What makes an education in the social sciences at Hope College distinctive? How is Hope different?

Why are the social sciences important in your education? Why should you consider an academic major in one of the social science disciplines? The social sciences may be right for you if….

You’re interested in how families function most effectively, and how government, the church, and other elements of society can help strengthen families. You’re interested in why some businesses succeed and others fail. You’re interested in how government and other agents of public policy work – or don’t work – to create a free and just society. You’re interested in how power and privilege help some people succeed and hold others back. You’re interested in how the rise of digital media threatens children’s health – both here and around the world. You’re interested in how people learn – or why they don’t. You’re interested in why so few people seem to be able to change habits related to exercise, diet, and substance use. You’re interested in how people make political choices in their communities, on the national scene, and throughout the world. You’re interested in how different people draw different conclusions when they hear the same message. You’re interested in helping others by working with individuals or groups.

What makes an education in the social sciences at Hope College distinctive from other colleges? How is Hope different?

National recognition and reputation. Three programs in the social sciences at Hope College are nationally accredited – Athletic Training, Education, and Social Work. For three consecutive years the Education Department has ranked in the "excellent" range of Teacher Education programs in Michigan.

Council on Social Work Education

Outstanding facilities.




In 2004 a $36 million renovation and expansion was completed of the Psychology Department’s home – the A. Paul Schaap Science Center.








The $22 million DeVos Fieldhouse provides the Kinesiology Department with one of the nation’s finest teaching and learning facilities for exercise science, physical education and athletic training.








The $12 million Martha Miller Center for Global Communication houses the Department of Communication and its state of the art teaching and media production facilities.








Sociology, Social Work, Economics, Management, Accounting, and Education are housed in Van Zoeren Hall – connected directly to Hope's Van Wylen Library – recently ranked the top undergraduate library in the country.








Political Science is located in historic Lubbers Hall which was recently renovated from top to bottom.

Outstanding faculty and affiliated programs. Social science faculty at Hope College are among the most accomplished in their respective fields. Below are a few examples of the people who will guide your learning and exemplary programs in our Division.

Political Science professor Dr. Jack Holmes' book, Ambivalent America: Toward a Safer and Steadier Response to World Trends was published by University Press of America.
Sociology professor Dr. Pamela Koch and two research students received the 2011 Social Sciencer Young Investigator's Award. This award recognizes excellent collaborative research by junior faculty which develops the skills of critical inquiry and analysis in her/his students.
Rowan and Littlefield published Political Science professor Dr. David Ryden's book Is the Good Book Good Enough? Evangelical Perspectives on Public Policy.
Professor Jane Dickie's expertise in psychology was recognized by an invitation to spend a year as a visiting professor in the Department of Social Care and Justice at Liverpool Hope University, a British university which is the only ecumenical Christian institution in Europe.
Dr. Steven Smith, professor of Kinesiology, wrote a three-book series on fitness entitled Family Fitness Flips, Faithful Fitness Flips, and Classroom Quick Breaks, published by Credo House Publishers.
Professor of Communication Dr. James Herrick wrote a fourth edition to his book entitled Argumentation - Understanding and Shaping Arguments, published by Strata Publishing.
Dr. Mary Inman, professor of Psychology, was named "Fellow" of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.
Professor of Psychology David Myers wrote three books entitled Myers' Psychology for AP, Exploring Psychology, Eigth Edition in Modules, and Social Psychology, European Edition that were published by Worth Publishers and London:McGraw Hill respectively. Dr. Myers was also honored by the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) for his contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior.
Dr. Richard Ray, Provost and professor of Kinesiology, received the "Golden Pinnacle Award," by the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association.
Management professor Vicki Ten Haken was interviewed by and quoted extensively in USA Today's June 16 , 2011 edition for an article they published entitled "IBM Joins Elite Group of 100-Year-old Companies."
Communciations professor Dr. Christian Spielvogel was an awardee of the Momentum Incubator Competition. This award financed his participation in a "boot camp" that helps individuals bring innovative technologies to market. As part of this program he developed a chapter prototype for a social e-textbook on the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Kinesiology professor Tonia Gruppen, along with student researchers, won the the 2011 Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association (GLATA) Public Relations Contest as Michigan's #1 best project which was designed to increase awareness of what athletic trainers do.
The Children's After School Achievement (CASA) program was presented with the 2010 "Outstanding Mentoring Program Award" by Michigan's Governor Granholm.

	58 research projects conducted by students in the social sciences were showcased at the 10th Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance on Hope’s campus.
	Hope College psychology students have earned regional recognition for excellence in research for 11 of the last 12 years from the Midwestern chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology.
	The Carl Frost Social Science Research Center awards grants to faculty who are interested in collaborating with students to conduct social science research. Recipients of Faculty-Student Research grants present the findings of their collaboration at Faculty-Student Research Colloquia held throughout the academic year.
	Each social science department offers at least one type of experiential learning option. Six of the seven require at least one internship, practicum, or service learning experience in the discipline as a graduation requirement.
	Students preparing for vocations as teachers participate in at least four field placements in K-12 schools before student teaching.
	Many students in the social sciences spend a semester working in their chosen field as part of programs the college offers in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.

Research conducted in the summer of 2011.

Professors of Kinesiology Maureen Dunn and Kirk Brumels (with students Lauren Gaines & Kirstin Robinson) conducted research on balance rehabilitation in people with MS.
Don Luidens, professor of Sociology (and student researcher Anne Jamieson) collected and compiled 2500 letters written by and to Don Luidens' parents between 1945 and 1958 while they served as missionaries in the Middle East.
Professor of Psychology Patricia Roehling (with student Kerry Smith) used a longitudinal data set to explore how having children grow up and leave the home affects men's and women's work hours and income.
David Ryden, professor of Political Science, (and student Joel Boersma) worked on constitutional issues relating to the 1st amendment Establishment Clause. They examined how a more decentralized church/state jurisprudence might operate in contemporary context.
Professor of Social Work Deborah Sturtevant (with student Lindsey Boeve) conducted research on the evaluation of the Milk and Medicine supplemental feeding program for HIV infant orphans in Lusaka Zambia.
Scott VanderStoep, professor of Psychology, (and student Cory Schnmidt) conducted research on "Youth Sports Participation, Injury and Stress."
Professor of Management Steve VanderVeen worked with 8 Summer Fellows to develop an introspective look into launching new business ventures. As students turned their ideas into reality, they encountered opportunities and obstacles that face every entrepreneur and learned how their faith can become a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Sonja Trent-Brown, professor of Psychology, collaborated with 10 students across the research areas of developmental readiness (Healthy Beginnings - Access to Healthcare project) and perception and psychoacoustics (Speaker Identification and Acoustic Specification across Age, Gender and Ethnicity projects).
Professor of Sociology Roger Nemeth (and student Matt Herm) conducted research on the public's tolerance for wolves in Michigan counties where wolves are known to inhabit and to better understand how their perceptions of wolves have been "socially constructed."

Global perspective. The Division of Social Sciences takes Hope College’s mission to educate students for lives of leadership in a global society seriously. Consider the following ways in which the social sciences have extended the campus to the four corners of the Earth:


During her sabbatical, Professor Jane Dickie worked with faculty and staff at Liverpool Hope University toward greater global education opportunities for students and faculty between the two institutions. Professors Annie Dandavati and Joel Toppen travelled with students to Rwanda during June term. They gained firsthand experience of efforts toward reconcilliation after tragic genocide in 1994. They examined human rights in political and economic perspectives. Professor Deborah Sturtevant travelled to Hong Kong where she conducted a two-day workshop for foster parents, staff, and administration at the Hong Kong Foster Care Conference. Professors Deirdre Johnston and Carol Simon, along with eleven students, participated in the first Scotland May Term where they engaged in a research seminar at Glasgow University and conducted video interviews with people met in the Highlands, Iona and Edinburgh. Professors Tony Donk and Laura Pardo travelled to England with 16 students during June term to experience teaching in British schools in Liverpool.   Sixteen DEMA students, along with Professors Hawtrey and Smith, participated in a 3-week London May term. Highlights of the trip included visits to the McVitties Biscuit plant and the Herman Miller facility in Chippenham, tours of the grounds at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (Wimbledon) and of the Houses of Parliament, as well as informative trips to Cambridge, Bath, and Paris.