Two Trinity sociologists have received major honors from the Population Association of America (PAA), recognizing their influential scholarship and leadership in the field of population science. Christopher Wildeman, professor of Sociology, has been awarded the Clifford C. Clogg Award for Mid-Career Achievement, while Hedwig (Hedy) Eugenie Lee, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Sociology, has received the W.E.B. Du Bois Award, becoming the inaugural recipient of that distinction.Wildeman received the Clifford C.… read more about Two Trinity Sociologists Honored with Prestigious PAA Awards »
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 »
The Spring Research Symposium is an annual event where the sociology honors students, with support from honors director Hedwig (Hedy) Lee and other faculty members, present their research to the wider community. Various faculty, students, friends and family came out to support each of our students during their poster presentations and reception.Poster Presentations:Chase Adkins: "Navigating Extremes: Middle-Class Identity at an Elite University"Margaret Cole:… read more about Spring 2026 Research Symposium »
Alexa Carr is a senior majoring in Sociology with a concentration in Work and Organizations, along with a certificate in Decision Sciences and a minor in Cinematic Arts. As president of the Duke Film Club, she leads the annual Duke Independent Film Festival. She has spent semesters studying with Duke in L.A. and in Prague. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Delta and her senior honors thesis, “Lights, Camera, Interaction: Exploring the Impact of Audience Experience on Film Perception,” brings together her interests in sociology… read more about Alexa Carr '26: Saying Yes to the Arts »
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 »
What are the factors that determine one’s chances of living a successful life? That’s the question that Tyson Brown, director of Duke’s Cook Center on Social Equity, was charged with answering as part of a committee brought together by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).The committee included 14 experts from a range of disciplines, including sociology, economics, medicine and public policy, who studied that question by reviewing research from an array of… read more about Duke Sociologist Tyson Brown Shares Which Factors Determine a Successful Life »
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 »