Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the international sociology honor society, began in 1920 to “acknowledge and promote excellence in the scholarship in the study of sociology.” In 1967, AKD became a certified member of the Association of College Honor Societies. Over the past 100 years, universities have established almost 700 AKD chapters. We welcome and honor the newest inductees to Duke’s chapterTyler Albright Ava Bachman Gloria Bao Tess … read more about Duke Sociology Welcomes the 2026 AKD Inductees »
What if coordinated AI interventions could heal the internet’s civility problem? A team led by Jun Yang, the Knut Schmidt Nielsen Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, received an honorable mention from the Laude Moonshots competition, along with a $100,000 grant to develop an AI-powered system for improving civic discourse on social media. Yang’s team brings together a multidisciplinary group of Duke faculty. Christopher Bail, Professor of Sociology, and Alexander Volfovsky,… read more about Duke Team Receives $100,000 Laude Moonshots Award to Make Social Media More Civil »
Jaqueline Villanueva Govea is a senior from Houston, Texas, majoring in Sociology with minors in Education and Global Health. At Duke, she serves as vice president of the Senior Class Council, a Duke Presidential Ambassador and a senior advisor for DukeLIFE, supporting first-generation and low-income students. She is also a Cardea Fellow, a TSTAR senior advisor with the Undergraduate Research Support Office and a microbiology researcher in the Perfect Lab. In addition, she contributes to the Bass Connections SALUD program… read more about Jaqueline Villanueva Govea '26: From First-Generation Student to Mentor »
Kora Sotunde is a senior from Atlanta, Georgia majoring in Sociology with a minor in Psychology and a Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In addition to serving as a Trinity Ambassador, she is also vice president of the Body Empowerment Club, a writer for The Coop Magazine and a Pilates instructor at Duke Rec. A self-described creative, she also enjoys interior design projects and DJing — something she first learned through a Duke course. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in marketing strategy.… read more about Kora Sotunde '26: Finding Creativity and Direction at Duke »
Eugene Cho (Class of 2025) has accepted an offer to attend Georgetown Medical School in Fall 2026. As a sociology and biology double major, Eugene studied how privileged positions in power hierarchies translate into better health outcomes. Eugene’s sociology research capstone project, for example, identified ways students and staff from elite Western universities could establish better collaborations when working with physicians in low- and middle-income countries. Eugene will continue her training to become a… read more about Eugene Cho to Georgetown Medical School »
Kelly Araujo (Class of 2025) has received a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She will begin her studies as a Toll Public Interest Scholar in September. As an honors student in Duke Sociology, Kelly won the Jaya Thomas Sastry award for her research on social hierarchies in men’s prisons. She plans to continue working for criminal justice reforms, especially preventing wrongful convictions. read more about Kelly Araujo Receives Full Ride to Penn »
What factors determine our chances of leading a successful life?In 2023, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) took on the task of studying that question through a review of research across a wide variety of disciplines.NASEM’s recently released consensus study report, Economic and Social Mobility: New Directions for Data, Research, and Policy, develops a framework for ongoing research to understand and expand opportunities for economic and social mobility in the United States.The report was… read more about Duke Sociologist Tyson Brown on Social Mobility and Opportunity in America »
Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has invited its faculty to submit proposals for the creation of new research initiatives on campus.Following the successful launches of the SPACE Initiative and the Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Trinity Research Initiative will support new directions for interdisciplinary research through seed funding for nascent research collaborations, community-building, and complementary educational and outreach activities.Open to all areas of research and… read more about Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Invites Proposals for New Research Initiatives »
Talent is evenly distributed — opportunity is not. It is this shared belief that has united Duke University, the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, and the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON). Through this new partnership, more than 200 talented scholars from low-income high schools will have the opportunity to experience a course taught by a Duke University professor next spring. “At Duke, we believe deeply in the transformative power of education to change lives and strengthen communities.… read more about New Partnership between Duke, National Education Opportunity Network to Bring College Courses to Low-Income High Schools »
Colder weather means it’s time to curl up with a book. New readings from Duke authors include everything from a mystery and a middle-grade novel to books on privacy, hip-hop and fast fashion. Below is a roundup of some of the most recent and upcoming published titles. Many of the books, including new editions of previous titles, can be found on the “Duke Authors” display shelves near the circulation desk in Perkins Library. Some are available as e-books for quick download. Most can also be purchased through the… read more about Books for When There’s a Chill in the Air »
In 2022, Marcus Johnson paused his Duke education after the Miami Marlins drafted him to play professional baseball. In August 2025, Johnson returned to Durham for a semester to complete his remaining graduation requirements, including a senior research project. Driven by curiosity about his own experiences as an athlete, Johnson chose to study how and why children’s socioeconomic status shapes their ability to participate and succeed in organized sports.Johnson contributed to decades of scholarship showing that parental… read more about Marcus Johnson Finds Privileged Kids More Likely to Play Sports »
Gathered on the top floor of the Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke Building on West Campus, members of Trinity College’s leadership recently saw how the modern and the historic are becoming intertwined in the building’s renewal. Hundreds of terra cotta tiles and sections of the original roof structure have been carefully removed to make way for a new penthouse that will house modern building systems. The Reuben-Cooke Renewal project brings new life to a historic structure that opened in 1931 during the first wave of construction of… read more about A Look Inside the Renewal of Reuben-Cooke »
Students interacted with faculty, staff and other students from different programs in every corner of Duke. (Trinity Communications) From the moment I entered Penn Pavilion, I was welcomed by enthusiastic professors and friendly Trinity Ambassadors who generously shared their insights and patiently answered my many questions. Their warmth set the tone for an encouraging and intellectually vibrant experience. As I moved through the fair, I made a conscious effort to visit tables I… read more about More Than Choosing a Major: A First-Year’s Reflection on Majors Fair »
Duke Sociology undergraduate student, Sophia Yassinger, featured in Forbes article. Download Sophia Yassinger Featured in Forbes Article (pdf - 1.16 MB) read more about Sociology Undergraduate Student in Forbes »
In an up-close and personal event, Duke Conversations turned the Ruby Lounge in the Rubenstein Arts Center into a dining room for its “Meet the Deans” event on Tuesday, September 30. The event featured senior leadership from across the undergraduate schools, including Deborah Reisinger, Dean of Undergraduate Education for Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Manoj Mohanan, Interim Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy, Jerome “Jerry” Lynch, Vinik Dean of Engineering for the Pratt School of Engineering, Lori Snyder… read more about In Conversation with Duke’s Top Undergraduate Leaders »
In his role as North Carolina’s secretary for health and human services, Kody Kinsley would often plead his case for health care equity.But not with those words.Instead, Kinsley would often use a compelling anecdote or factoid – like pointing out that Black women are twice as likely to die during childbirth than white women. He knew technocratic language was off-putting to some audiences – which he couldn’t afford given his position as a Democratic appointee working with a majority-Republican state legislature.“Certain… read more about All Beliefs Welcome »
290.01: Power and Society Professor Mary Hovsepian TuTh 1:25 PM - 2:40 PMExploration of power as people's or groups' ability to impose their will on others, even against resistance. Interrogates the basis, forms, and relations of power through a sociological lens. Analyzes interconnections between power and social, economic, and political inequalities. Critically explores how power operates in states, corporations, and other institutions at the national and international levels. Considers options and… read more about New Courses for Spring 2026 »
On September 26, a group of Duke faculty representing several disciplines gathered in person for the first meeting of the new “Teaching in the Age of AI” Faculty Learning Community (FLC), led by Jennifer Ahern-Dodson, Associate Professor of the Practice in the Thompson Writing Program, and supported by CARADITE. Attendees exchanged introductions and reflected on their attitudes toward generative AI — a mix of excitement and caution — and their motivations for joining this new venture. read more about Teaching in the Age of AI: A New Faculty Learning Community Takes Root at Duke »
Umang Dhingra, a psychology and sociology major, was selected for a Jacqueline Morris Fellowship Award for Research on Child and Family Policy from the Center for Child and Family Policy. The fellowship comes with a $1,000 stipend to support her research work. read more about Umang Dhingra Selected for Jacqueline Morris Fellowship Award »
“I come from a household background that is not very typical in China: My mom earns much more income than my dad, which is the opposite of the conventional cultural norms,” said Wenhao Jiang. The new assistant professor of Sociology now studies inequality, mostly along the lines of gender, in the U.S. labor market. Jiang’s research focuses on the devaluation of jobs that have become more feminized (i.e., increasingly performed by women), and on the cultural mechanisms at play. “When there's an increasing… read more about Wenhao Jiang Studies the Devaluation of “Women’s Jobs” »
“I study what makes or breaks science,” said Daniel Scott Smith, assistant professor of Sociology. Smith studies the social foundations of science, focusing on peer review — the evaluation process of a scientific paper before it's accepted for publication in a journal. Is this research new? Is it accurate? Does it make a valuable contribution to the literature? Does it generate new ideas and open new paths of research? These are all questions one might ask when evaluating new science for… read more about Daniel Scott Smith Studies the Scientific Peer Review Process »
