February 06, 2026
Linda Blaser
Students, professor publish faculty-mentored research in ‘Teaching Anthropology’
Close collaboration between students and faculty can turn classroom learning into original scholarship.
In a recent example, an academic article co-written by D.K Pearson Professor of Anthropology Holly Swyers, Avis Elfman ’25, and Samantha Sosani ’25 has just been published in Teaching Anthropology, a peer-reviewed journal focused on innovative teaching in the field.
The paper explores how traditional academic structures—such as compressed semesters—can limit this work, while also showing how intentionally designed courses can foster sustained student engagement and reflection.
The article, “Can the Master’s House Be Decolonized from the Inside? Depends on How We Define ‘House,’” grew out of SOAN 333: Decolonizing Bodyminds and Their Relations, a Spring 2025 course taught by Swyers. Drawing on student experiences in the class, the research examines efforts to decolonize college teaching by questioning whose knowledge is centered and how learning takes place.
Seven students from the class presented at the 2025 Midwest Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning last spring at Indiana University South Bend.
Outstanding experience for students
For Elfman and Sosani, the project provided the opportunity to work as full research collaborators alongside a faculty mentor, contributing as co-authors to a published scholarly article.
Their experience reflects the kind of faculty-mentored research opportunities available to undergraduates, where coursework can lead to meaningful academic and professional outcomes.
Samantha Sosani ’26 is double majoring in communication and sociology and anthropology.
Avis Elfman ’25 transferred to Lake Forest from Oakton Community College. He majored in sociology and anthropology with a focus on museum and library work.
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It will affect my resume because I plan to begin a master’s program in teaching in the fall, and this research paper is relevant to teaching, as we examined how the course content, course style, and other factors influenced the journal responses written by the students.
Samantha Sosani ’26
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This project was really important to me, in the grand scheme of my career at Lake Forest. While I had had a vague idea of how academic publishing worked, it was another experience entirely to do it. I feel lucky to have had this experience, especially with such an excellent mentor and fellow student researcher.
Avis Elfman ’25