Sociology Newsletter
Spring 2012

 

 

Sociology Department Welcomes A New Manager!

We are excited to welcome Barbara Broughton to the department as our new administrative manager. Barbara is responsible for keeping our department running. She manages basically everything—from budgeting to scholarship administration to class scheduling (to teaching the Department Chair how to use Microsoft Access). The list goes on and on.

We are fortunate to have her, because Barbara comes to us with an incredible amount of expertise. She has worked at Western for 14 years. She spent 12 of these working as an administrator in the Biology Department. Prior to her arrival at Western, she ran a company that conducted marketing and fund-raising for non-profit organizations in Florida. These organizations included Ronald McDonald House, Save the Manatee, and Audubon Florida.

Barbara moved to Bellingham with a desire for cooler temperatures and an opportunity to live amidst the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest. To that end, she spends her spare time taking photographs of the wildlife, plants, and geography that capture her interest. Barbara also enjoys reading (a wide range of genres), traveling, and bicycling.

Asked about why she was interested in working here, Barbara says “I love being at Western, and love talking to students. I had no doubt in my mind I wanted to work here. I love the energy.”

Please stop by the main office to say hello and introduce yourself. You will soon discover that Barbara brings more energy to Western than most of us!

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On To A New Adventure

The good news is that our beloved Administrative Manager, Laurie Caskey-Schreiber, is entering a new and exciting phase of her career.  The bad news is that we will dearly miss our long-time friend and colleague.  Laurie left Western in January to take a position as an Administrative Service Support Specialist with the Northwest Clean Air Agency.  The agency is responsible for enforcing federal, state, and local air pollution regulations. 

Laurie received her bachelor’s degree from WWU in Communications.  After a short stint in San Diego, she returned to Western 18 years ago as an employee.  She worked as the Sociology Administrative Services Manager for 16 years, serving as the glue that held our department together.  She had been here longer than every professor except for Dr. Inverarity and Dr. Bradley! 

In 2001, Laurie was elected to the Whatcom County Council, where she became known as a staunch advocate for the environment. For the past 10 years she has served on the Board of Directors and their Advisory Board for the Northwest Clean Air Agency—the very organization where she is now working. 

We are excited for the new opportunities this job presents for Laurie. We wish her the best of luck in her new venture!

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Study in Kenya Winter 2013: Info Sessions April-May

Two professors from the Sociology Department, Liz Mogford and Seth Feinberg are offering a faculty-led study abroad program in Kenya, Winter Quarter 2013. For the past two summers, Dr. Mogford has successfully accompanied students on this unique Kenya service-learning course. We are excited that for the first time, we'll be offering the course during Winter quarter. Not only that, students who have completed the Sociology core can count the experience as their capstone. Please come to our Spring quarter information sessions and learn more about this opportunity of a lifetime!

INTL 437H (15 credits)
Kenya: Field Studies and Collaborative International Service-Learning includes 3 weeks in Bellingham of orientation, team building and preparatory study before 6 weeks on the ground in Kenya. In Kenya students will engage in meaningful service learning projects and learn about the local community, culture, history, politics and more. There will be 2 weeks of post trip reflection and debrief after your return. In addition to the group studies and service, you will have the opportunity to develop a specific focused area of interest to study while in Kenya.

Spring Info sessions will be in College Hall 131

  • April 5, 4pm
  • April 18, 5pm
  • May 1, noon

For details, cost and application see Kenya Study Abroad Program.

Priority Applications Due May 10

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Sociology Scholarship Applications Due May 1

Three awards will be granted by the Sociology department in Spring 2012 for the next academic year (2012-2013).

    • Ingeborg Paulus Scholarship (academic merit): $2000

    • Demography Scholarship (academic merit): $1000

    • Blalock Scholarship for Outstanding Community Service: $1500

All will be cash awards to be credited toward tuition and processed through the university. To be eligible, recipients must be Sociology majors enrolled as full-time students during at least one quarter during the Summer, Fall, Winter, or Spring of the 2012-2013 academic year.

The application deadline is May 1, 2012. The recipients of these awards will be announced on or before May 17, 2012.

Qualified students who are interested should complete the application and return all materials by May 1 to James Inverarity's mailbox in Arntzen Hall 510.

The sociology scholarship committee will consider several criteria. See page 2 of the application for specific requirements.

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Sociologists To Give a Talk On Self-Injury, May 4

Two prominent sociologists Drs. Patti and Peter Adler, are scheduled to give a talk on self-injury at WWU on May 4, 2012. The Adlers are prolific and well-respected sociologists who have decades of experience with in-depth studies of social groups. They will also arrange a time to meet in a smaller, more personalized meeting with sociology students on that day. 

This is an amazing opportunity for students to meet the Adlers, who have spent their careers doing in-depth participant observation of upper-level drug dealers and smugglers, elite basketball players, children’s friendship groups, Hawaiian resort workers, and now, self-injurers, or people who engage in the deliberate, non-suicidal destruction of their own body tissue, such as cutting, burning, branding, and bone-breaking.  The Adlers’ findings—gleaned from hundreds of interviews with people who self-injure—will help students understand the realities of this behavior and challenge them to think in new ways about it. 

Stay tuned to the soc listserv for details during spring quarter!  The talk is open to the public so bring your friends and family members!

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Sociology Scholars Day May 17

The sociology department will hold our annual Alpha Kappa Delta Honors Society induction ceremony as part of the Sociology Scholar’s Day event in on Thursday afternoon, May 17.  Time and place details to be announced. 

In addition to students’ induction into AKD, our Scholar’s Day festivities include presentations by sociology majors on their senior thesis work, annual department awards to recognize outstanding student achievement, as well as informal socializing time over FREE FOOD and drink! This event is open to all! 

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SOC Alum Recruiting for Summer Interns

SOC Alum Adrienne Ram is currently working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Seattle.  IRC is a refugee resettlement and support agency. Adrienne is recruiting for seven summer internship positions (some with multiple openings) that might be of interest to WWU Sociology students.

For information about the positions and application process see IRC 2012 Summer Internship Openings.  Application Deadline is April 20.

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SOC Alumni News

Lakeisha Jackson is accepted into the graduate program at Seattle University starting next Fall. She will be working on a Master’s of Education in Student Development Administration. She also interviewed for four graduate assistantship positions and was then offered her top choice, Coordinator of Off-Campus Student Life with the Office of Student Development, working with the Associate Dean of Students. The assistantship will cover the cost of tuition for the duration of the program. Very exciting!

Charlie Stone recently had a paper published in one of the premier psychological journals. This publication lead to a press release, as well as a few other interviews. See the original article, Toward a Science of Silence: The Consequences of Leaving a Memory Unsaid.   Charlie began his academic career at Western where he obtained a BA in sociology. He then moved to New York City, where he completed his Masters studies at the New School for Social Research. He focused on the formation of collective memories. Upon completion of his Masters, he was awarded a PhD scholarship at the Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (MACCS) at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Just prior to being awarded his PhD at MACCS, he was offered an initial postdoctoral research position at the Université Catholique de Louvain where he currently continues his research.

Graduation Procedures

Deadlines for graduation applications:

  • Applications for Fall 2012 graduation are due June 1, 2012
  • Late applications for Winter 2013graduation are due August 17, 2012

To apply for graduation, make an appointment with Linda Clark for a Major/Minor Evaluation. An appointment schedule is posted outside her door, AH 513; or email to set up a time (please provide your open days and times.)

Submit your Degree Application to the Registrar's Office, along with your major/minor evaluation. And celebrate!

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Page Updated 03.30.2012