Anthropology and Sociology
Professor Rebecca Kissane Helps Give Voice to the Disadvantaged
The lines above her brow etched deep by grinding despair, a woman shares her story of not having enough money at the end of the month. Across from her, Rebecca Kissane, associate professor of anthropology and sociology, listens. For Kissane, it is a heartbreaking tale increasingly heard. Unmasking poverty in America and the inequalities that [...]
A Living Laboratory: Students Explore the Geology of the American Southwest
This summer, Drew Williams ’14 (Collegeville, Pa.) had a birthday he’ll never forget. He and a group of 19 other students got up at 4:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah and then hiked in 98-degree weather through slot canyons. They ended the day with a snowball fight on [...]
Rebecca Heslin ’12 Explores Phenomenon of Virtual Slander with Professor David Shulman
Rebecca Heslin ’12 (Hellertown, Pa.) and Professor David Shulman are researching virtual slander, the kind of defamation that can be found all over Web 2.0. It’s negative commentary that can be found on gossip sites like College ACB, humor sites like People of Wal-Mart, evaluation sites like RateMyProfessor, and social networking sites like Facebook. Where [...]
Lafayette Honors Students for Academic Excellence
Lafayette honored more than 120 students for academic excellence at the annual All-College Honors Convocation May 1, in the Williams Center for the Arts. Awards and prizes recognized outstanding academic success in all four of Lafayette’s academic divisions–engineering, the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. This spring, 46 students will join Phi Beta Kappa, the [...]
Beth Spitalny ’01 Brings Original Stories to Life as Award-Winning Filmmaker
By Kate Helm When Beth Spitalny ’01 was a little girl, she loved playing dress-up and make-believe, spending hours in the woods behind her house dreaming up stories. That, along with her father’s enthusiasm for the movies and teaching her how to use the family video camera, created a love of filmmaking even before she [...]
Vanessa Youngs ’07 Helps Manage the Big Apple Budget
By Robert Bruce Slater As a budget analyst for the City of New York, Vanessa E. Youngs ‘07 has the opportunity to participate in policy decisions that can better the lives of city residents. “The most meaningful part of my work,” reports Youngs, “is the opportunity to participate in issues that have an actual impact in the neighborhoods [...]
Elizabeth Ponder ’04 Works to Turn Disease Research into Death-Preventing Reality
By Barbara Mulligan When Elizabeth Ponder ’04 arrived in Kenya’s North Eastern Province last May, she encountered a world far removed from the often-predictable laboratory setting she had occupied as a student at Lafayette and Stanford University. Ponder, who earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from Stanford’s School of Medicine in 2009, is now [...]
Course Will Provide One-of-a-Kind Learning Experience in China, North Korea, and South Korea
This summer, a group of Lafayette students will explore the diverse and interconnected cultures of Northeast Asia through a new, faculty-led course to China, North Korea, and South Korea. The course is a first for Lafayette and will also be the first time an American institution is offering a for-credit study abroad program bringing students [...]
Anna Eisenstein ’13 and Kelsey Boyd ’11 Re-Create Lost Easton Neighborhood with Professor Andrea Smith
When an unexpected tip from the local historical society led Andrea Smith to research an old Easton community known locally as “Syrian Town,” she thought it was the perfect opportunity to allow students to dig into the past of the community surrounding their college home. Demolished as part of the city’s urban renewal project in [...]
Technology Clinic Brings Students Together to Solve Real-World Problems
After he graduates, Chris Kelly ’13 (Boyertown, Pa.) plans to work in the field of environmental politics. A double major in geology and international affairs, Kelly is learning and using many of the skills he will need in a real-world environment through the College’s Technology Clinic. “I bring a lot of passion to this project [...]
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