Interpreting, Understanding, and Improving the Human Condition

Welcome to the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work. Our three programs prepare students to be responsible citizens and effective communicators in a global society, armed with the knowledge and skills to interpret, understand, and improve the human condition. Sociology includes all aspects of people's social behavior in many different types of settings. Its goal is to advance our understanding of the interrelations of culture, community, organizational and socioeconomic structures, personal relations, and individual identities in our rapidly changing and increasingly globalized social world. Anthropology studies all aspects of culture across time and space, taking an integrated view of humanity from its deep past to diverse modernity. It is committed to investigating and explaining the diversity of ancient and modern human cultures and societies. Social Work is dedicated to partnering with people to create change. It trains its students to use self-awareness and sensitivity to the plight of humankind to promote social justice within our interdependent global community.

Our Programs

Our department offers Master of Arts (MA) degrees in sociology and anthropology and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. At the undergraduate level, we offer Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in all three programs. Sociology BA students have the option of concentrating in criminology, and anthropology BA students can choose a concentration in forensic anthropology. We also have minors in all three programs.

We invite you to explore our website and learn more about our degree programs, our faculty, our research, and the opportunities we offer students at home and abroad.

How You Can Help

Did you know that you can support SASW's programs and mission with a tax-deductible contribution to one of our scholarship funds? And, did you know that the College of Arts and Sciences is Unmasking Innovation with its first ever fund raising campaign? 

Other Information

Download the SASW Strategic Plan.

Download the SASW Tenure and Promotion Guidelines.

 

SASW News

SASW Sociologist Patricia Maloney has been elected president of the Sociology of Education Association.

SASW Sociologists Cristina Bradatan and Nadia Flores interviewed about their recent work linking climate change to children's respiratory problems.

SASW Sociologist Ori Swed publishes report for the UN working group on mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination.

Double Trouble! Anthropologist Michael Jordan and Sociologist Carol Lindquist team up to teach Food and Culture this semester.

Join TTU SASW at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Details on presentations and times can be found here.

SASW Anthropologist Tamra Walter receives grant from the Texas Historical Foundation's Gilmore fund to support her current manuscript in development.

Undergraduate La Monica Washington received Honors Undergraduate Research Scholarship to work with SASW sociologist Martha Smithey on her project 
"The Social Context of Neonaticide" in the upcoming academic year.

Work by SASW sociologist Patricia Maloney on school-to-deportation pipeline used in ACLU lawsuit. Additional information available in podcast form!

SASW anthropologist Lauren Griffith selected for Spring 2021 Faculty Fellowship at the Humanities Center at Texas Tech.

SASW sociology undergraduate Stephanie Kuzmack is the university's second Truman Scholar.

Expertise of SASW sociologist Martha Smithey referenced in recent news article.

Recent work by SASW sociologist Dr. Jerome Koch examines faith-centered tattoos in college students.

SASW receives university e-learning grant to develop distance classes for the upcoming CRIM degree and start a formal internship program. Congratulations to SASW sociologist Martha Smithey for organizing the submission.

Work by SASW sociologist Ori Swed on military contractors featured in the Atlantic.

Smart home experiment involving SASW Sociologist Carol Lindquist was featured on NPR.

SASW Archaeologist Brett A. Houk was awarded a President's Excellence in Research Professorship for 2020–2022.

SASW Bioarchaeologist Anna Novotny's recent research described in article in Latin American Antiquity is featured on Forbes.com.

On Tuesday, April 9th, 9 PM the third National Geographic documentary with SASW Sociologist Andreas Schneider aired: The Story of God with Morgan Freeman Season 3 episode "Holy Laws." National Geographic Channel. This will be an investigation of Shamans of the Hmong, a North Vietnamese minority group.

Contact Us

To minimize your risk during the COVID-19 outbreak, you can contact the SASW Office only through e-mail or by telephone.

If you have a question and aren't sure whom to ask for the answer, please see this list of contacts!

Location

Our main office is in Holden Hall 158.

Our USPS mailing address is:

SASW Department
Texas Tech University
Box 41012
Lubbock, TX 79409-1012

Our UPS or Fedex address is:

SASW Department
Texas Tech University
Holden Hall 158
1011 Boston Ave.
Lubbock, TX 79409 

Administration

Interim Chair
Arthur Durband

Associate Chair
Jerome Koch

Unit Coordinator
Athena Baumann

Senior Advisor for Sociology
Alexandra Haney

Senior Advisor for Anthropology and Social Work
Adrienne Scales

Administrative Assistant for Social Work
Valorie Duvall