Sociology & Anthropology's focus on the global mirrors its engagement with the local community. Many SOAN classes utilize Tacoma's urban landscape to study and understand social relations through field trips or assignments that get students off-campus and immersed in our local community.
- Some SOAN courses maintain collaboration between community partners and our local campus. SOAN 316 Cultural Politics of Global Development maintains an ongoing partnership with educators and students at McCarver Elementary in the Hilltop neighborhood to promote opportunities for co-learning about community development and pathways to education. Other examples of courses that immerse students in local communities include:
- SOAN 352 Critical Studies of Organizations and Work takes students to multiple sites of local industry, such as the Port of Tacoma, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, and regional distribution centers, to conduct ethnographic research that illuminates the logistics of global trade and how Tacoma's workers, economy, and environment are situated within that context.
- SOAN 365 Global Health brings students in conversation with representatives of both public and private sector health experts to learn the latest on how they are defining and working to combat global epidemics and public health emergencies.
- SOAN 380 Muslim Cultures and Communities creates the opportunity for closer conversation and collaboration between campus and Muslim communities within Tacoma to understand better how Islam is perceived and practiced across different contexts worldwide and here in Puget Sound.
- Many SOAN students take their community engagement to another level by volunteering with local organizations such as the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), Linc & Loggers, and Hilltop Urban Gardens if you are interested in learning more about internship and volunteer opportunities, contact Career and Employment Services (CES).
