SAC Fall 2024 Update
Sociology, Anthropology, & Criminology Activities in Review: Fall 2024
Fall 2024 was a busy semester in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology (SAC). SAC faculty remained highly active in scholarship and grantsmanship. For example, Dr. María Luz García’s study, “A Scandalous Presence in the Courtroom: Indigenous Immigrant Interpreters and the Politics of Language Ideologies in US Courts,” was published in the Political and Legal Anthropology Review. Dr. García also edited and coordinated a five-part book series on Ixil Maya culture, which was published in October. Rutgers University Press officially announced Dr. Rachel Schroeder’s latest book, “Icons Axed, Freedoms Lost: Russian Desecularization and a Ukrainian Alternative” is forthcoming in January 2025. Dr. Paul Leighton became the lead author of the 6th edition of Class, Race, Gender & Crime, which came out in October of 2024 and has been in print for almost 25 years now. His co-authors include emeritus professor Dr. Gregg Barak, and Dr. Carrie Buist, who has a BA and MA from SAC and has gone on to write groundbreaking work in queer criminology. Dr. Megan Moore’s scholarship and artwork were included in The Queer Museum’s exhibit on General Casimir Pulaski. Dr. Brad Ensor secured a Brickley Endowment for his project “Filling the Gaps in Nobility in Pre-Columbian Sociopolitical Organization: Archaeological Investigations at Salinas, Veracruz, Mexico.”
Several SAC faculty also received awards for their work. In November, Dr. Gregg Barak was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of White Collar and Corporate Crime for “Indicting the 45th President: Boss Trump, the GOP, and What We Can Do About the Threat to American Democracy.” Dr. Solange Simões received the Michigan American Council on Education (MI-ACE) Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Award from the MI-ACE EMU Chapter. Both Dr. Rita Shah and Dr. Kimberly Barrett were awarded Josephine Nevins Keal Awards to support their scholarly productivity.
SAC was also active in co-sponsoring three on-campus events. The first was a panel discussion titled“ ‘We are Speaking..’ Gender, Race, and Voting in the 2024 Elections.” The panel featured experts across our campus and community, including Dr. Brian Sellers. Next, Dr. Solange Simões and Dr. Marilyn Corsianos continued the discussion on these themes in the panel “Gender in the 2024 Election” featuring Congresswoman Debbie Dingell as a speaker. Finally, SAC co-sponsored the presentation “Corporate Accountability and the Environment: Advocacy for Clean Air, Clean Water, and Reliable Power.” Dr. Kimberly Barrett served as the event’s facilitator. All three of these events were free and open to the public.
SAC students were also busy with initiatives of their own. Sociology major Mackynzi Pace began as one of Eastern Michigan University Police Department’s newest Community Service Officers (CSOs). CSOs are paid internships that provide EMU students with first-hand experience in public safety careers. For the second year in a row, Criminology major Trinity Perkins was a participant in the Faculty Development Center’s student-led teaching conference “Flipping the Script.” Trinity also collaborated with her colleague Elena Parshall to write about this conference, and their essay “The Transformative Impact of Flipping the Script” was published in the September 16th edition of the FDC Happenings Newsletter. Trinity also served as a panelist in the “Gender in the 2024 Election” panel, and was celebrated as a Womens Association Scholarship recipient at The EMU President’s Commission on Women Awards Celebration in September.
Anthropology majors Zayan Chaudhry, Abigayle Breitner, and Ellie Barnes were awarded scholarships from the Honors College to support their ethnographic field work in northeast Ohio. Their research began in Dr. García’s ethnographic field school held over the summer, and continued into the fall semester. Zayan and Abigayle presented their research from these initiatives in November at the First Conference on Global Indigenous Studies held at Indiana University Bloomington.
Our anthropology students also continued to stay active in the Eastern Michigan Anthropology Club student group. Throughout the fall semester the group held regular meetings and several special events. These events included a Research Development Night, a Fall Movie Night, an Art Night, and more. Be sure to follow the club on Instagram: @emuanthropology.
Finally, on a bittersweet note, in September SAC celebrated the retirement of Dr. Gregg Barak and Dr. Kristine Ajrouch. Dr. Barak, Professor of Criminology, served our department for 29 years, including time as Department Head. Dr. Ajrouch, Professor of Sociology, served our department for 24 years, also including time as Department Head. We wish them both all the best in their next chapter.
We look forward to another productive semester in Winter of 2025. Please follow us on Facebook for more frequent updates: http://www.facebook.com/emusac