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Sociology & Anthropology

  
 

The Study of People & Cultures 

 
 

Department OverviewSociology ProgramAnthropology ProgramThe FacultyStudent OpportunitiesCareer Information


 


 

 

 

 

The Study of People & Cultures

 

Congratulations to Dr. Cliff Boyd for receiving a 2008 SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award for the state of Virginia. 
Click here to read about it.
 

 

FULL TIME FACULTY
 

  Boyd, Charles Clifford, Jr. (Dr.) Professor of Anthropology;    archaeological theory, North American Indians, prehistory of the Southeastern U.S.A.; 1999 RU Faculty Scholarly Research Award, 2008 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award; B.S., East Tennessee State University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Tennessee.
Office: Reed 121.

 

 

Boyd, Donna C. (Dr.)
Eminent Professor of Anthropology; human osteology, skeletal biology, forensics, primate anatomy & paleontology; 1998 RU Faculty Teaching Award, 2006 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, 2006 U.S. Professor of the Year; Adjunct member Virginia State Medical Examiner's Office; B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Tennessee.
Office: Russell 206.
 

Donna Boyd

 
Brush, Paula S. (Dr.)
Associate Professor of Sociology; Chair of the Department of Sociology & Anthropology; social theory, social movements, sociology of education, gender & feminism; B.A., University of West Florida; M.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Ph.D., University of Chicago.
Office: Russell 229.
 



Currier, Danielle M. (Dr.)
Assistant Professor of Sociology; women and violence, sociology of gender in global perspective, sociology of sport; B.A., Grinnell College; M.S., Virginia Commonwealth University; Ph.D., University of Connecticut.
Office: Russell 208.



 


 
Everett, Kevin D. (Dr.)
Professor of Sociology; social inequality, minority groups, work and the economy; B.A., Kenyon College; M.A., Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Office: Russell 205.
On leave.


 



Fox, Jason (Jake) R. (Dr.)
Assistant Professor of Anthropology; archaeology, small-scale and middle-range societies, subsistence & settlement systems, social organization, early agriculture & pastoralism, quantitative methods, Latin America, Andes, The Levant; B.A., Arizona State University; M.A., Iowa State University; Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh.
Office: Russell 209.
  


 
LaLone, Mary B. (Dr.)
Professor of Anthropology; historical, economic, environmental, & applied anthropology, experiential education, Appalachia and Latin America; 1997 RU Faculty Teaching Award; B.A., M.A., California State University, Los Angeles; M.L.S., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles.
Office: Russell 207.
 



Lyman, Elizabeth (Dr.)
Assistant Professor of Sociology; social inequality, sociology of education, organizational theory; B.S., University of Rhode Island; M.A., Ph.D., University of Iowa. 
Office: Russell 214.






 


   
Mekolichick, Jeanne (Dr.) Associate Professor of Sociology; social psychology, research methods, undergraduate education, family violence, sociology of sport;  B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Kent State University.
Office: Russell 215.
  
 

 


 

  
Page, Roby (Dr.)
Assistant Professor of Sociology; deviance, social problems, general sociology; B.S.J., M.A., Ph.D., University of Florida.
Office: Russell 212.
 


 


 
Schwartz, Howard D. (Dr.) Professor of Sociology; sociology of film, medical sociology, aging, social problems, occupations & professions; A.B., MacMurray College; M.A., Boston University; M.P.H., Yale University; Ph.D., University of Virginia.
Office: Russell 217.
 



 
Seyfrit, Carole (Dr.)
Dean, College of Graduate and Professional Studies; Professor of Sociology; rural sociology, environmental sociology, arctic social sciences, social psychology, research methods; B.A., Indiana Institute of Technology; M.S., Utah State University; Ph.D., University of Maryland. 
Office:  Lucas Hall.
 


 
Toussaint, Jeffrey G. 
Instructor of Sociology; social inequality, race relations, education; B.S., Old Dominion University; M.A., Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University; Ph. D. Candidate, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University.
Office: Russell 227.

 



Wagner, Melinda B. (Dr.) Professor of Anthropology; religion, ethnographic research methods, North American Indians, Appalachia; 1986 RU Faculty Teaching Award; B.A., Purdue University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Michigan.
Office: Russell 218.


 


 
Yoder, Cassady J. (Dr.)
Assistant Professor of Anthropology; physical anthropology, bio-archaeology, medieval Denmark; Ph.D. Texas
A & M University. 
Office: Russell 210.



 






 


 

   

 

    
 


ADJUNCT FACULTY
 

 
Duncan, Andrew.  Adjunct Instructor of Sociology; international development, political economy, social inequality, social movement theory; M.S. Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University with a certificate in international research.  Office: Russell 211.
 
 
Jackson, Stevan R. (Dr.)  Adjunct Assistant Professor of Sociology & Anthropology; ethnicity, ethnomusicology, linguistics, Gaelic language, Ireland, Scotland, Appalachia, B.S., M.A., East Tennessee State University; Ph.D. University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Office: Russell 211.


 

  Urista, Juan.  Adjunct Instructor of Anthropology; archaeology; Master's Candidate, Texas
A & M University.  Office: Russell 211.



 

 

Van Patten, Kathryn E.  Adjunct Instructor of Sociology; race relations, deviance, research, criminology, mental illness & violent behavior; B.S. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, M.S. Radford University.  Assistant Director of Court-Community Corrections specializing in handling mental illness cases in the criminal justice system.
 

The Study of People & Cultures
Selected publications by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology faculty.

     BOOKS & MONOGRAPHS

Boyd, Donna C. and C. Clifford Boyd.  2006.  Skeletal Analysis of Selected Virginia Department of Historic Resources Prehistoric Native Americans.  Monograph submitted to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Boyd, Donna C. and C. Clifford Boyd.  2006  Historic African-Americans at the 19th Century Guinea Road Cemetery, Fairfax County, Virginia.  Monograph submitted to Louis Berger Group, Richmond, Virginia.

Everett, Kevin and Peggy Shifflett. 2004. The Fundamentals of Sociology: A Reader. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Everett, Kevin and Peggy Shifflett. 2003. The Fundamentals of Sociology. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Fox, J. R., W. Castellon, A. Péres Arias, and M. Péres Arias. 2004. El Proyecto Orureño Formativo: Reporte Preliminar de la Temporada 2003. La Paz: Unidad Nacional de Arqueología.

LaLone, Mary. 2003. Appalachian Farming Life: Memories and Perspectives on Family Farming in Virginia's New River Valley. (ed.), Brightside Press.

LaLone, Mary. 2003. The Radford Arsenal: Impacts and Cultural Change in an Appalachian Region. (ed.), Brightside Press.

LaLone, Mary. 1997. Appalachian Coal Mining Memories: Life in the Coal Fields of Virginia's New River Valley. (ed.), Pocahontas Press.

Page, Roby. 2005. Bike Week at Daytona Beach: Bad Boys and Fancy Toys. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi.

Schwartz, Howard D. 1994. Dominant Issues in Medical Sociology. Third Edition, McGraw-Hill.

Seyfrit, C. L. 1993. Hibernia's Generation: Social Impact of Oil Development on Adolescents in Newfoundland. ISER Offshore Oil Project Series. St. John's, NF:Institute of Social and Economic Research, Memorial University of Newfoundland. (99 pages, 33 tables).

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 1990. God's Schools Choice and Compromise in American Society. Rutgers University Press.

 

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 1983. Metaphysics in Midwestern America. Ohio State University Press.

 

ARTICLES

Benson, D.E. and Jeanne Mekolichick.  2006.  “Comparisons of Self and the Use of Digital Technologies in a Learning Environment.” College Student Journal  40.

Boyd, C., Boyd, D., Barber, M., Hubbard, D. 2001. "Southwest Virginia's Burial Caves: Skeletal Biology, Mortuary Behavior, and Legal Issues." Midcontinent Journal of Archaeology 26:219-231. 

Boyd, C. Clifford, Jr. and Boyd, Donna C. 1997. "Osteological Comparison of Prehistoric Native Americans From Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee Mortuary Caves." Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 59(3):160-165.

Boyd, Donna C. 1996. "Skeletal Correlates of Human Behavior in the Americas." Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 3(3):189-251.

Boyd, Donna C. 1995. "Skeletal Biology of Prehistoric Native Virginians: Past, Present and Future." Quarterly Bulletin, Archeological Society of Virginia:2-8.

Brush, Paula Stewart. 2001.  "Problematizing the Race Consciousness of Women of Color."  Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 27 (1): 171-198. 

Brush, Paula S.  1999.  “The Influence of Social Movements on Articulations of Race and Gender in Black Women’s Autobiographies.”  Gender & Society 13: 120-137.

Everett, Kevin D. 1992. "Professionalization and Protest: Changes in the Social Movement Sector, 1961-1983." Social Forces 70 (4):957-975.

Gainey, R. R. and C. L. Seyfrit. 2001. "Fear of Crime Among Rural Youth: Testing the Generality of Urban Models to Rural Areas." Sociological Focus 34(3):269-286.

Hill, A., C. L. Seyfrit, and M. J. E. Danner. 1998. “Oil Development and Social Change in the Shetland Islands 1971-91.” Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 16(1):15-25.

LaLone, Mary B. 2005. "Building Heritage Partnerships: Working Together for Heritage Preservation and Local Tourism in Appalachia." Practicing Anthropology 27(4):10-13.

LaLone, Mary B. 2005. "An Anthro-Planning Approach to Local Heritage Tourism: Case Studies from Appalachia." National Association for the Practice of Anthropology (NAPA) Bulletin 23:135-150.

LaLone, Mary B. 2001. "Putting Anthropology to Work to Preserve Appalachian Heritage." Practicing Anthropology 23(2):5-9.

LaLone, Mary B. 1996. "Economic Survival Strategies in Appalachia's Coal Camps." Journal of Appalachian Studies 2(1):53-68.  

Leicht, Kevin T. & Elizabeth C.W. Lyman. 2006. "Markets, Institutions, and the Crisis of Professional Practice." Research in the Sociology of Organization 24:17-44.

Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2003. "Amateur Bodybuilders' Self-Concept: An Exploratory Examination." Sociology of Sport Online, Vol. 6 (1) http://physed.otago.ac.nz/sosol/v6i1/v6i1_3.html .

Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2002. "The Influence of Identity Meaning Independence on the Invocation of Multiple Identities." Sociological Focus, Vol 35 (1): 43-54.

Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2001. "Self-Esteem Among Amateur Bodybuilders: A Quantitative Examination." Sociology of Sport Online , Vol 4: 2 http://physed.otago.ac.nz/sosol/v4i2/v4i2Mekolichick.htm

Page, Roby. 2004. “Biking into the Mainstream.”  Contexts 3 (1): 71.

Page, Roby. 2001. "Social Change at Bike Week." Visual Sociology 16 (1): 7-35.

Scherer, A.K., L.E. Wright & C.J. Yoder. 2007.  "Bioarchaeological Evidence for Social and Temporal Differences in Diet at Piedras Negras, Guatemala."  Latin American Antiquity 18(1):85-104.
Schwartz, Howard D. 1988. "Further Thoughts on a 'Sociology of Acceptance' for Disabled Persons.'" Social Problems 19(2):36-39.

Seyfrit, C. L., L. C. Hamilton, and C. M. Duncan, J. Grimes. 1998. “Ethnic Identity and Aspirations Among Rural Alaskan Youth.” Sociological Perspectives 41(2):343-365.

Seyfrit, C. L. and L. C. Hamilton. 1997. “Alaska Native Youth and Their Attitudes Toward Education.” Arctic Anthropology 34(1):135-148.

Shoemaker, D.  and J. Toussaint.  2001.  “The Police Response to the Criminalization for Elder Abuse:  An Exploratory Study.”  Policing:  An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management 24 (4):  605-626.

Simonds, Candice and Paula S. Brush.  2004.  “Gender.”  In Encyclopedia of Social Theory.  George Ritzer, ed.  California: Sage Publications, pp. 304-307.

Simonds, Candice and Paula S. Brush.  2004.  "Judith Butler."  In The Encyclopedia of Social Theory.  George Ritzer, ed.  Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 1984. "Metaphysics in Midwestern America." Journal of Popular Culture 17(3): 131-140.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar.  1997.  "Generic Conservative Christianity:  The Demise of Denominationalism in Christian Schools."  Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 36(1):13-24.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar.  1999.  "Measuring Cultural Attachment to Place in a Proposed Power Line Corridor." Journal of Appalachian Studies 5(2):241-246.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar and Kristen L. Hedrick.  2001.  ‘You Have a Culture to Preserve Here, But We Have Power Line to Stop’: University/Community Study of Cultural Attachment to Place." Practicing Anthropology 23(2):10-14.

Wright, L.E. & C.J. Yoder. 2003. "Research Progress in Bioarchaeology: Approaches to the Osteological Paradox." Journal of Archaeological Research 11(1):43-70.

Yoder, C.J., D.H. Ubelaker, & J.F. Powell. 2001. "Examination of Variation in Sternal Rib End Morphology Relevant to Age Assessment." Journal of Forensic Sciences,  46(2):223-227.
 

BOOK CHAPTERS

Coinman, N.R., and J. R. Fox. 2000. "Tor Sadaf (WHNBS 8): The Transition to the Upper Paleolithic." In The Archaeology of the Wadi al-Hasa, West-Central Jordan, Vol. 2, N.R. Coinman, ed. Tempe: Arizona State University, Anthropological Research Papers 52.

Currier, Danielle. 2002. "Illegal Abortion in the United States: A Perilous History." In Women and Health: Power, Technology, Inequality and Conflict in a Gendered World. Kathryn Strother. Allyn & Bacon.

Fox, J. R. 2003. "The Tor Sadaf Lithic Assemblages: A Technological Analysis of the Early Upper Paleolithic in the Wadi al-Hasa."  In More Than Meets the Eye: Studies on Upper Paleolithic Diversity in the Near East, edited by N. Goring-Morris and A. Belfer-Cohen, eds.  Oxford: Oxbow Books, pp. 80-94.

Fox, J. R. and N. R. Coinman. 2004. "Origins of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic. In The Early Upper Paleolithic Beyond Western Europe, edited by P.J. Brantingham, S.L. Kuhn, and K.W. Kerry, eds. Berkeley: University of California, pp. 97-112. 

LaLone, Mary B.  1997.  "The Appalachia Tourism Project: Applied Anthropology in an Appalachian Coal Mining Town."  In Practicing Anthropology in the South, Tim Wallace, ed.  Athens: University of Georgia Press.

LaLone, Mary B. 2003.  "Walking the Line Between Alternative Interpretations in Heritage Education and Tourism: A Demonstration of the Complexities with an Appalachian Coal Mining Example."  In Signifying Serpents and Mardi Gras Runners: Representing Identity in Selected Souths. Celeste Ray and Luke Eric Lassiter, eds. Athens: University of Georgia Press, pp. 72-92.

Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2003. "Chapter 2: Sociological Research." In The Fundamentals of Sociology by Kevin Everett and Peggy Shifflett. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 1997.  "The Anthropological Study of Religions in American Society." In Anthropology of Religion:  A Handbook of Theory and Method.  Stephen D. Glazier.  Westport, CT:  Greenwood.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 2001.  "Monolith or the Tower of Babel?  Ultimate Sacred Postulates at Work in Conservative Christian Schools."  In Ecology and the Sacred: Engaging the Anthropology of Roy A. Rappaport.  Ellen Messer and Michael Lambek.  Ann Arbor:  University of Michigan Press.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 2002. "Space and Place, Land and Legacy."  In Culture, Environment, and Conservation in the Appalachian South.  Benita J. Howell.  Champaign-Urbana:  University of Illinois Press.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar. 2005.  "Connecting What We Know to What We Do: Modifying Interview Techniques for the Collective Self in Appalachia."  In Culturally-Relevant Practice in Appalachia. Susan Keefe.  Knoxville: University of Tennesee Press.
 

TEACHING RESOURCE CONTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2004. "Wallet Exercise for Social Structure." In Introductory Sociology Resources Manual,  6th edition. Jim Sikora and Njeri Mbugua, eds. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
 
Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2003. Contributor. In Distance and Cross-campus Learning: Syllabi and Curriculum Materials. Meredith M. Redlin and Susan Hilal, eds. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
 
Mekolichick, Jeanne. 2002. “Themes in the presentation of women and men in FLEX magazine.”  In The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi & Other Instructional Material.  Amy Blackstone and Betsy Lucal, eds. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.

Seyfrit, C. L. 2002. The Arctic Youth Project: Final Report. April. (32 pages, 24 tables).

Seyfrit, C. L. and L. C. Hamilton. 2002. Survey of Alaska High School Students-1995 and Follow-Up Survey of Alaska High School Students-1999: Final Report for Northwest Arctic Borough. April. (59 pages, 24 tables.

Shaffer, L. S., C. L. Seyfrit and Conference Participants. 2000. Rural Youth and Their Transitions and Pathways Connecting School and Work: A White Paper. Report to the National Science Foundation from the conference “Rural Youth and Their Transition from School to Work.” Norfolk, VA: Old Dominion University.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar.  1984.  Analyzing the ABC'S OF APPALACHIA:  University Students Write a Children's Book.  Focus:  Teaching English Language Arts X(2):19-25.

Wagner, Melinda Bollar.  1994.  Teacher's Corner: Beyond the Classroom Walls: University Students Create A Children's Book, AnthroNotes, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Bulletin for Teachers 16(2).

Wagner, Melinda Bollar.  2005.  Central Appalachia:  People, Hardwood, and Coal. MapGuide to Appalachia, National Geographic Traveler 22(3).


 

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