I am excited to welcome our faculty, students, and staff back to campus for the 2024-2025 Academic Year. While I am new to my role as the Interim Chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, I have been faculty in the department for more than 15 years and I am excited to serve in this capacity for the year ahead. In addition, I am grateful to Prof. Laura Senier who has agreed to serve as Associate Chair for the year, in addition to her role as the Undergraduate Program Director. Together, and with the rest of our leadership team, we look forward to working with our community throughout the year. Northeastern’s Sociology & Anthropology Department is proud to offer undergraduate (BA and BS) degrees in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology and many combined majors, as well as a Ph.D. in Sociology. Across our department, we work together to help students develop a systematic understanding of human societies and cultures. Our faculty also contribute to a range of interdisciplinary undergraduate and Masters programs across the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) and throughout Northeastern University, including Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, International Affairs, and Network Science, among others. In each of these programs, and across levels of study, our students experience a rigorous curriculum involving methodological, theoretical, experiential, and substantive training aimed at enhancing critical thinking, social awareness, and a globally-oriented conception of inequality and justice. Our students are prepared for a range of career options, post-graduate educational opportunities, and a life of engaged, democratic citizenship. I encourage you to look through our many programs and reach out to me or our stellar department staff team including Program Coordinator Pamela Simmons, Budget and Operations Specialist Aakash Sharma, and Administrative Assistant Elizabeth Walker.
We begin the year with 33 faculty members working across the fields of sociology and anthropology, and many with joint appointments in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Health Sciences, Business, and the School of Law. We are thrilled to welcome two new faculty to our department; Associate Prof. Taylor Cruz, jointly appointed with Bouve’ College of Health Sciences, and Assistant Prof. Matthew Alemu, jointly appointed with School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Our faculty our highly engaged across the university and have affiliations and directorships of institutes and research centers across campus, including the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute (SSEHRI), the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures, the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research (IHESJR), and the Program on Human Rights in the Global Economy (PHRGE).
This year, we have welcomed 4 new Ph.D. students to our community. Our PhD students continue to excel and thrive in the classroom, as students and teachers, in their ongoing research efforts with faculty and their independent research, and in their high level of community engagement. Our graduate students continue to receive prestigious fellowships and research grants from the National Science Foundation, Switzer Foundation, and Ford Foundation, and are publishing in top sociology and area studies journals. Our recent graduates have had strong placements in diverse positions in academia, the public sector and industry. See our full list of alumni placements here. If you want to know more about our Ph.D. program, I encourage you to contact of Graduate Program Director, Prof. Tiffany Joseph.
Our department is home to nearly 200 undergraduate students, majoring in Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, or one of our 27 combined majors. In addition, we have more than 100 undergraduate minors. Our students are highly engaged on campus including those involved with the Sociology and Anthropology Student Association (SASA). We continue to support undergraduate engagement in research in multiple ways including working on independent and faculty-led research projects, and we will be working to offer more opportunities for sociology and anthropology majors to develop research skills and experiences. Please reach out to our Associate Chair and Undergraduate Program Director, Prof. Laura Senier, to learn more about these opportunities.
We are looking forward to the year ahead with many opportunities to learn and engage with our Northeastern and broader communities. We will be co-sponsoring many events with other units across the Northeastern global campus – so please join us in these events. I hope you enjoy learning more about our people and programs, and I welcome your questions and communications at al.lincoln@northeastern.edu .
Interim Chair, Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Director, Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research
Professor, Sociology and Public Health