Honor Societies
Alpha Kappa Delta
The department is home to a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the largest sociology honor society in the nation. The purpose of AKD is to acknowledge and promote excellence in the study of sociology, the research of social problems and intellectual activities that will lead to improvement in the human condition.
AKD is affiliated with the American Sociological Association and proudly supports graduate and undergraduate travel to various conferences, including the North Central Sociological Association meetings held every spring.
Membership is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members from active chapters who meet its minimum standards . Currently, there are more than 101,000 members in Alpha Kappa Delta and over 630 chapters.
WVU Chapter: Beta of West Virginia
AKD Chapter Representative: Dr. Kirsten Younghee Song
Lambda Alpha
Lambda Alpha is the national collegiate honors society for anthropology. Its purposes are to promote interest in the study of anthropology as a university discipline, to recognize outstanding student performance, and to encourage scholarship and research in anthropology. Lambda Alpha was established nationally in 1965. The local chapter of Lambda Alpha at West Virginia University (Alpha of West Virginia) was established in 1979 by Associate Professor, Eberly Family Professor Emerita for Outstanding Teaching, Patricia Rice.
Membership Requirements:
Undergraduate students who:
· Are majoring in Anthropology.
· Have retained a 3.0 GPA in at least 12 credits of Anthropology.
· Have an overall GPA of 2.5 or greater.
Anthropology majors and minors meeting the membership requirements listed above will be contacted by the faculty sponsor in the spring semester of their junior or senior year. To be inducted in Lambda Alpha, students must meet membership requirements and pay a one-time (lifetime) membership fee of $25.
Lambda Alpha is a lifetime membership that can be listed as an honor/affiliation on your resume or curriculum vitae indefinitely. Members may submit their work to the Lambda Alpha Journal and are eligible for a scholarship awarded to only Lambda Alpha members. Lambda Alpha National Scholarship awards $5,000 annually to a true graduating senior majoring in Anthropology.
Interested students should contact the Alpha of WV Lambda Alpha Faculty Sponsor for additional information.
WVU Chapter: Alpha of West Virginia
Alpha of WV Faculty Representative: Genesis Snyder