Department of SociologyFrom left to right are: Cheng Shiqiang, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology in Central University of Finance and Economics, pre-doctoral fellow at Duke in 2014-15; Lynn Smith-Lovin and Nan Lin, faculty at Duke; Xueguang Zhou, faculty at Duke from 1994-2006, now Chair of Sociology at Stanford University; Dong Yunsheng, Chair of Sociology at Jilin University and visitor to Duke in the 1990s. Wenhong Chen, Associate Professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at UT-Austin was also at the conference, but missed… read more about Duke Was Well-Represented at a Major International Conference in Beijing September 15-17 2017 on Changes in the Networked Society »
"Eduardo Bonilla-Silva represents the best of sociology. As the 2018 American Sociological Association President, we can be sure he will represent the discipline with both integrity and brutal honesty, paving the path for a more inclusive ASA." For more information please see the full article from Footnotes of the ASA. read more about Introducing Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, 2018 ASA President »
This year, Duke faculty and students dominated the awards and offices of the ASA Section on Mathematical Sociology. From left to right: Kimberly Rogers (Duke PhD, now at Dartmouth College) won the award for best contribution for her ASR article (with Tobias Schroder and Jesse Hoey); Jaemin Lee (now ABD at Duke) won the Best Dissertation in Progress Award; Lynn Smith-Lovin (Robert L. Wilson Professor of Arts and Sciences) won the James S. Coleman Award for lifetime achievement; Ken Land (John Franklin Crowell Professor… read more about Duke dominates Mathematical Sociology Section at ASA in Montreal »
An article by Duke sociology professor Mark Chaves and David Voas, of University College London, won the 2017 Distinguished Article Award given by the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. The article, "Is the United States a Counterexample to the Secularization Thesis?", appeared in the March 2016 issue of the American Journal of Sociology. read more about Mark Chaves awarded "Distinguished Article" award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion »
From the award committee: “Lynn Smith-Lovin, the Robert L. Wilson Professor of Sociology at Duke University is the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Career Award for the ASA section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity. Two principle lines of empirical and theoretical work by Professor Smith-Lovin were felt by the Award’s committee to merit this award. One prominent line of research is Smith-Lovin’s long-term, collaborative effort to extend Affect Control Theory emphasizing that actors assess their own self and… read more about Lynn Smith-Lovin, the Robert L. Wilson Professor of Sociology at Duke University is the recipient of the 2017 Distinguished Career Award for the ASA section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity. »
A study by Duke Sociology PhD student Jessica West has been published in a recent issue of Social Science & Medicine. The study, “Hearing Impairment, Social Support, and Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Adults: A Test of the Stress Process Paradigm,” finds that hearing impairment is a chronic stressor in individuals’ lives and that responses to hearing impairment vary by the availability of social resources. read more about Duke Sociology PhD student Jessica West has been published in a recent issue of Social Science & Medicine. »
The Department of Sociology at Duke University located in Durham, NC invites applications for a tenure-track position at the assistant professor level with expertise in social network modeling and research. Appointment begins July 1, 2018. We seek scholars who have an outstanding research program, strong potential for extramural funding, and evidence of excellence in teaching who can contribute to the rich, interdisciplinary network of scholars affiliated with the Duke Network Analysis Center (https://dnac.ssri.duke.edu/).… read more about Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) Position in Social Network Modeling »
Estimating the number of congregations in the US (and, by extension, estimating change over time) is surprisingly difficult. Using a method first used by Kirk Hadaway and Penny Long Marler in 2005, Simon used Mark Chaves’ National Congregations Study (NCS) data and precise congregation counts from 13 Protestant denominations to estimate the total number of congregations in the US in 1998, 2006, and 2012. The analyses indicate that the number of congregations has (surprisingly) increased over that time frame, from 336,000… read more about Simon Brauer Published an article in The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion entitled:"How Many Congregations Are There? Updating a Survey-Based Estimate" »
Professor Ruef won the Jane Addams Article Award from the American Sociology Association's Community and Urban Sociology Section for his article, "The Historical Demography of Racial Segregation,” published with Angelina Grigoryeva in the American Sociological Review. The Jane Addams Award (formerly the Park Article Award) goes to authors of the best scholarly article in community and urban sociology published in the past two years. read more about Martin Ruef wins Jane Addams Award »
At the Academy of Management Meeting in Atlanta, Professor Yang was recognized as a 2017 Kauffman Foundation Junior Fellow. She is one of seven recipients nationwide who are receiving awards for their cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research on entrepreneurship. See http://www.kauffman.org/microsites/kjff/kauffman-junior-faculty-fellows read more about Tiantian Yang named Kauffman Foundation Junior Fellow »
On July 10, 2017 Collin W. Mueller successfully defended his Ph.D dissertation titled: “Unequally Uninsured: Safety-Net Healthcare Delivery and the Reproduction of Inequality”. His Committee consisted of Linda Burton, Co-Chair, Linda K. George, Co-Chair, Jessi Streib, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. read more about Mueller Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
In a testament to their lasting impact on graduate education, Linda George and John Wilson are being honored with a chaired professorship, created in their names at the University of Texas - Austin. The Linda K. George and John Wilson Professorship will support a faculty member in the areas of community service, philanthropy, health and aging, or law. The professorship has been created by an endowment from Marc Musick and Mary Rose. Marc completed his Ph.D. in Duke sociology roughly twenty years ago and is now a full… read more about Professorship named for Linda George and John Wilson »
Olivia Simpson, an undergraduate majoring in sociology, has co-authored an opinion article on the need for better bus stops in Durham. The article is one output that resulted from Olivia's participation in the Citizenship Lab at the Kenan Institute for Ethics. read more about Olivia Simpson co-authors Op-Ed on Bus System in Herald-Sun »
Jaemin Lee receives the 2017 "Outstanding Dissertation in Progress Award" from the Mathematical Sociology section of the American Sociological Association. This award is annually presented to a student whose dissertation employs mathematics in an interesting, imaginative or ingenious way to advance sociological knowledge. read more about Jaemin Lee wins Outstanding Dissertation in Progress Award »
Linda Burton, the James B. Duke Professor of Sociology in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences and dean of social sciences, will become director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy effective July 1, announced Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Kelly Brownell. She will also hold a joint faculty appointment in the Sanford School. The full article is here. read more about Linda Burton to lead Duke Center for Child and Family Policy »
Jake Fisher accepted a position as a Research Investigator in the Survey Research Center, a center within the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan. read more about Jake Fisher Accepts Position with University of Michigan »
Achim Edelmann, James Moody and Ryan Light authored "When Scientists Take a Stand on Contentious Issues: Disparate Foundations of Scientists' Policy Positions on Contentious Biomedical Research" (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America). According to the study of 378 scientists who signed petitions either supporting or opposing “gain-of-function” research, where potentially pandemic pathogens are intentionally produced for study, the probability of a scientist supporting such… read more about James Moody Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America »
Bryce J. Bartlett has been named the 2016-2017 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 Bartlett Awarded Vorsanger-Smith Scholar Award »
Patricia Homan’s recent study, "Political gender inequality and infant mortality in the United States, 1990-2012", was published in Social Science and Medicine and was featured in The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, and The Pacific Standard. read more about Patricia Homan's recent study is gaining National Attention »
Dr. Gary Geriffi authored an article on why President Trump did not pull out of NAFTA and the effect on the economy. Read more: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2017/04/28/understanding-trade-relations-in-a-value-chain-linked-world/ read more about Dr. Gary Gereffi on "Trump's protectionism and NAFTA -- a losing proposition" »
Dr. Christopher Bail, Douglas and Ellen Lowey Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Policy was named a 2017 Andrew Carnegie Fellows, the Carnegie Corporation of New York announced Tuesday, April 25, 2017. See http://sanford.duke.edu/articles/napoli-bail-awarded-carnegie-fellowships for more details. read more about Dr. Christopher Bail Awarded Carnegie Fellowship »
North Carolina Supreme Court Judge Mike Morgan — the first African American elected to the State Supreme Court without first being appointed by the governor — discussed in a Duke Chronicle article how Duke University impacted his career. Morgan is a 1976 Duke history and sociology major. You can read the full story here. read more about Sociology Major, Judge Mike Morgan, Featured in The Chronicle »
Joshua Fink has accepted a full-time position with the NBA Franchise the San Antonio Spurs. He will work in the front office as their Basketball Operations Data Scientist. read more about Joshua Fink accepts position with San Antonio Spurs »
On April 3, 2017, Raphaël Charron-Chénier successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation titled: “Race and Consumption: Consumer Markets and the Production of Racial Inequality”. His committee consisted of Kieran Healy (Chair), Stephen Vaisey, Eduard Bonilla-Silva, and Lisa Keister. read more about Charron-Chénier Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
On April 3, 2017, Austin W. Ashe successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation titled: “Criminal Injustice: Race, Representative Bureaucracy and New York City's Criminal Justice System”. His committee consisted of Eduardo Bonilla-Silva (Chair), Linda Burton, Mark Anthony Neal, and Kenneth Spenner. read more about Ashe Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
On March 29, 2017, Joshua J. Fink successfully defended his Ph.D dissertation entitled: "Crime, Policing, and Social Status: Identifying Elusive Mechanisms Using New Statistical Approaches". His committee consisted of: Kieran Healy (Chair), Patty McCall, David Brady, Kenneth C. Land, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva. read more about Fink Successfully Defends Ph.D. »
Zimife Umeh was selected to receive a 2017 Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship for her research titled: “Examining the Consequences of Maternal Incarceration”. The Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship is sponsored by the Ford Foundation and administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Fellowships are awarded in a national competition to doctoral-level students who have demonstrated scholarly competence as well as the promise for future achievement as a scholar,… read more about Zimife Umeh selected to receive a 2017 Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship »
On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, Trenita B. Childers successfully defended her Ph.D dissertation; "Trapped Like Monkeys in a Cage: Structural Racism and Mental Health in the Dominican Republic" Her committe consisted of: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva(Co-Chair), Linda K. George(Co-Chair), Mary Hovsepian, and Linda Burton. read more about Childers Successfully Defends Ph.D »
Raphaël Charron-Chénier has accepted a tenure track assistant professor position in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. He will join the ASU faculty in the Fall of 2017. read more about Raphaël Charron-Chénier accepts position at Arizona State University »
Trenita Childers has accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-Chapel Hill. The program is intended to expand the pool of investigators capable of undertaking policy-relevant mental health services and systems research. Through this fellowship, Trenita will gain experience applying research methods to the systematic analysis of criminal justice and mental health service use. read more about Childers Accepts UNC Post-Doc Fellowship »