Department of SociologyEstimating the number of congregations in the US (and, by extension, estimating change over time) is surprisingly difficult. Using a method first used by Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler in 2005, Simon used Mark Chaves’ National Congregations Study (NCS) data and precise congregation counts from 13 Protestant denominations to estimate the total number of congregations in the US in 1998, 2006, and 2012. The analyses indicate that the number of congregations has (surprisingly) increased over that time frame, from 336,… read more about Simon Brauer Published an article in The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion entitled:"How Many Congregations Are There? Updating a Survey-Based Estimate" »
Professor Ruef won the Jane Addams Article Award from the American Sociology Association's Community and Urban Sociology Section for his article, "The Historical Demography of Racial Segregation,” published with Angelina Grigoryeva in the American Sociological Review. The Jane Addams Award (formerly the Park Article Award) goes to authors of the best scholarly article in community and urban sociology published in the past two years. read more about Martin Ruef wins Jane Addams Award »
At the Academy of Management Meeting in Atlanta, Professor Yang was recognized as a 2017 Kauffman Foundation Junior Fellow. She is one of seven recipients nationwide who are receiving awards for their cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research on entrepreneurship. See http://www.kauffman.org/microsites/kjff/kauffman-junior-faculty-fellows read more about Tiantian Yang named Kauffman Foundation Junior Fellow »
On July 10, 2017 Collin W. Mueller successfully defended his Ph.D dissertation titled: “Unequally Uninsured: Safety-Net Healthcare Delivery and the Reproduction of Inequality”. His Committee consisted of Linda Burton, Co-Chair, Linda K. George, Co-Chair, Jessi Streib, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. read more about Mueller Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
In a testament to their lasting impact on graduate education, Linda George and John Wilson are being honored with a chaired professorship, created in their names at the University of Texas - Austin. The Linda K. George and John Wilson Professorship will support a faculty member in the areas of community service, philanthropy, health and aging, or law. The professorship has been created by an endowment from Marc Musick and Mary Rose. Marc completed his Ph.D. in Duke sociology roughly twenty years ago and is now a full… read more about Professorship named for Linda George and John Wilson »
Olivia Simpson, an undergraduate majoring in sociology, has co-authored an opinion article on the need for better bus stops in Durham. The article is one output that resulted from Olivia's participation in the Citizenship Lab at the Kenan Institute for Ethics. read more about Olivia Simpson co-authors Op-Ed on Bus System in Herald-Sun »
Jaemin Lee receives the 2017 "Outstanding Dissertation in Progress Award" from the Mathematical Sociology section of the American Sociological Association. This award is annually presented to a student whose dissertation employs mathematics in an interesting, imaginative or ingenious way to advance sociological knowledge. read more about Jaemin Lee wins Outstanding Dissertation in Progress Award »
Linda Burton, the James B. Duke Professor of Sociology in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and dean of social sciences, will become director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy effective July 1, announced Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Kelly Brownell. She will also hold a joint faculty appointment in the Sanford School. The full article is here. read more about Linda Burton to lead Duke Center for Child and Family Policy »
Jake Fisher accepted a position as a Research Investigator in the Survey Research Center, a center within the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan. read more about Jake Fisher Accepts Position with University of Michigan »
Achim Edelmann, James Moody and Ryan Light authored "When Scientists Take a Stand on Contentious Issues: Disparate Foundations of Scientists' Policy Positions on Contentious Biomedical Research" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America). According to the study of 378 scientists who signed petitions either supporting or opposing “gain-of-function” research, where potentially pandemic pathogens are intentionally produced for study, the probability of a scientist supporting… read more about James Moody Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America »
Bryce J. Bartlett has been named the 2016-2017 Vorsanger-Smith Scholar. The Vorsanger-Smith Scholar Award is presented annually to recognize overall excellence in the graduate program. Excellence is assessed for all areas of performance in the programs, including coursework, examinations, professional presentations, publications and awards, evaluated contributions as teaching and/or research assistants and departmental citizenship. The award consists of the honorary designation during the following academic… read more about Bartlett Awarded Vorsanger-Smith Scholar Award »
Patricia Homan’s recent study, "Political gender inequality and infant mortality in the United States, 1990-2012", was published in Social Science and Medicine and was featured in The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, and The Pacific Standard. read more about Patricia Homan's recent study is gaining National Attention »
Dr. Gary Geriffi authored an article on why President Trump did not pull out of NAFTA and the effect on the economy. Read more: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2017/04/28/understanding-trade-relations-in-a-value-chain-linked-world/ read more about Dr. Gary Gereffi on "Trump's protectionism and NAFTA -- a losing proposition" »
Dr. Christopher Bail, Douglas and Ellen Lowey Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Policy was named a 2017 Andrew Carnegie Fellows, the Carnegie Corporation of New York announced Tuesday, April 25, 2017. See http://sanford.duke.edu/articles/napoli-bail-awarded-carnegie-fellowships for more details. read more about Dr. Christopher Bail Awarded Carnegie Fellowship »
North Carolina Supreme Court Judge Mike Morgan — the first African American elected to the State Supreme Court without first being appointed by the governor — discussed in a Duke Chronicle article how Duke University impacted his career. Morgan is a 1976 Duke history and sociology major. You can read the full story here. read more about Sociology Major, Judge Mike Morgan, Featured in The Chronicle »
Joshua Fink has accepted a full-time position with the NBA Franchise the San Antonio Spurs. He will work in the front office as their Basketball Operations Data Scientist. read more about Joshua Fink accepts position with San Antonio Spurs »
On April 3, 2017, Raphaël Charron-Chénier successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation titled: “Race and Consumption: Consumer Markets and the Production of Racial Inequality”. His committee consisted of Kieran Healy (Chair), Stephen Vaisey, Eduard Bonilla-Silva, and Lisa Keister. read more about Charron-Chénier Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
On April 3, 2017, Austin W. Ashe successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation titled: “Criminal Injustice: Race, Representative Bureaucracy and New York City's Criminal Justice System”. His committee consisted of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (Chair), Linda Burton, Mark Anthony Neal, and Kenneth Spenner. read more about Ashe Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
On March 29, 2017, Joshua J. Fink successfully defended his Ph.D dissertation entitled: "Crime, Policing, and Social Status: Identifying Elusive Mechanisms Using New Statistical Approaches". His committee consisted of: Kieran Healy (Chair), Patty McCall, David Brady, Kenneth C. Land, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. read more about Fink Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
Zimife Umeh was selected to receive a 2017 Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for her research titled: “Examining the Consequences of Maternal Incarceration”. The Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Fellowships are awarded in a national competition to doctoral-level students who have demonstrated scholarly competence as well as the promise for future achievement as a scholar,… read more about Zimife Umeh selected to receive a 2017 Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship »
On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, Trenita B. Childers successfully defended her Ph.D dissertation; "Trapped Like Monkeys in a Cage: Structural Racism and Mental Health in the Dominican Republic" Her committe consisted of: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva(Co-Chair), Linda K. George(Co-Chair), Mary Hovsepian, and Linda Burton. read more about Childers Successfully Defends Ph.D »
Raphaël Charron-Chénier has accepted a tenure track assistant professor position in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. He will join the ASU faculty in the Fall of 2017. read more about Raphaël Charron-Chénier accepts position at Arizona State University »
Trenita Childers has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-Chapel Hill. The program is intended to expand the pool of investigators capable of undertaking policy-relevant mental health services and systems research. Through this fellowship, Trenita will gain experience applying research methods to the systematic analysis of criminal justice and mental health service use. read more about Childers Accepts UNC Post-Doc Fellowship »
Sociology Professor James Moody was cited in Duke Today regarding the Scholars@Duke competition highlighting different approaches to visualizing the collaboration across the University. Moody and the team at the at the Duke Network Analysis Center decided to look at where scholars fit into Duke’s “intellectual space” rather than its physical space. You can read Kara Manke's full article on Duke Today. read more about Webs of Minds and Ideas Bind Duke’s Campus »
On Tuesday, March 7, 2017, Mary Beth Hunzaker successfully defended her Ph.D dissertation "Cultural Cognition and Bias in Information Transmission". Her committee consisted of: Stephen Vaisey(Chair), Lynn Smith-Lovin, Kieran Healy, James Moody, and Linda Burton. read more about Hunzaker Defends Ph.D. »
On Thursday, March 2, 2017, Robert L. Reece successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation "Legacies of Slavery: An Analysis of the Dimensions of Slavery’s Post-Emancipation Effects" His Committee consisted of: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva(Chair), James Moody, Martin Ruef, and Zandria Robinson. read more about Reece Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
Three Duke Sociology doctoral candidates — Patricia Homan, Lauren Valentino and Emi Weed — had their study “Being and Becoming Poor: How Cultural Schemas Shape Beliefs about Poverty” published in the March issue of Social Forces. This study, part of Mark Chaves' Logic of Inquiry course, provides a new look into how Americans think about poverty. read more about Ph.D. Students' Study Published in Social Forces »
Mary Beth Hunzaker has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor (tenure track) at New York University. She will join the Sociology Department faculty there in fall 2017. read more about Hunzaker Accepts Postion at New York University »
Robert Reece has accepted a Tenure Track position in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas Austin. Starting in the fall of 2017 he will be an assistant professor of Sociology. read more about Reece Accepts Position at UT-Austin »
Duke Professors Matthew Dupre (Community and Family Health, and Sociology) and Renato Lopes (Medicine) published the first prospective investigation of how martial history is related to survival after stroke in the United States. The paper, which appeared in the Journal of the American Heart Association, has received international media attention, including NBC News, Reuters, US News & World Report, and the Daily Mail (UK). read more about Dupre's Study Appears in Journal of the American Heart Association »