Collection Development Policies: Sociology/Anthropology

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Subject: SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY

Program Description:

Requirements for majors and minors: 

For undergraduate students, a major in Sociology requires 30 semester hours in sociology, of which 24 must be advanced level. A major in Anthropology requires 30 semester hours in anthropology, of which 18 must be advanced level. A minor in Sociology requires 18 semester hour in sociology, of which 9 must be advanced level. For a minor in Anthropology, students need 18 semester hours in anthropology, of which at least 9 must be advanced level.

Teacher certification in sociology: 36 semester hours in sociology, including certain required courses.

For a Master of Arts degree in Sociology: 30 semester hours in sociology and a thesis, or 36 semester hours in sociology and a graduate research paper.

For sociology, 19 undergraduate courses are listed; for anthropology, 38 courses are listed.

In sociology, there are 19 exclusively graduate courses listed, making the total Sociology courses offered 38.

Areas of emphasis or specialization in sociology and anthropology are similar. These include: U.S.-Mexico Border Region; Mexican Americans; Southwest and Mexico; Native Americans of the American Southwest and Mexico; Criminology and deviance; Sex and Gender; Demography; Archeology.  As part of a campus-wide initiative, immigration is also an area of interest.

Future: A Master of Arts degree in Anthropology is planned, but no date has been set for implementation.  An inter-disciplinary Master of Arts in Latin American Studies is also planned, which would incorporate topics in anthropology and sociology.

Description of Existing Collection:
NCIP Code: 2 (Basic introductory); 3 (Instructional) in materials on Southwest and U.S.-Mexico border.

Works specifically about the discipline of sociology are classified in the HM schedule of Library of Congress system; those about anthropology as a discipline, particularly cultural anthropology, are classified in the GN area. However, works on anthropological and social topics may be found in many other classifications. For example, related materials are found in LC call numbers CC, E51 - E78, E98 - E99, GF, GR, and P40 - P41.

The library has 6694 titles with subject headings or other fields including the terms "anthropology" or "sociology". However, since many subjects in these fields do not include those terms, there are many books not included in that figure.  Much of sociological and anthropological literature may be found under such headings as "Mexico--Social conditions" or "Ethnic relations" or "social structure" or even the very broad "Man".

The library has approximately 40 currently received serial titles that deal with anthropology or sociology. Approximately 85 serials were previously received, but have been either discontinued or cancelled. Several titles have only short runs. There were wholesale cancellations in 1993 of anthropology and sociology serials.

The collection is predominantly in English, with Spanish as a second significant language for materials on Latin America. Some other major European languages are also represented, but in isolated instances.

Current Collecting Intensity: 
NCIP Code: 2 (Basic Introductory); 3 for areas of emphasis 

The library collects at the instructional level 3 in areas where the department has areas of emphasis, namely the U.S.-Mexico border region, Mexican Americans, the American Southwest and Mexico, Native Americans of the American Southwest and Mexico, criminology and deviance, sex and gender, demography, and archeology.

In other areas of anthropology or sociology, the library collects at level 2 (basic), including sociolinguistics, physical anthropology, medical sociology & anthropology, educational anthropology, Asian and African ethnology, and Latin American ethnology or archaeology.

Generally out-of-scope topics are: religion, social and religious movements; sports; war and peace.

Language note: English and Spanish works should be acquired.

Desired Collection Level:
NCIP Code 3A (instructional); 3B (advanced instructional) for areas of emphasis 

Because of the proposed master's in anthropology, and the research center for archaeology, more journals, reference materials, and works on theory should be acquired.  

Other Resources: 

The Government Documents, Special Collections, and microforms areas currently contain materials not yet on-line that have relevance to the areas of anthropology and sociology.

Last updated: 3/20/03