration to review their progress toward fulfilling major and university requirements, but students are also encouraged to meet with their advisor at any point during the semester. SAPH majors and minors with another primary major are still strongly encouraged to meet each semester with their SAPH advisor.

Advisors are available to assist students in developing an academic pathway towards graduation, as well as to discuss post graduate education and career options. A student’s post-baccalaureate plans for either graduate education or immediate employment are important influences on his or her overall academic program and course selections. With these considerations in mind, early and continuous contact should be established with a program advisor. 

Students can declare a major or minor in SAPH by filling out the Declaration of Major/Minor Form, located on the Registrar’s website, and returning it to the Registrar’s office. Once the student has declared a SAPH major or minor, he or she should contact the department to be assigned a faculty advisor and will receive updates regarding the program via email. 

For more information about the program’s advising process or for general questions regarding the SAPH program, please refer to the Department’s website.

Double Majors

The Department offers three double majors: Sociology/Anthropology, Sociology/Psychology and Sociology/Social Work. Information about the double majors can be found on the Department’s website.

Honors Programs

SAPH offers majors with honors in the Cultural Anthropology, B.A.  and Sociology, B.A.  designed for students with strong academic records who want to conduct a substantial independent research project, culminating in a thesis, during their final year in the major. Students considering graduate school are particularly encouraged to pursue this option. Interested students should discuss this with their advisors as early as possible.Information describing the requirements for the major with honors is available on the Department website.

Accelerated B.A./Master’s Programs

SAPH offers a Master of Arts in Applied Sociology, an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s, and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Nonprofit Sector. Our programs offer students training in the practical side of sociology, including the various methodologies and key substantive areas of the field. Our program has core strengths in the sociology of health, illness, and medicine; aging and the life course; diversity, gender, and culture; and applied research methods. Our courses prepare students for careers as research analysts in federal and state agencies, research organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Our program also prepares students for doctoral-level coursework. In order to earn a Master’s in Applied Sociology at UMBC, students complete 30 credits, including a capstone project. The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program for undergraduate students allows students to take up to 9 graduate credits to apply toward the master’s degree. The 12 credit Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in the Nonprofit Sector can be completed as part of the master’s degree, or separately. If you have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 and are interested in any of these programs, please contact Dr. Marina Adler (Graduate Program Director) at adler@umbc.edu or Ms. Emily Byrne (Graduate Program Coordinator) at ebyrne@umbc.edu. For admission requirements and deadlines please consult the Department website.

Undergraduate HAPP majors at UMBC with an interest in U. S. health problems and policies can consider continuing their education at UMBC with a Master of Public Policy (MPP) through the Accelerated Pathways Program. Once accepted into the Accelerated Pathways Program, up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses can be counted toward both the BA and the MPP.  For more information, students can contact Ms. Sally Helms, at helms@umbc.edu, 410-455-3202.

Evening and Part Time Options

The Department offers various advanced courses in the evening every semester but does not offer an evening major. Students who are able to take some courses during the day can complete the degree on a part-time basis.

Special Opportunities

Sociology internships are available through SOCY 396, which is offered in cooperation with The Shriver Center. Students wishing to undertake individual research projects can do so in independent study courses with faculty members of their choice (SOCY 299, SOCY 399 or SOCY 499).

The university offers multiple opportunities for study abroad. Students seeking further information should contact the Study Abroad Office. Students interested in study abroad also should meet with their advisor to discuss their plans and their pathway for trhe completion of the major requirements. 

Student Organizations

The Health Administration and Policy Council of Majors supports and initiates programs of interest to majors.

The Anthropology Council of Majors sponsors the Anthropology Club, which is open to majors and non-majors alike. Club activities have included a brown-bag lunch film series and discussion, field trips to local museums and events, sessions on the graduate school application process and internship opportunities, and potlucks that showcase food traditions from around the world. Interested students should contact the Anthropology Council of Majors faculty advisor, Camee Maddox-Wingfield, (cmaddox@umbc.edu) for more information. 

Lambda Alpha

Lambda Alpha is the national collegiate honor society for Anthropology. To become a member, an undergraduate student must:

  1. Be an officially declared anthropology major

  2. Be a junior (60-89 total credits) or a senior (90 or more total credits)

  3. Have an overall UMBC GPA of 2.5 or better

  4. Have a GPA in all UMBC anthropology courses of 3.0 or better

  5. Have completed no less than twelve credits in Anthropology

Further details please consult the Department website. The induction ceremony is held each year during the Spring semester.

Alpha Kappa Delta

International Sociology Honor Society: Iota of Maryland Chapter (at UMBC)

To become a member, an undergraduate student must: be an officially declared sociology major, be a junior (60-89 total credits) or senior (90 or more total credits), have an overall UMBC GPA of 3.3 or better, and have a GPA in all UMBC (and UMCP) sociology courses of 3.0 or better. For further details consult the Department website. The induction ceremony is held in May of each year.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Undergraduate anthropology students are encouraged to practice and pursue original research through their course work in independent study classes (ANTH 399  and ANTH 499 ) and in honors thesis projects. In addition, the Department faculty members at times have external grants and contracts on which undergraduates may work as research assistants. Such arrangements are made individually with faculty members.

Programs

    MajorMinorCertificate

    Courses

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