Department of SociologyOn Nov. 2, 2016, Jessica Dawson successfully defends her dissertation “Errors in Judgment: How Status, Values, and Moral Foundations Influence Moral Judgments of Guilt and Punishment” Her Committee consisted of: Lynn Smith-Lovin (Chair), Steve Vaisey, Kenneth Spenner, and Edward Tiryakian read more about Dawson Successfully Defends Ph.D »
Trenita Childers' co-authored chapter with San Juanita Garcia (UNC-Chapel Hill), "The Racial Implications of Immigration Policy" was published in the The Agenda for Social Justice: Solutions 2016. Written by a highly respected team of contributors brought together by the Society for the Study of Social Problems at the University of Tennessee, the collection offers recommendations for key actions to be taken by elected officials, policy makers, and the public in advancing social justice. The … read more about Childers Published in "The Agenda for Social Justice: Solutions 2016" »
Linda George, Arts and Sciences Professor of Sociology at Duke, who earned her Ph.D. in Sociology at Duke in 1975, was recognized an inductee into the Duke Graduate School Few-Glasson Alumni Society. The society recognized graduates of the school who have distinguished themselves through their career accomplishments, the potential of their current endeavors, or their support for graduate students and graduate education at Duke. To learn more about the society and George, read the story in the Duke Graduate School News. read more about George Among 3 Alumni Named to Inaugural Class of Few-Glasson Society »
Robert Reece's peer-reviewed study finds that the simple perception of exoticism sways people to see multiracial blacks as better-looking. Reese also notes "Being exotic is a compelling idea, so people are attracted to a certain type of difference. It’s also partially just racism – the notion that black people are less attractive, so being partially not-black makes you more attractive. read more about Reese Study Featured in "Duke Research" »
Collin Mueller's research on the experiences of uninsured patients with faith-based organizations in the healthcare safety net has been selected to receive a Scientific Study of Religion Student Research Award. This grant is in the amount of $3,000." read more about Mueller Wins Research Award »
Nick Bloom is the recipient of the Graduate School's 2016-2017 Phillip Jackson Baugh Fellowship for his research entitled: "Social and Organizational Influence on Patient Decision-Making." This one-year fellowship is for the promotion of careers and interest in the areas of aging and human development. The Baugh Fellowship provides an annual stipend, as well as tuition and fees. read more about Bloom Wins Baugh Fellowship »
Mary Beth Hunzaker is the 2015-2016 recipient of the department's Vorsanger-Smith award. 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. read more about Hunzaker Wins Vorsanger-Smith Award »
Collin Mueller's research on “Understanding and Addressing Barriers to Accessing the Faith-Based Safety Net and Unmet Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health” has been selected for a 2016 Constant H. Jacquet Research Award from the Religious Research Association in the amount of $3000. The selection of the project for funding acknowledges the merit of Collin's research and its potential to enrich the understanding of religious life. read more about Mueller Wins Jacquet Research Award »
Steven Jefferson was selected to receive a 2016 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship for his research titled: “Mobility Beliefs and College-Seeking Behavior: The Role of Perceived Barriers in Processes of Educational Attainment”. The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships are awarded in a national competition to doctoral-level students who have demonstrated potential to contribute to strengthening the vitality and diversity of the U.S. science and… read more about Jefferson Selected for NSF Fellowship »
On June 6th, 2016, Louise Seamster successfully successfully defended her dissertation: "Race, Power and Economic Extraction in Benton Harbor, Michigan" Her committee was: Linda Burton, Co-Chair, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Co-Chair, Lee Baker, Matthew Hughey, and Carol Stack read more about Seamster Awarded Ph.D. »
On June 3rd, Amie Bostic successfully defended her dissertation: "Inequality, the Welfare State, and Demographic Change" Her committee was: Kieran Healy, Co-Chair, Martin Ruef, Co-Chair, Steve Vaisey, and David Brady read more about Bostic Awarded Ph.D. »
Raphaël Charron-Chénier, Joshua Fink, and Lisa Keister’s article “Race and Consumption: Black and White Disparities in Household Spending” was published online ahead of print in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. read more about Charron-Chénier, Fink, and Keister published in "Sociology of Race and Ethnicity" »
Louise Seamster's article with Victor Ray, "Rethinking Racial Progress: a Response to Wimmer," was published in the most recent issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies. read more about Seamster and Ray in "Ethnic and Racial Studies" »
Collin Mueller was recently recognized as a recipient of The American Sociological Association’s Sydney S. Spivack Program in Applied Social Research and Social Policy Community Action Research Award. http://www.asanet.org/funding/cari.cfm read more about Mueller wins ASA Award »
Trenita Childers was selected to receive a SAGE Teaching Innovations & Professional Development Award. The purpose of this award is to prepare a new generation of scholars and leaders in the Teaching Movement in Sociology by providing supplemental funds to support participation in the Section on Teaching and Learning’s pre-conference workshop, “The Relevant Syllabus.” Trenita will attend the workshop this summer in Seattle, Washington. read more about Childers Selected for Sage Award »
Bryce Bartlett, a PhD candidate in sociology and trainee in the demography of aging, along with his coauthor, Cyrus Schliefer received an award at the Population Association of America's 2016 annual meeting for their poster: "Projecting Religious Switching in America: A Bayesian Cohort Component Approach." Using the General Social Survey Panels 2006-2014, they estimate rates of religious switching, mortality, and fertility, and simulate changes in proportions of religious affiliation into the future. Their study finds… read more about Bartlett Awarded Best Poster at PAA »
Robert Reece discusses his research on inaugural podcast sponsored by the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity journal. read more about Reece discusses his research on Sage podcast »
On April 3rd, Jacob C. Fisher successfully defended his dissertation: "Latent space and social psychological models of diffusion" His committee was: James Moody, Chair, Steve Vaisey, Martin Ruef, Ken Spenner, and David Banks read more about Fisher Awarded Ph.D. »
On March 24th, E. Paige Borelli successfully defended her dissertation: "Investing in the Homeland: Foreign Assets and Patterns of Immigrant Economic Incorporation" Her committee was: Lisa Keister, Chair, Bai Gao, Jen’nan G. Read, and Martin Ruef read more about Borelli Awarded Ph.D. »
Robert Reese has been awarded a pre-doctoral fellowship for the 2016-2017 from the ASA Minority Fellowship Program. This award, which comes with a stipend and travel, supports the development and training of sociologists of color in any sub-area or specialty in the discipline. read more about Reece Awarded ASA Minority Fellowship »
Trenita Childers was selected for a Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship for her dissertation research titled: " 'We Are Not Foreigners': Immigrant Status and Mental Health Among Haitian Descendants in the Dominican Republic". Trenita's project is an ethnographic examination of how perceived discrimination, ethnic identity, and documentation status impact the lives of people of Haitian descent in the D.R. The Ford Dissertation Fellowships are awarded in a national competition to individuals who… read more about Childers Awarded Ford Fellowship »
Amie Bostic has accepted a tenure-track assistant professor at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in the department of sociology this fall. She is very excited to be working in such an area with a great fit for her research, and is also looking forward to be working with another of our graduates, Steven Foy, again. read more about Bostic Accepts Position at UT Rio Grande Valley »
Robert Reece has co-authored featured essay in the spring issue Southern Poverty Law Center's magazine Teaching Tolerance . The essay is based on his dissertation research and explores the connection between slavery and contemporary school segregation in the American South. read more about Reece has feature essay in "Teaching Tolerance" »
A study looking at girls' success in STEM, coauthored by Lauren Valentino and published in Social Problems, was featured on the blog The Society Pages. read more about Valentino study cited in blog »
Louise Seamster's op-ed in The Root coauthored with Jessica Welburn, "How a Racist System Has Poisoned the Water in Flint, Mich." was cited in The New Yorker. Louise looks at how Flint's current water crisis was partly caused by the state assigning a Emergency Financial Manager to replace Flint's city government. read more about Seamster quoted in The New Yorker »
Robert Reece has won the Charles V. Willie Minority Graduate Student Award for 2016. The award gives recognition to minority graduate students for outstanding scholarly promise. read more about Reece Awarded Charles V. Willie Minority Graduate Student Award »
Joshua Fink is graduating with an MS from the Statistical Science department in December 2015 after successfully defending his work “Applying Bayesian Computational Methods and Stochastic Modeling to Crime and Arrest Data.” read more about Fink Earns Master’s in Statistical Science »
Robert L. Reece was awarded first place in the Mid-South Sociological Association's 2015 graduate student paper competition for his paper "Legacies of Slavery: Racial Transition Points and Racial Wealth Inequality." The paper analyzes how the legacy of slavery shapes racial disparities in homeownership and home value across the history of the American South. It takes a detailed look at whether the effect weakens over time and whether the mechanisms change. read more about Reece Wins Award from Mid-South Sociological Association »
Trenita Childers' piece "The question of birth citizenship" has been published as an Op-Ed piece in the July 15th edition of the Raleigh News & Observer. Trenita looks at unfortunate immigration reforms and changes in birthright citizenship status in the Dominican Republic, and sees a similar problem as the US potentially heads in a similar direction. Her opinion piece has also been published by The Providence Journal and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. read more about Childers Published in Several Newspapers »
The most recent Duke Chronicle has highlighted the Department of Sociology newest Minor in Medical Sociology. This Minor is for students who are interested in medicine, health care, and inequalities in access to medical care. Requirements: One of the following core courses (the other course can also be used as an elective) SOC 250: Medical Sociology SOC 361: Social Determinants of US Health Disparities And four of the following electives: SOC 49S: Freshman Seminar – Inequality and Mental… read more about New Sociology Minor highlighted in the most recent Duke Chronicle »