Department kicks off Spring Lecture Series

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology is hosting a new lecture series this spring, 2007.   Speakers from our own department and from other universities have been invited to present and discuss their current research.  Curious about the Maya in Belize? The media coverage of “looting” during Katrina?  The world of on-line gaming?  These are some of the many topics that will be addressed this semester.  We hope you will attend!  Most of the talks will be held on Fridays from 2-3pm in 212 Leavell Hall. 

Robbie Ethridge Organizes Southern Anthropological Society
Annual Meeting at Ole Miss

Robbie Ethridge is the local arrangements chair for the 2007 Southern Anthropological Society (SAS) Annual Meeting which will be held on February 15-18 on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi and in collaboration with the Living Blues Symposium and the Southern American Studies Association Meetings. The SAS theme for this year is “Southern Cuisines and Southern Foodways” (for more information go to www.southernanthro.org).  This year the Living Blues Symposium is featuring “Blueswomen Today” (for more information go to www.livingblues.com). The Southern American Studies Association (SASA) conference theme is “Blues Tunes/Blues Text: Music, Cultures, and Literature in the Global South” (for more information go to www.lsu/edu/sasa.) In addition to conference sessions and keynote panels and addresses, the three conferences also will offer an array of featured speakers, readings, audience jam sessions, film screenings, a tour of the blues archives, and a night of blues at the Big Truck Theater in Taylor, Mississippi.  All of these events will be open to participants from all three conferences.

David Swanson served as the guest editor of the forthcoming (February 2007) special issue of the Journal of Economic and Social Measurement on “The Census at the Dawn of the 21st Century”  The papers in this special issue formed a session organized and chaired by Jeff Tayman at the 2006 annual Meeting of the Southern Demographic Association (Durham, NC).

Ross Haenfler’s Research Featured in the Chronicle of Higher Ed.

A story featuring Dr. Ross Haenfler’s research on the straight edge punk music subculture was featured prominently in the recent September 29, 2006 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.  Congratulations Ross! 

Department Chair, David Swanson Testifies Before Congress

David Swanson, Professor of Sociology, testified at a September 6th, 2006 hearing held by the House Government reform subcommittee on Federalism and the Census. His testimony was focused on the Census Bureau's annual population estimates program which is used to distribute 100s of billions of federal dollars each year to state and local governments. 

For a complete story of the testimony, click here. 

Jay Johnson Wins Distinguished Faculty Fellowship

Dr. Jay Johnson, Professor Anthropology was named as one of two Distinguished Faculty Fellows in the College of Liberal Arts for 2006-2009. This prestigious award recognizes faculty who have made substantial contributions in teaching, scholarship, and service. 

For a full story on the award click here. 

Click here for photos & a description of the reception.

Two New Faculty Members Join Department

This fall 2006, Dr. Ahmet Yukleyen and Dr. John Sonnett joined the tenure-trackfaculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.  Dr. Yukleyen completed his Ph.D. at Boston University and joins the faculty as a Croft Assistant Professor of Anthropology (a joint appointment with the Croft Institute for International Studies). His specialty areas include modern Europe, the experience of Muslims in Europe, and International Relations.

Dr. Sonnett was awarded his Ph.D. by the University of Arizona and joins the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Sociology. He specializes in Quantitative Research Methods, Culture/ Knowledge/ Science/ Media, Environment & Political Economy, Comparative Methods, and Social Networks. 

Dr. Grisham Retires

Our friend and colleague, Dr. Vaughn Grisham, retired as Professor of Sociology in May of 2006 after more than 40 years of service to the University of Mississippi.  A special celebration honoring Dr. Grisham was held on May 5, 2006. 

Click here to see photos and a description of the event. 








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