History

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology is a testament to the enduring legacy of Dr. Joseph T. Taylor.

The first tenure-track person hired to teach a sociology course at IUPUI, now IU Indianapolis, was Dr. Joseph T. Taylor. Dr. Taylor received his Ph.D. from IU Bloomington in 1952. He joined the faculty in 1962 as Associate Professor of Sociology at what was then the IU extension campus in downtown Indianapolis. Dr. Taylor served as Professor of Sociology from 1965 to 1983 and was the first dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts (1967-1978). He leaves a proud legacy. Upon his retirement, the School established the annual Joseph T. Taylor Symposium to honor his commitment to dialogue and diversity by hosting informed discussions on issues of concern in urban America.

In 1968, the department proposed establishing a major. Edward Harris became the first chair of the Department of Sociology in 1969. In 1973, the department offered its first degree in sociology to Janice Klein, who later received the Outstanding Alumna Award from the School in 2015. In 2000, under the leadership of David Ford, the department received approval to offer a master’s degree. The MA program in Sociology Program began in the following year. Beginning in 2004, the department began offering a Ph.D. minor.

The department has had a longstanding specialty in medical sociology, an area that complements the campus strengths in health and medicine found in the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Fairbanks School of Public Health.

In 2024, the department added a minor in Criminology to its offerings. The Department of Sociology also welcomed back our Department of Anthropology colleagues into the new, combined Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Anthropologists have taught at IU Indianapolis since the creation of the university. At first, the discipline was represented by a few introductory courses taught by part-time instructors administered by the Department of Sociology.

In the early 1970’s, Carol Bart, an anthropology M.A. from IU Bloomington, taught classes at the newly created IUPUI, now IU Indianapolis, but was unable to meet the demand for introductory cultural anthropology classes and advanced courses. In response to the demand for anthropology classes, Dean Joseph T. Taylor moved to create an anthropology program and broaden the disciplinary curriculum. In 1974, Dean Taylor hired Barbara Jackson as the first full-time Ph.D. anthropologist in the newly created anthropology program. Dr. Jackson began coordinating the program, then combined with the Department of Sociology.

In 1975 and 1976, Dr. Jackson began constructing the fundamental elements of the department, targeting the development of an introductory course sequence (based on Anthropology A103 and A104) and assembling audiovisual and material teaching materials (e.g., slide sets, film strips and fossil casts, of which some remain in the department’s teaching collections today). During the department’s first year, Dr. Jackson quickly began to work with a broad range of community organizations, serving as the primary consultant to the Children Museum’s “Emergence of Man” exhibit, giving a dozen community lectures, and conducting an adult education program on the work of Erich Von Daniken. The first upper division anthropology course was taught in Fall 1975, when Indians of North America (E320) was offered, and both the Fall 1975 and Spring 1976 offerings of the course filled with 50 students each semester.

Over time, the department's offerings grew to include a bachelor's degree, minors in anthropology and cultural diversity, and a master's degree.

In 2024, the Department of Anthropology once again combined with the Department of Sociology to form the new Department of Sociology and Anthropology.