Departmental Advising

Sociology and Anthropology faculty work closely with majors to guide them through their years at MTSU. They help students select courses, plan schedules, and make academic decisions. Faculty advisors also assist students with career planning and provide information about university resources, deadlines, etc.

Students are assigned a faculty advisor when they declare sociology or anthropology as a major and are encouraged to meet with their assigned advisor early in their program. Regular meetings (at least once a year, preferable once a semester) can greatly expedite progress through the program. Advisors can save you time, money, and frustration resulting from a badly planned schedule.

To find your advisor in Pipeline:  Log into PipelineMT, click on the Advisors tab (left hand navigation), then under Student Details click 'Assigned Advisors.'  Then, select the term and input your M number and click submit.  This will list your current advisor with contact information.

If you need to be assigned or would like to change an advisor in the Sociology/Anthropology department, please contact the Executive Aide, Stephanie Steiner, TODD 342, at stephanie.steiner@mtsu.edu or (615) 898-2508.

 

Note: College of Liberal Arts (CLA) students can schedule an appointment to meet with their college advisor (in-person or virtually), Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM, year round. Click Here to go to the CLA Advisors page for more information, or to make an appointment with your college advisor. 

 

Meet our faculty advisors for department minors:

 

Archaeology Studies

Kevin E. Smith

Professor

Office: TODD 313 
Phone: (615) 898-5958 
Email: Kevin.Smith@mtsu.edu 
Homepage

Areas of interest: 
Prehistoric Archaeology, 19th-Century 
Historic Archaeology, Public Archaeology, 
Chiefdoms 

Dr. Smith

Asian Studies

Ida Fadzillah Leggett

Associate Professor

Office: TODD 317 
Phone: (615) 904-8275 
Email: Ida.Fadzillah@mtsu.edu 

Areas of interest: 
Gender, Sexuality, Adolescence, 
Globalization 

Dr. Fadzillah

Criminology Minor and Concentration

Ugur Orak

Assistant Professor  


Office: TODD 334 
Phone: (615) 898-2697 
Email: Ugur.Orak@mtsu.edu 

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of interest: 
Crime, Deviance and Delinquency, 
Drugs/Alcohol, Mental Health,
Military Sociology, Immigrants,
Statstics and Quantitative Research Methods

 Dr. Orak

 

 
 
 

Family Studies Minor and Work & Family Concentration 

Gretchen Webber

Professor  

Office: TODD 305 
Phone: (615) 898-2519 
Email: Gretchen.Webber@mtsu.edu 
 
Areas of interest: 
Gender, Family, Intersection of 
Gender and Work, Qualitative 
Methods
 
 
Dr. Webber

Forensic Anthropology

Shannon Hodge

Anthropology Program Director | Professor 

Office: PH 109A 
Phone: (615) 494-7681 
Email: shannon.hodge@mtsu.edu 
Homepage

Areas of interest: 
Bioarchaeology, Chiefdoms; North America, Paleopathology, 
Prehistoric Archaeology

 

Dr. Hodge 

General Anthropology Studies 

William Leggett

Associate Professor  

Office: TODD 319 
Phone: (615) 904-8589 
Email: Will.Leggett@mtsu.edu 

Areas of interest: 
Globalization, Colonization, Economic 
Anthropology, Southeast Asia, Urban 
Anthropology 
 
 
 
Dr. Leggett 

General Sociology Studies 

Angela Mertig

Professor  

Office: TODD 328 
Phone: (615) 904-8349 
Email: angela.mertig@mtsu.edu 

Areas of interest: 
Animals and Society, Environmental Sociology,
Public Opinion,  Research Methods, Social Movements 
 
 
Dr. Mertig 

Gerontology

J. Brandon Wallace

Chair | Aging Studies Program Director | Professor

Office: TODD 344 
Phone: (615) 898-2509 
Email: Brandon.Wallace@mtsu.edu 
Homepage

Areas of interest: 
Family, Medical, Aging, Social Psychology,
Research Methods and Statistics

Dr. Wallace 

Graduate Studies

 

Vicky M. MacLean

Graduate Studies Program Director | Professor

Office: TODD 332
Phone: (615) 898-2692
Email: vicky.maclean@mtsu.edu

Areas of interest: 
History of American Sociology
Qualitative Methodology
Race/Class/Gender
Social & Feminist Theory
Women's and Minority Health

Dr Vicky MacLean
 
 
   

   

Native American Studies

Kevin E. Smith

Professor

Office: TODD 313 
Phone: (615) 898-5958 
Email: Kevin.Smith@mtsu.edu 
Homepage

Areas of interest: 
Prehistoric Archaeology, 19th-Century 
Historic Archaeology, Public Archaeology, 
Chiefdoms 

Dr. Smith

Social Justice

Ashleigh McKinzie

Assistant Professor

Office: TODD 330 
Phone: (615) 904-8644
Email: Ashleigh.McKinzie@mtsu.edu 

Areas of interest: 
Race, Social Responses to Disasters, Theory,
Social Justice  

Dr. McKinzie