Department of Sociology
Experts know COVID-19 won’t be the last major pandemic. What they don’t know is where, or when, the next one will begin. An interdisciplinary team from Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM) is hoping to change that. Thanks to a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the team is pinpointing the factors that are likely to turn a local outbreak into a global pandemic. At Duke, the research… read more about Duke Team Awarded $1 million to Predict the Next Pandemic »
Matt Dupre (PI) and Scott Lynch (Co-I) were recently awarded $1.7 million by NIH for an R01 study on the life course patterns and predictors of hospitalizations in older adults with heart failure. The study is a collaboration among faculty from the Department of Sociology, Population Health Sciences, Family Medicine and Community Health, and the University of Texas Southwestern. read more about Matthew Dupre and Scott Lynch Awarded NIH Grant »
On Thursday, May 19th, 2022, Claire Le Barbenchon successfully defended her dissertation entitled, “Essays on Migration, Social Networks and Employment”. Her committee included Maria-Giovanna Merli (chair), James Moody, Lisa A Keister, Alexander Volfovsky, and Marcos Rangel. Claire was a member of the inaugural cohort of the joint PhD in Public Policy and Sociology and is the first student to graduate with the joint degree. She also graduated with a Master's in Statistical Science with her thesis entitled "Optimizing the… read more about Le Barbenchon Successfully Defends Dissertation »
Congratulations to Maria Febbo on her appointment to Lecturer (regular-rank) in the Department of Sociology. read more about Maria Febbo Appointed to Lecturer »
Tyson Brown has been named the W.L.F. Associate Professor of Sociology in recognition of outstanding scholarship and teaching that aligned with the Bass Connections program. This coming year, Professor Brown will serve as the theme leader for the new Bass Connections Race and Society theme. Click here to read full article. read more about Tyson Brown Appointed to Endowed Bass Connections Professorship »
Professor of Sociology, Chris Bail, has been extremely busy, and his hard work is paying off. First, the Templeton Foundation has awarded Chris and the Polarization Lab $1.85 million to study methods for increasing intellectual humility on social media. The project is on a timely topic and entitled “Can Social Media Promote Intellectual Humility?” (abstract below). The grant provides a big boost to Chris’s work in the Polarization Lab and is beneficial all around. Second, the impact of Chris’s work has… read more about Congratulations to Chris Bail, on his many recent successes »
Professor Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Co-PI, on a recently funded NSF grant for the Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education-Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (AIICE-PRF). ABSTRACT: While computer science (CS) has transformed society, these groundbreaking technologies have proven extremely harmful for people from groups that are historically underrepresented in computing. This can be attributed to the lack of diversity in academic and professional computing environments.… read more about Sociology Professor, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Receives NSF Grant »
Four new members joined the Duke University Board of Trustees on July 1, university officials announced Friday. Among the four new members is Sociology graduate, Kacia A. Anderson, a 2022 Duke graduate who studied sociology and chemistry. Nominated by the Undergraduate Young Trustee Nominating Committee, Anderson, T’22, was a David M. Rubenstein Scholar and Questbridge Scholar and served as a peer mentor for the Rubenstein Scholars and DukeLIFE. A proud first-generation Jamaican-American, she focused her… read more about Sociology Graduate, Kacia Anderson, Named to the Duke Board of Trustees »
Congratulations to sociology’s Jessica Ellington on receiving a Dean’s Pillar of Excellence Award in recognition of her many outstanding contributions to Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. She is one of only four recipients of this award. “While this may not come as a surprise to those of us who work with Jessica, it is wonderful to see that her contributions are valued across Duke University.” – Chair Read The Dean's Pillars of Excellence Staff Award was stabled in 2017, and is presented… read more about Congratulations to Jessica Ellington, Dean's Pillar of Excellence Award Winner »
Sociology Professor, Christopher Bail, appears in The New Yorker, where his work is featured. Click here to read the full article. read more about Sociology Professor, Chris Bail, in The New Yorker »
Set deep within the Blue Ridge mountains, far from Duke’s campus, a group of almost 40 campers huddled around the campfire ready to discuss the day’s activities. Archery, board games and hiking had kept them busy. But now it was evening, and they were tired and ready to eat s’mores and share typical campfire stories — like dealing with academic stress and deciding on a career path. Well, maybe not so typical, as these weren’t just any campers, but Duke sophomores on a meditative retreat. Soon, they would go back to their… read more about Students Explore Life’s Most Important Questions Through New Program for Sophomores »
Joseph Roso has been named the 2021-2022 Graduate Teaching Award Recipient. The Graduate Teaching Award is presented each year to a graduate student selected for excellence in teaching as an individual instructor or as a teaching assistant. read more about Roso Receives Teaching Award »
Em Maloney has been named the 2021-2022 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 year as the Vorsanger-… read more about Maloney named Vorsanger-Smith Scholar »
Sociology Professor Eduardo Bonilla-Silva's acclaimed "Racism without Racists" examines in detail how whites talk, think, and account for the existence of racial inequality and makes clear that color-blind racism is as insidious now as ever. Click here to read full article. read more about Latest Edition of Professor Bonilla-Silva's "Racism Without Racists" Among Spotlighted Spring Books »
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 chapter. Alberta Simmons Allessandra Reuben Ashley Russell Ashwin Subramaniam Bailey Davis Bates Crawford Carolina Paniagua Dejanae… read more about Congratulations to the 2022 AKD Inductees! »
On April 21, Duke Sociology Honors students presented findings from their year-long research projects. Under the direction of Dr. Maria Febbo, students collected and analyzed data on a diverse range of topics, as indicted below. Thesis titles are listed in order of students in the picture, from left to right. Francesco Pucci: “Who Saves the Day?” Racial Messaging in Superhero Cartoons Malik Scott: “No Man is an Island”: Exploring Black Men’s Health Decisions Through a… read more about 2022 Honors Symposium: Honors Students Present Findings »
Each year, Duke Service-Learning recognizes undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and community partners with the Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Awards. Betsy Alden was a pioneer in service-learning, beginning her work at Duke during the 1980s. Read more about the legacy of Betsy Alden HERE. Recipients are chosen because they represent an exceptional commitment to the ideals of service‐learning. Each winner receives $150 to further develop his/her community-building and leadership skills. … read more about 2022 Alden Award Winners Represent the Best of Service-Learning »
On Thursday, March 31th, 2022, Joseph Quinn successfully defended his dissertation entitled, “Network Contexts and Social Identities Interact to Shape Beliefs and Behaviors.” His committee included James Moody and Lynn Smith-Lovin (co-chairs), Ashley Harrell, Craig Rawlings, and Sarah Gaither. Joe has accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Sociology, where he will study how social networks shape trust, cooperation, and inequality between… read more about Joseph Quinn Defends Dissertation, Accepts Tenure-Track Position »