The Department of Sociology is happy to welcome two new faculty members this Fall. Dr. Anna Holleman will be an assistant professor and will focus on teaching The Sociological Perspective and Research Methods. Natalie Sheets will serve as a lecturer and teach Social Problems in American Society and Social Diversity and Inequalities. Below, you can read more about their experiences and expertise. Welcome to App State!
Dr. Anna Holleman joined the Sociology faculty in 2024. Her research and teaching interests include religion, health, inequality, and research methods. She received a BA in Psychology from Clemson University, an MDiv from Duke University Divinity School, and a PhD from Duke University. She enjoys teaching introductory sociology courses and appreciates the opportunity to help students cultivate their sociological imaginations. She also enjoys teaching research methods courses and applied research courses, especially when she can work alongside students to ask and investigate critical social questions. Dr. Holleman’s research focuses on how religion and inequality interact as social determinants of health and how religious organizations and leaders respond to health crises. Her work has been published in JAMA Psychiatry, Social Science & Medicine, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Sociology of Religion, among other outlets.
I am from and live in the mountains of North Carolina. As a high school student, I started my academic journey at Wilkes Community College. I finished with an A.A. degree and transferred to East Tennessee State University as a history major and sociology minor. I graduated with my Bachelor of Social Science degree and started working on my Master of Arts in Sociology. My graduate research and thesis was on Single Mothers and Religiosity, looking at many different ways single mothers use religion. After graduation, I became a Sociology Instructor for the same school that gave me my start, Wilkes Community College. I was an instructor for WCC for ten years and a lead instructor for two. I am currently starting my lecturing journey here at Appalachian State University, and will be teaching courses focusing on social problems in American society and social diversity and inequality.
App State Fall Scene
