Department of Sociology
Higher education institutions like Duke are gateways to opportunity and success for many low-income and first-generation college students. They are also home to professors who once stood in those students’ shoes and used their education to get into academia. Here are some professors from Duke who were low-income, first-generation (LIFE) college students. Jen’nan Read: Sally Dalton Robinson professor of sociology, chair of the department of sociology Jen’nan Read was born in the United States and moved to… read more about Professors from low-income first-generation backgrounds are ready to help Duke students »
Matt Dupre (PI) and Scott Lynch (Co-I) were recently awarded an NIH/R21 ($442,750) to study the social determinants of access to care and 30-day readmission in older adults with heart failure. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, the research builds on their work examining how barriers to routine medical care lead to poor outcomes in those living with heart disease. The study is a collaborative effort among faculty from the Department of Sociology, Population Health Sciences, School of Nursing, and the Duke Clinical… read more about Matthew Dupre and Scott Lynch awarded NIH grant »
Dr. Ken Land, the John Franklin Crowell Professor Emeritus of Sociology and his co-authors, Anatoliy I. Yashin, and Eric Stallard, received the 2019 Eric Siegel Book Review Award. Here is the link to the article from the Duke Population Research Institute about the award. https://dupri.duke.edu/news-events/news/baru-researchers-receive-eric-ziegel-book-review-award-technometrics read more about Ken Land and Co-Authors Receive 2019 Eric Siegel Book Review Award »
On Thursday June 13, 2019, Lauren Valentino successfully defended her dissertation entitled “What is a ‘Good’ Job? Cultural Logics of Occupational Prestige.” Her dissertation committee consisted of; Steve Vaisey(Chair), Chris Bail, Kieran Healy, and Jessi Streib. She has accepted a position as a postdoctoral associate at the Kenan Institute for Ethics here at Duke beginning in fall 2019. read more about Valentino Defends PhD. and Accepts PostDoc at Kenan Institute for Ethics »
Friedolin Merhout has accepted a position at the University of Copenhagen. Starting August 1, 2019, he will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology. read more about Merhout Accepts Position at the University of Copenhagen »
On Thursday May 30, 2019, Friedolin Merhout successfully defended his dissertation titled: “Consequences and Corrections of Misperceptions in Intergroup Relations”. His committee consisted of: Christopher Bail (Chair), Stephen Vaisey, Kieran Healy, Martin Ruef, and Lynn Smith-Lovin. read more about Merhout Defends PhD. »
Molly Copeland has been named the 2018-2019 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… read more about Copeland named Vorsanger-Smith Scholar »
Jack Preiss, professor emeritus of sociology, passed away in April at the age of 99. Jack came to Duke with a joint appointment in Sociology and Psychiatry (Medical Sociology). His appointment in the Medical School was more than an administrative convenience (e.g., he served on a committee to completely revise the Duke Medical School curriculum). After retirement, he worked assiduously on various social issues (e.g.,. race relations, housing for the poor and elderly) as they were manifested in Durham. The Preiss-Steele… read more about Duke Remembers Jack Preiss, Professor Emeritus of Sociology »
Sociology Chair Jen'nan Read was among seven professors inducted into the Bass Society of Fellows and awarded a Bass professorship in recognition of excellence in both research and undergraduate teaching. Read more about the honor on Duke's Faculty Advancement site and Duke Today. read more about Jen'nan Read Awarded Bass Professorship »
Starting in August 2019, Simon Brauer will be a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. This is through the Moral Ecology Fellowship, through which he will be analyzing the National Survey of Moral Formation, a survey of more than 3,000 pairs of parents and their teenage children. read more about Brauer Accepts Postdoc Position at the IASC at the University of Virginia »
Lisa Keister of Duke Sociology and Jody Vallejo of USC edited a special issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies that has just been published. Wealth is an important measure of advantage and disadvantage, especially in a global context of wage stagnation, growing debt, and rising inequality. Research on the wealth attainment of immigrants and their descendants is fundamental to understanding patterns of migration, stratification, and integration. The collection of papers in this volume link ethnic and migration… read more about A new volume of The Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies edited by Lisa Keister »
Elizabeth Warren is proposing as part of her Presidential campaign a policy for the cancellation of up to $50,000 in student loan debt for 42 million Americans and the availability of this policy going forward. The policy termed the “Universal Free Public College and Cancel Student Loan Dept” proposal is supported by an analysis from Brandeis University of data from the Survey of Consumer Finances. Included among the co-authors are two recent Duke Sociology graduates, Louise Seamster (PhD ‘17) and Raphaël Charron-Chénier… read more about Sociology Alumni Influencing the Presidential Election. »
Dr. Chris Bail is quoted in an article on NPR How President Trump's Angry Tweets Can Ripple Across Social Media. He states that " We've created a situation in which our political leaders are rewarded for that kind of behavior, both from their bases and their electorate, but also from, you know, social media platforms and also, to some degree, from the media as well. " read more about Bail Quoted In NPR Article »
On Friday March 29, 2019, Brian Aronson successfully defended his dissertation entitled: “Networks of Competition: The Foundation of Market Structure and Competitive Constraint in Organizational Ecosystems". His committee consisted of: Lisa Keister(Co-Chair), James Moody(Co-Chair), Christopher Bail, and Martin Ruef. read more about Aronson Successfully Defends PhD. »
On Monday, March 25, 2019 Bethany Young successfully defended her dissertation entitled: “Brown Sugar and Spice: Exploring Black Girlhood at Elite, White Schools”. Her committee consisted of; Eduardo Bonilla-Silva(Co-Chair), Lynn Smith-Lovin(Co-Chair), Sarah Gaither, Tyson Brown, and Jessi Streib. read more about Young Successfully Defends PhD. »
On Monday, March 25, 2019 Simon Brauer successfully defended his dissertation entitled: “Cohort Succession, Intergenerational Transmission, and the Decline of Religion in the United States”. His committee consisted of: Mark Chaves(Chair), Jen’nan Read, Linda K. George, and Stephen Vaisey. read more about Brauer Successfully Defends PhD. »
On Thursday March 21, 2019, Marcus Mann successfully defended his dissertation entitled: "How Political Differentiation of Knowledge Authority Affects Public Understandings of Science and Political Media”. His committee members were Christopher Bail(Chair), James Moody, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Martin Ruef. read more about Mann Successfully Defends PhD. »
Tuesday, March 19, 2019, Joshua Bruce successfully defended his PhD. dissertation titled: "Career Dynamics in the U.S. Civil Service". His committee consisted of: Martin Ruef, (Chair), Stephen Vaisey, Joao “John” de Figueiredo, and James Moody. read more about Bruce Successfully Defends PhD. »
Jessie West is the recipient of the Graduate School's 2019-2020 Phillip Jackson Baugh Fellowship for her dissertation research on stress proliferation and disability from a life course perspective. This one-year competitive 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 West Wins Baugh Fellowship »
Molly Copeland is the recipient of the Graduate School's 2019-2020 Katherine Goodman Stern Fellowship. This competitive one-year fellowship is awarded to advanced students in the write-up stage of their dissertation. The Stern Fellowship provides an annual stipend, as well as tuition and fees. read more about Copeland awarded the Katherine Goodman Stern Fellowship »
Women in the One Percent: Gender Dynamics in Top Income Positions Duke Professor, Lisa Keister and her coauthors, in an article published in American Sociological Review, delve in to the question of whose income is responsible for pushing a households’ income level into the one percent stratum. Abstract A growing body of research documents the importance of studying households in the top one percent of U.S. income distribution because they control enormous resources. However, little is… read more about Lisa Keister asks, “Whose income in the family is responsible for them being in the 1% group?” »
The Provost and the Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies annually support the creation of new collaborative groups of Duke faculty. Each collaboration is provided seed money support for one calendar year to develop joint grant applications or sustainable products such as research projects, classes or other curriculum offerings around new and emerging areas of interest. Participation this year by Sociology faculty includes: Chris Bail in the Big Data and Social Interactions group, which is… read more about Sociology Faculty Take Part in 2019 Intellectual Community Planning Grants »
Emma Xiaolu Zang, Ph.D. candidate in Public Policy (Sociology Track) has accepted an appointment as Assistant Professor of Sociology at Yale University beginning Fall 2019. Emma has worked extensively with Scott Lynch, with whom she has co-authored two papers on their way to publication. Emma also has been a Research Assistant for Ken Land with whom she has co-authored two articles in peer-reviewed journals and two chapters in edited volumes. One of the articles, “Recent Trends in US Mortality in Early and Middle… read more about Emma Zang Accepts Position at Yale University »
On Friday, January 29, 2019, Nick Bloom successfully defended his dissertation titled: “Three Ways Social Factors Stratify Individual Choices About Organizations”. His committee consisted of Martin Ruef (Chair), Kieran Healy, Scott Lynch, and Steve Vaisey. read more about Bloom Successfully Defends PhD. »
Nick Bloom has accepted a position as a human-centered design consultant in Deloitte's Government and Public Services division in Rosslyn, VA. He will start work there in February 2019. read more about Nick Bloom Accepts Position With Deloitte »
Marcus Mann has accepted a tenure-track assistant professor position in the Department of Sociology at Purdue University, focusing in the areas of computational social science and the sociology of knowledge. He will join the Purdue faculty in the Fall of 2019. read more about Marcus Mann Accepts Position at Purdue University »
Josh Bruce has accepted a tenure-track assistant professorship in the Organizational Behavior group of the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He will join the UIUC faculty in Fall 2019. read more about Josh Bruce Accepts Position at the University of Illinois »
Dr. Gary Gereffi has a new book on Global Value Chains and Development: Redefining the Contours of 21st Century Capitalism, published by Cambridge University Press. It highlights the emergence of the global value chains (GVC) framework as a key paradigm for both researchers on globalization and international development organizations like the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Labor Organization. During a recent research trip to China in October, Gereffi gave a keynote address… read more about Duke Professor Brought in as Expert in International Trade Disputes Involving China and Mexico »
On Friday, November 16, 2018, Emi-Lou Weed successfully defended her dissertation entitled: “Emotion and Identity in the Transition to Parenthood”. Her committee consisted of Lynn Smith-Lovin (Co-Chair), Linda Burton (Co-Chair), Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, and Linda George. read more about Weed Successfully Defends PhD. »