About Sociology and Anthropology

Learn about our department faculty and program offerings.

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About Sociology and Anthropology

image of professor and a few students seated at an outdoor table having class

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

What We Do

Our department includes social scientists in anthropology, geography, and sociology who study people in different ways. Anthropologists look at modern human cultures around the world through the lens of culture and language, while the department’s archaeologists and bioanthropologists reconstruct ancient peoples’ lives from Mongolia to Mississippi. Geographers examine cultural, economic, urban, political, and environmental systems to understand how humans create, interact with, and transform spaces and places across the globe. Sociologists study social change and development in human societies today. We train our students in cutting-edge methods and theories to understand social processes and engage with communities we serve.

Who We Are

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology houses two research centers, the Center for Population Studies and the Center for Archaeological Research, that serve as a focus for faculty and graduate student research. The Grisham-McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement advances transformative service throughout the university and fights poverty through education in Mississippi. Department faculty also contribute to both the Critical Race Studies Group and the Slavery Research Group on campus.

The University of Mississippi is classified as an R1 university, a designation reserved for the top 2.5% of universities in the nation. As part of a research-intensive university, our faculty are at the top of their fields. Studying with R1 faculty matters because professors bring exciting discoveries into the classroom and students have a chance to work with them as they break new barriers.

Faculty Spotlights

Dr. Marcos Mendoza, Associate Professor of Anthropology, received the 2024 Howell Family Outstanding Teacher of the Year award in recognition of his classroom instruction, intellectual stimulation of students, and care for students' welfare.

Dr. Jodi Skipper, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Southern Studies, received the national 2025 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award from Campus Compact. She was also recognized on campus with the 2024 Sandford and Susan Thomas Senior Professor Research Award in the Social Sciences from the UM College of Liberal Arts (photo above) in recognition of exemplary performance in sustaining communities, through research, scholarship, and or creative achievement.

Dr. Jeffrey Jackson, Chair and Professor of Sociology and Dr. Charles Ross, Professor of History and African American Studies, received an Award of Merit from the Mississippi Historical Society in 2024 on behalf of the 58 faculty, staff, and students who contribute to the UM Slavery Research Group.
Dr. Kate McGurn Centellas, Croft Associate Professor of Anthropology and International Studies, became the third Fulbright recipient from the department in five years by earning a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Award. She used the award to support travel with UM students to Bolivia to study with Bolivian university partners in public health and development.
Dr. Jodi Skipper, Professor of Anthropology and Southern Studies, received the 2024 Sanford and Susan Thomas Senior Professor Research Award in the Social Sciences and the 2025 Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award for connecting teaching, research, and service to community engagement on campus and on a national level.
Skipper and Associate Anthropology Professor Carolyn Freiwald, along with community partners in Holly Springs, also received an Excellence in History Award for the Behind the Big House Project.

What We Offer

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers undergraduate minors, majors, and master's degrees in sociology and anthropology as well as a minor in geography. Our programs of study train students to understand and use a variety of theoretical frameworks and research methods well suited to the examination of the structure, dynamics, and processes of human social life.

UG

Anthropology, B.A.

Study human life and culture throughout time and across the world.

Oxford

UG

Sociology, B.A.

Examine the dynamics of social interaction and social problems.

Oxford
Booneville
DeSoto
Tupelo

GRAD

Anthropology, M.A.

Explore the complexity of human societies and cultures, past and present.

Oxford

GRAD

Sociology, M.A.

Use cutting-edge research to study how societies are formed and transformed.

Oxford

UG

Geography, Minor

Study dynamic systems and a world in motion.

Oxford

Welcome from the Chair

We offer fantastic courses taught by dedicated and award-winning faculty. Introductory courses in sociology, anthropology, and geography provide "maps" of the exciting elements of our disciplines. Upper-division and graduate courses provide deeper insights into faculty members' areas of expertise and help you to develop a dynamic understanding of the social world. Whether you are a current major or minor, graduate student, faculty member, or someone who is simply curious about the social world (past or present), we are happy to make available the skills and tools that the social sciences have to offer - skills that are needed now more than ever.