Fall 2002 Newsletter

In This Issue
(click below)

New Faculty/MA Program
Spring Preregistration
New Dept Secretary
Spotlight on Alumni
Faculty Books/Awards 
Spring Events 
Web-Enhanced 
Curriculum

New Faculty and New MA Program Mark Fall Semester

In a burst of departmental growth, three new tenure-track faculty members came on board and a Master of Arts Program in Criminal Justice was instituted in the fall semester. Dr. Gail Caputo (B.S., Ph.D. Rutgers-Newark), Dr. Cati Coe (B.A. Wesleyan University, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania), and Dr. Michelle Meloy (B.A., Indiana University, Ph.D. University of Delaware) have joined the faculty as Assistant Professors. Details about their backgrounds and about their teaching and research interests are available at the department’s Faculty webpage. They have not only brought new fields of expertise and energy to the department, but they have substantially lowered the mean faculty age as well!

Spring Preregistration News and Advice

Preregistration for the Spring Semester begins on October 28th and goes through November 15th. All students are strongly encouraged to see a departmental advisor in planning their spring schedule. This is crucial for graduating seniors, who must bring in completed worksheets for “senior review.” Here are a few Spring preregistration tips(click here for the spring schedule):
 All Sociology and CJ majors should take Methods and Techniques of Social Research (920:301) in the Spring semester if they have not already taken it. This course is a prerequisite for a number of upper-level courses, and knowledge of MicroCase and the basics of data analysis are increasingly expected in all upper-level courses. The methods course also fulfills the second math requirement in the CCAS curriculum.
 It is generally a good idea to focus on required courses first, leaving electives until later. Sociology majors should take Introduction to Cultural Anthropology as early along as possible.
 Social Stratification is offered only in the spring semester each year. Sociological Theory is offered only in the fall.
 The tentative Summer Schedule for courses in Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal justice is available here as a pdf file. 
 Co-sponsored with the Psychology Department, Sociology’s Service Learningcourse on “Bridging the Digital Divide in Camden” will continue to combine a Wednesday late afternoon seminar with fieldwork at community centers and schools. 
 The Online Syllabi webpage at the departmental website contains links to more than forty course websites in the department, and offers a great way to explore course offerings for the Spring Semester.

Introducing Sherry Pisacano
Departmental Secretary

In many departments, the most important person for most students and faculty alike is the departmental secretary, the person who really keeps things running behind the scenes and who also represents the face of the department to the outside world. Sherry Pisacano joined the department in August and admirably fills this bill. Sherry has been at Rutgers since 1994, previously working at the Law School and the Fine Arts Department. By her own account, Sherry grew up as an “Air Force brat,” moving around between bases as she grew up, but eventually settling in Dover, Delaware. She and her husband Bill live in Collingswood, where Sherry pursues her interests in gardening and hook rugs. Her family on her mother’s side hails from Newfoundland, which she periodically visits. Sherry has a son, Dan, a former Rutgers-Camden student who currently lives in Portland, Oregon. She replaces June Chaffin, who retired in May. The Department is thrilled to have her, and invites everyone to welcome her to her new departmental home.

Spotlight on Alumni: Angela Connor (Sociology ’97)

In the first of a periodic feature on departmental alumni, we spotlight Angela Connor, who graduated from Rutgers-Camden with a Sociology major in 1997. Since then, Angela has gone on to receive both a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA). After working for several years at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging as a Case Management Coordinator, Angela was hired by the Center for Children and Childhood Studies back at her alma mater, where she is currently the Project Manager for the Camden Campaign for Children’s Literacy. Between all this she also got married and she and her husband James are proud parents of a one-year-old boy, Jake. Angela reports that her sociology major provided a “solid basis” for her graduate work and that it provided her with “an appreciation of other cultures and diverse experiences” that has been important for her work.

Upcoming Events in the Spring

The Eastern Sociological Society will be meeting in Philadephia between February 27 and March 2, 2003 and is for the first time sponsoring a day of activities aimed at undergraduate students in the area. Mark your calendar for Friday Feb. 28th and join the Rutgers student contingent! Details will be available early in the Spring Semester.

The other big event on the departmental spring calendar is the Undergraduate Research Poster Session, held in late April. Presentations of student research (in connection with courses or independent studies) in visual form are invited from all. The annual event is co-sponsored with the Psychology Department and has been a great success for four years now. Details will be forthcoming, but pictures of previous events may be accessed from the department homepage.

To keep informed of departmental events and announcements, sign up for theDepartmental E-list if you haven’t already. Just go to the sign-up page and enter your name and email address.