~ The Sociology Program at Missouri State ~

Alpha Kappa Delta
The International Sociology Honor Society

Description Eligibility
Officers Faculty Sponsor

Description

Alpha Kappa Delta was founded in 1920 by Dr. Emory Bogardus of the University of Southern California for the purpose of stimulating scholarship and promoting the scientific study of society.  

Today, Alpha Kappa Delta is comprised of 80,000 scholars from more than 490 chapters around the globe. The name was chosen because the letters represent the first letters of the three classical Greek words that embody the function of the society. They are: anthrôpos, meaning mankind; katamanthanô, meaning to examine closely or acquire knowledge, and; diakoneô, meaning to do service. Together, these words describe the society’s ideals “to investigate humanity for the purpose of service.”

Alpha Kappa Delta supports scholarship in several ways. The Society publishes Sociological Inquiry, a highly respected, peer-reviewed quarterly journal maintaining high standards of scholarship. The Society sets high academic standards for its inductees, requiring at least a B+ average in sociology courses and an overall GPA of at least 3.0.  

The Society also sponsors student travel to regional meetings, supporting those who want to present their work and learn from scholarly presentation of others. The Society sponsors annual student paper contests, presenting awards which include monetary prizes, travel support and scholarships. The Society continues to recognize scholarly excellence in sociology by inducting approximately 4,000 lifetime members each year.

In 1964, Missouri State University became the third university in Missouri to sponsor a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta, designated Gamma. The Department of Sociology and Anthropology encourages membership in Alpha Kappa Delta by funding initial membership into the Society and recognizing inductees at an annual awards ceremony at the close of the Spring semester.
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Eligibility Criteria

Undergraduates who meet the following 5 criteria are eligible for membership in Alpha Kappa Delta:

Shall be an officially declared sociology major or demonstrate a serious interest in sociology within an official program of the host institution.

Shall be at least a junior (third year) by standards of the host institution.

 Shall have accumulated the equivalent of an overall grade point average of 3.0 by a four point scale where: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0, and shall rank in the top 35% of their class in general scholarship.

Shall have maintained the equivalent of a 3.0 grade point average in sociology courses taken at the host institution prior to initiation.

Shall have completed at least four regular courses in sociology prior to initiation (exclusive of extension courses graded pass/fail).
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Officers / Representatives / Others

President: Peter Wood, Department of Sociology, Mississippi State University, P.O. Box Drawer C, Mississippi State, MS  39762.

President Elect: Sharon Araji, Department of Sociology, CAS 373, University of Alaska - Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK  99508.

President-Elect:  Kathy Charmaz, Department of Sociology, Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA  94928.

Secretary-Treasurer: Marc Matre, Department of Sociology, University of South Alabama, Box U-1147 USA, Mobile, AL  36688.

Editor of Sociological Inquiry: Steve Kroll-Smith, Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC  27402.

Regional Representative: Boyd Littrell, Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE  68182-0291.

Missouri State Chapter Representative:  Gary Brinker, Department of Sociology & Anthropology,  Missouri State University,  901 South National Avenue, Springfield, MO  65804.

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Department Sponsor of the Local Chapter

Dr. Gary Brinker, STRO 457, 417-836-6843, GaryBrinker@missouristate.edu
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