Department of Sociology
Postdoctoral Associate Samuel Fishman's recent research, published in the American Journal of Sociology, observes a distinct education pattern among Asian Americans. The analysis reveals extremely very high levels of offspring education and no association with parents’ education among Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese immigrants. The unique mobility pattern is partially driven by high levels of internal and familial achievement pressure. In contrast, the paper finds that parents' education strongly predicts offspring'… read more about Samuel Fishman, Postdoctoral Associate, Publishes in American Journal of Sociology »
Duke Sociology Professor James Moody quoted in New York Times article "With 11 Million Cases in the U.S., the Coronavirus Has Gotten Personal for Most People." The article references calculations from Professor Moody’s NSF-funded research with Professor Lisa Keister and Dana Pasqual. Probability of knowing someone who Died from COVID-19 in your county. Click here to read full article. read more about James Moody’s research on COVID-19 cited in the New York Times »
Professor of Sociology, Mark Chaves and his research was prominently featured in the New York Times article, Preaching or Avoiding Politics, Conservative Churches Walk a Delicate Line. Click here to read the article. Professor Chaves was also quoted in the New York Times article, New Spirits Rise in Old, Repurposed Churches. He spoke to them for a story about the re-use of old church buildings. Click here to read the article. read more about Mark Chaves Prominently Featured in New York Times Article »
Research by Professor of Sociology Mark Chaves provides the foundation for this New York Times article about how conservative churches engage in politics, even though pastors can’t endorse or oppose candidates from the pulpit. read more about Preaching or Avoiding Politics, Conservative Churches Walk a Delicate Line »
Drawing on the National Congregations Study led by Professor of Sociology Mark Chaves, this New York Times article covers eight churchs that closed before reopening as different kinds of buildings and instutions, including a cafe, a music studio, and an internet archive. read more about New Spirits Rise in Old, Repurposed Churches »
The COVID-19 pandemic has made technology essential to collective religious life. Livestreamed services, viewed from home, are the new normal. But a new study from Duke University shows the number of congregations employing technology during worship services was on the rise even before the pandemic struck. The 2018-19 National Congregations Study, conducted on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, found, among other things, broad use of smartphones during worship services. Congregations encourage their audiences to use their… read more about Going to Church? Bring Your Smartphone! »
Landfall After the Perfect Storm: Cohort Differences in the Relationship Between Debt and Risk of Heart Attack Abstract Analyses of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) between 1992 and 2014 compare the relationship between different levels and forms of debt and heart attack risk trajectories across four cohorts. Although all cohorts experienced growing household debt, including the increase of both secured and unsecured debt, they nevertheless encountered different economic opportunity structures and crises at sensitive… read more about O’Rand and Hamil-Luker article published in Demography »
Coming to Duke from Cornell University, Wildeman is a leading scholar of the consequences of mass imprisonment for inequality, with emphasis on families, health, and children. He is also interested in child welfare, especially as relates to child maltreatment and the foster care system. “Historically, scholars of the criminal justice system were focused almost exclusively on how prison and jail incarceration rates affected one thing: crime rates. As the American incarceration rate is now an extreme outlier relative to… read more about Welcome Christopher Wildeman, New Sociology Faculty »
Here are recently published and forthcoming books by Duke authors, from September and October: Marc Zvi Brettler, co-author: “The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently” Annotated Edition (HarperOne, Oct. 27, 2020) Avshalom Caspi and Terrie E. Moffitt, co-authors: “The Origins of You: How Childhood Shapes Later Life” (Harvard University Press) Samuel Fury Childs Daly: “A History of the Republic of Biafra: Law, Crime, and… read more about New Great Reads from Duke Authors »
The benefits of friendship Teen social networks linked with levels of adult depression. Teens who have a larger number of friends may be less likely to suffer from depression later in life, especially women, a new MSU research/Duke University study has found. For female adolescents, popularity can lead to increased depression during the teen years, but can provide lasting benefits of fewer depressive symptoms later in life. Teens who reported fewer friends show higher rates of depression in adulthood, found MSU Sociology… read more about Christina Kamis, Doctoral Candidate Publishes Article »
Duke University’s Board of Trustees passed a Resolution of Tribute and Naming to honor Linda K. George’s many contributions to Duke University. The resolution includes the naming of a new space in the Rueben-Cooke Building on West Campus to foster intellectual and social camaraderie in the Department of Sociology. The new space will be called the Linda K. George Faculty Commons. Read the full text of the resolution here. read more about Board of Trustees pass Resolution in Honor of Linda K. George »
THE PURPOSE PROJECT AT DUKE ANNOUNCES RACE AND THE PROFESSIONS FELLOWS The Purpose Project at Duke has announced the inaugural cohort of the Race and the Professions Fellowship, a year-long program that will explore the challenges of racial inequities and the work of antiracism in the professions, the broader community, and the world. Click here to read entire article. read more about Peoples Wins Race and the Professions Fellowship »
Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke came to Duke in 1963 as one of the “First Five” Black undergraduates, breaking barriers and entering classroom buildings that had previously been closed to Black students. Now, her legacy as a pioneer at Duke and as a leading lawyer, law professor, university administrator and trustee for both Duke University and The Duke Endowment, will be celebrated by the renaming of one of those classroom buildings after her. The Duke Board of Trustees voted Saturday to rename the Sociology-Psychology Building… read more about Iconic West Campus Building Named After a Duke Pioneer »
At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, there were lots of stories about scrappy manufacturers promising to revamp their factories to start making personal protective equipment in the U.S. Back in the spring, fuel-cell maker Adaptive Energy retooled part of its factory in Ann Arbor, Mich., to make plastic face shields. Now, 100,000 finished shields are piling up in cardboard boxes on the factory floor — unsold. Click here to read the entire article. read more about Why Can't America Make Enough N95 Masks? 6 Months Into Pandemic, Shortages Persist »
The willingness of left-leaning religious congregations to engage in political activity has spiked in the Trump era, new research shows. In particular, many American congregations report becoming substantially more involved in immigration issues, likely in response to the administration’s controversial, hardline stances. And Black Protestant congregations report a surge in political activity since 2012, perhaps in reaction to the ongoing and increasingly visible abuse of Black men by police, the article found. “… read more about In Trump Era, More Progressive Churches Get Politically Active »
Writing with Kraig Beyerlein from Notre Dame, professor of Sociology Mark Chaves argues that his research on the National Congregations Study shows there is "surging political activism among religious progressives in what appears to be a direct response to Trump administration policies." Read the article at CNN. read more about Trump Can't Take the Evangelical Vote for Granted »
On Monday July 20, 2020, Miles Marsala successfully defended his dissertation entitled: “Essays on the Complexities of Social Inequalities and Health Disparities.” His committee consisted of: Scott M. Lynch, Chair, Jenifer Hamil-Luker, Tyson H. Brown, and Matthew E. Dupre. read more about Miles Marsala Defends PhD. »
Against a backdrop of dual crises of public health and racial justice, more than 50 Black faculty, staff and students shared personal stories of racism and discrimination, presented research on racial inequities, and issued urgent calls for change. The day-long symposium, Living While Black, was attended by more than 6,300 members of the Duke community via videoconference. It addressed the national crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is disproportionately affecting communities of color, and the spate of police killings… read more about Living While Black: Raw Discussions on Race at Duke and in America »
Dr. Gary Gereffi was one of two main speakers at a Duke webinar on “COVID-19 and Global Supply Chains: Disruption and Restructuring” on April 21. The event was recorded and the YouTube video link is provided here -- https://igs.duke.edu/news/covid-19-and-global-supply-chains-disruptions-and-restructuring There is also an article in Duke Today about the event. read more about Gary Gereffi Involved In April Webinar On Supply Chains »
What Next? Faculty Research and COVID-19 Every day begins in the same way. I get up. I make my coffee. I look at the data. Everything about this is absurd. To begin with, there’s the absurdity that everyone with a job like mine faces each day. Locked down at home with the kids, trying to get things done, unable to properly teach, write, or think. The household is like a little spacecraft, drifting in the void. Occasionally you venture outside to get supplies, or to check the shields. I find the days are speeding up now,… read more about The Kitchen Counter Observatory »
The Department of Sociology recognizes and congratulates those students receiving their doctoral degree in Sociology during the 2019-20 academic year. Our graduates, along with the titles of their dissertations, are listed below. May 2020 Graduates Jarron D. Bowman "Economic Insecurity, Political Inequality, and the Well-Being of American Families" John P. Bumpus "Essays on the Structural and Cultural Determinants of… read more about Congratulations New Ph.D.s! »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies Mary Duke… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
Newly minted PhD, Steven Jefferson has accepted a postdoctoral position at Rice University in their Department of Sociology starting in the fall of 2020. read more about Jefferson Accepts Postdoctoral Fellowship at Rice University »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Eighteen Duke students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright placements to teach English, study and do research abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Fulbright US Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, offering opportunities in over 140 countries. The Fulbright award is designed to facilitate cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. The awards are announced on a… read more about Eighteen Duke Students And Alumni Awarded Fulbright Scholarships »
Congratulations to Professor Lisa Keister for being recognized in the Top 5% of undergraduate instructors in Trinity College last semester (Fall 2019) in categories of Overall Rating of Course and Overall Rating of Instructor! This honor was for her course: Sociology 223, Data Analytics for Business. read more about Keister In Top 5% of Undergraduate Instructors in Trinity College »
Jen'nan Read – Sally Dalton Robinson Professor of Sociology and chair of the Sociology Department – has been recognized by Trinity College of Arts & Sciences for her excellence in undergraduate teaching. Read was named the 2020 recipient of the Howard D. Johnson Award. “Jen’nan is consistently mentioned among students as one of their favorite professors within sociology," wrote one of her colleagues in the award submission. "This is impressive because some of these students are not even sociology majors, but rather… read more about Jen'nan Read Receives 2020 Undergraduate Teaching Award »
The Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Awards recognize annually one community partner, one faculty member, and one graduating senior for their outstanding commitment to the ideals of service-learning. We are pleased to recognize the following award recipients for their excellent work: STUDENT RECIPIENT: Axel Herrera Ramos (Duke ‘20) Axel Herrera Ramos, a double major in Economics and Sociology, was born in Honduras and immigrated to the United States at the age of seven with his family. He currently calls Durham,… read more about 2020 Betsy Alden Outstanding Service-Learning Award Winners »
On Wednesday April 1, Steven Jefferson successfully defended his dissertation entitled: “Race, Gender and Perceived Barriers: How Beliefs About the Opportunity Structure Shape Postsecondary Pathways.” His committee consisted of: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Chair, Tyson Brown, Royel Johnson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and Martin Ruef. read more about Steven Jefferson Defends PhD. »
On Friday March 27, Guangyu Tong defended his dissertation entitled: “Topics in Selective Migration and Economic Assimilation of New Immigrants”. His committee consisted of: Angel Harris, Chair, Scott Lynch, Jeffrey Swanson, and Mark Chaves. read more about Guangyu Tong Defends PhD. »
On Thursday March 26, Maria Cristina Ramos Flor defended her dissertation entitled: "Identities and Meaning Structures." Her committee consisted of: James Moody, Co-Chair, Lynn Smith-Lovin, Co-Chair, Christopher Bail, and Stephen Vaisey. read more about Maria Cristina Ramos Flor Defends PhD. »