Welcome to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at ISU. Our faculty members provide both undergraduate and graduate students with a broad array of perspectives on the human condition - ranging from social movements, personal relationships, and the organization of cultures and societies throughout the world, to the archaeology of historic and prehistoric North America. We share a commitment to providing students with a first-class educational experience.
That experience is grounded in challenging courses and extensive opportunities for collaborative learning and out-of-class learning activities. Our faculty members are nationally and internationally known for their research, but they are equally well-known on campus for their quality teaching and student mentoring. This balance of excellence in research and teaching, along with the truly outstanding people who have created it, makes the Department of Sociology and Anthropology a special place.
The Sociology Anthropology Fund: This is our Excellence Fund and is used to support a wide variety of activities associated with our educational mission. The Sociology Anthropology Fund allows the Department to assist student research and internships beyond campus; fund field trips; support other co-curricular activities that provide our students with vital perspectives and experiences beyond the classroom; and support bringing speakers to campus who contribute to making the Department a vibrant intellectual community.
Sociology and Anthropology Student Travel: This award is available to both Sociology and Anthropology majors who have been accepted for a study abroad program. The minimum award is $500 and we have a goal to award 10 of these scholarships every year to help promote global experiences and perspectives.
General Fund in support of the Edward Jelks Student Travel Award:
Dr. Jelks was the first anthropologist hired at Illinois State University. He is a historical archaeologist and a founding member of the Society for Historical Archaeology. He is a prolific and award-winning scholar; in 2010 he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Illinois Archaeological Survey. Ed Jelks envisioned a four-field anthropology program at Illinois State and helped to bring faculty to ISU who would make that vision a reality.
Alumni and faculty would like to honor his legacy through the creation of a named endowment to support student travel to professional conferences, trips for gathering data, field schools, and other experiential learning activities. The fund currently has $10,000 but needs an additional $15,000 before it can be formally named and utilized to benefit our students.
