News

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… 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 Tuesday March 31, Zimife Umeh defended her dissertation entitled: “Gender, Institutions, and Punishment: Examining the Experiences of Formerly Incarcerated Women.”  Her committee consisted of:  Martin Ruef, Co-Chair, Angel Harris, Co-Chair, Tyson Brown, and Jessi Streib.  She has also accepted a Presidential Diversity Fellowship at Brown University. read more about Zimife Umeh Defends PhD. and Accepts Postdoctoral Fellowship at Brown »

On Monday March 30, Jarron Bowman defended his dissertation entitled: “Economic Insecurity, Political Inequality, and the Well-Being of American Families.”   His committee consisted of: Angel Harris, Co-Chair, Scott Lynch, Co-Chair, Nicholas Carnes, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva.  He has accepted a one year Assistant Professorship in the Department of Sociology at Ithaca College starting the fall of 2020. read more about Jarron Bowman Defends PhD. and Accepts Position at Ithaca College »

On Tuesday March 17, John Bumpus defended his dissertation entitled: "Essays on the Structural and Cultural Determinants of Youths' Postsecondary Educational Outcomes."  His committee consisted of: Angel Harris, Co-Chair, Scott M. Lynch, Co-Chair, Christopher Bail, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. read more about John Bumpus Defends PhD. »

On Tuesday March 31, Molly Copeland defended her dissertation entitled:  "When Peers Help and Harm: Adolescent Social Structure and Mental Health". Her committee consisted of:  James Moody, Chair, Christopher Bail, Tyson Brown, and Linda K. George.  She has also accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor at Michigan State starting in the Fall of 2020. read more about Molly Copeland Defends PhD. and Accepts Position at Michigan State »

On Friday, March 27 Joshua Doyle defended his dissertation entitled: “Getting From Trust to Cooperation: the Moderating Role of Cultural Trust”.  His committee consisted of: Stephen Vaisey (chair), Lynn Smith-Lovin, Martin Ruef, and Ashley Harrell King. He has accepted a tenure track position as an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department of Purdue University starting in the fall of 2020. read more about Joshua Doyle Defends PhD. and Accepts Position at Purdue University »

“Write!” For Sarah Gaither, this command reminds her what she needs to make time to do. As an assistant professor of psychology & neuroscience at Duke, she balances a robust teaching and research load with administrative duties, meetings with collaborators and students, leadership of the Duke Identity & Diversity Lab and more. Advancing her own scholarship can get squeezed to the margins, but she can’t allow that to happen during this critical period in her career. From manuscripts, grants and book chapters to… read more about A Community That Writes Together »

Social Media Echo Chambers and Political Polarization Wednesday, March 4, 2020 | 4:30-6:30 PM Chris Bail There is widespread concern that social media platforms have created filter bubbles that reinforce peoples’ pre-existing views and prevent them from being exposed to those who do not share them. Though many people believe popping filter bubbles will reduce political polarization on social media, this talk will present multiple field experiments that challenge this… read more about Social Media Echo Chambers and Political Polarization »

In an effort to learn how people form opinions, Duke sociologist Craig Rawlings turned to an unusual test group -- book clubs. Rawlings and fellow researcher Clayton Childress at the University of Toronto enlisted members of book clubs across the country to read a work of historical fiction -- Jarrettsville, by Cornelia Nixon. The book is centered on real-world events in the post-Civil War period and touches on issues of gender, race and southern identity. Study participants read the book on their own and were surveyed… read more about Wine, Conversation and New Points of View »

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 »

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… 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.… read more about Duke Remembers Jack Preiss, Professor Emeritus of Sociology »

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… 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 »