Department News

Undergraduate News: Dana Toy - March 4, 2012

Updated: March 5, 2012

Congratulations to Dana Toy, senior biology and sociology double major, who was named a 2012 Luce Scholar. He is one of 18 scholars nationwide to be selected to spend a year working professionally in an Asian country. The Luce Scholars program was launched in 1974 by the Henry Luce Foundation, which places scholars according to his or her professional interests, background, and qualifications. Scholars also receive stipends and language-training which helps to foster new perspectives and cultural insights through immersive living and work experience. As a pre-med student, Dana hopes to work in a healthcare clinical setting or research laboratory before entering medical school as he aspires to become a physician and clinical researcher. Since his sophomore year at Emory, Dana had the opportunity to work as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Arthur English, an Emory professor of cell biology in Emory's School of Medicine. Additionally, Dana has been involved in various diversity initiatives with the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services. Thus, making him a good fit for the Luce program.

Click here for the Emory News Center article.

Click here for the Emory Wheel article.

Alumni Tribute - Dr. Stuart Hysom - February 4, 2012

Dr. Stuart J. Hysom, Emory '03G and a sociology professor at Texas A&M, passed away on July 7, 2011, as a result of injuries sustained from a car accident.

Click here to read a tribute to him in the Emory Magazine.

Faculty News - Dr. Ellen Idler & Dr. Corey Keyes - January 13, 2012

Updated: January 17, 2012

Dr. Ellen Idler and Dr. Corey Keyes are featured in an Emory College of Arts and Sciences Quad Talk blog on the subject of new research and teaching on aging at Emory. Dr. Idler's spring 2011 social gerontology course hosted former President Jimmy Carter, a University Distinguished Professor at Emory as a guest speaker. Students in the course also did engaged learning at several sites in the community, bringing their classroom learning in touch with the real world.

Click here to read the full blog article.

Faculty News - Dr. Corey Keyes - January 13, 2012

Dr. Corey Keyes, Associate Professor of Sociology, will be participating in the Faculty Within Your Reach speaker series. On Sunday, February 12, 2012, Dr. Keyes will give a talk, "To Happiness and Beyond: Are You Flourishing in Life?" to the Orlando Chapter of Emory Alumni.

Click here for full event details.

Alumni News: Sandra Stone - September 29, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Sandra Stone, '93G and vice president for academic affairs at Dalton State College in Dalton, GA, for being honored in the Emory Alumni Association's Volunteer Spotlight. “Dr. Stone is a true example of a committed academic leader and a treasured volunteer leader for the Laney Graduate School and Emory University,” says Katie Busch, Assistant Dean and Senior Director of Development for the Laney Graduate School.

Click here to read more.

Alumni News: Sherod Thaxton - September 28, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Sherod Thaxton, Emory '09G, for being selected as the inaugural Earl B. Dickerson Fellow and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Earl B. Dickerson was the first African American graduate of the Law School (class of 1920), the first African American president of the National Lawyers Guild, and acting chairman of President Franklin Roosevelt's first Fair Employment Practices Committee. Mr. Dickerson broke the color barrier to membership in the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association and, in 1940, he won a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that set in motion the eventual dismantling of racially restrictive housing covenants (Hansberry v. Lee).

Trained as both a lawyer and a sociologist, Dr. Thaxton spent three years at the Office of the Federal Defender where he litigated the constitutionality of death row inmates' convictions and sentences in federal court. During his fellowship at the University of Chicago Law School, he will teach courses on capital punishment and advanced criminal procedure, as well as revise his dissertation on caprice and bias in the capital punishment process into a book manuscript.

Read more about Sherod Thaxton here.

Undergraduate News: Kristen A. C. Clayton - April 14, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Kristen A. C. Clayton, senior sociology major, who won the 2011 Delores P. Aldridge Award for Excellence in Research. This award is reserved for juniors and seniors who who have excelled at producing new research that focuses on race, ethnicity, and multicultural issues. Kristen’s honors thesis investigates how college and peer environments influence racial identity among undergraduates with one Black parent and one White parent.

Watch a YouTube clip of Kristen talking about her research and her thesis.

Click here for the Emory Report article.

Alumni News - Dr. Nikki Khanna - September 6, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Nikki Khanna, Emory '07G for publishing "Passing as Black: Racial Identity Work among Biracial Americans" which has generated a lot of media curiosity. It has been discussed in Time Magazine, on NPR, and other media outlets.

Alumni News - Dr. Obie Clayton, Jr. - August 27, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Obie Clayton, Jr., Emory '80G for being named Inaugural Donald L. Hollowell Distinguished Professor of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Clayton is the editor of the acclaimed book An American Dilemma Revisited: Race Relations in a Changing World, he is best known for his service and research in examining race relations, urban inequality, demography and the family. The professorship is named in honor of Donald L. Hollowell, a legendary civil rights attorney and lead counsel in Holmes v. Danner,the landmark case that secured admission to the University of Georgia for Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter, the first African American students to register for classes at the University in 1961.

“I’m really honored and I’m humbled,” Dr. Clayton said. “It’s a lot to live up to in the sense of the work that Hollowell did. Hollowell did not go out and solicit attention. He was never in the limelight. He was a person who was in the trenches for most of his career, and that’s what I like—you let your work speak for itself.”

Dr. Clayton grew up in Mississippi during the civil rights movement and followed Hollowell’s career.

“This is an historic moment for the School of Social Work and University of Georgia,” said Maurice C. Daniels, dean of the School of Social Work. “It was an honor to work with our faculty and staff, university leaders, and our donor community to endow the Hollowell Distinguished Professorship, the first distinguished professorship named for an African American at UGA. We are thrilled that Dr. Obie Clayton has joined our faculty as the inaugural Hollowell Professor. Dr. Clayton has a strong commitment to the cause of social justice and an outstanding scholarly background related to social reform, civil rights, and policy related issues,” he said.

Before joining the School of Social Work, Dr. Clayton served as the director of sponsored programs and director of the Morehouse Research Institute at Morehouse College. Prior to that, he was chair and professor of the Department of Sociology and executive director of the Morehouse Research Institute. He also served as the vice provost for research at Morehouse College and was editor of Challenge: A Journal of Research on African American Men.

Over his career, Dr. Clayton has garnered over $10 million in grants. All of his work is centered on individuals who have been disenfranchised. Some of his recent work has dealt with those in the prison systems and those who find themselves victims of substance abuse or homeless. “When we think of social justice and civil rights studies, these are populations at risk and their liberties must be supported, regardless of color of skin or economic status,” he said.

For the last 6 years, Dr. Clayton has used a grant to teach relationship skills and financial literacy to underserved and at-risk populations. He is currently seeking funding to research the effects of the recession on the economic position of middle class African Americans.

He has served on the boards of the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Commission on Children, Marriage and Law, and the Atlanta Crime Commission. He currently serves on the Board of the Atlanta based Disability Resource Group and holds membership in the American Sociological Association, Georgia Sociological Society, American Society of Criminology and the Mid-South Sociological Association, which he served as president in 2002.

In his new role at UGA, Dr. Clayton is designing a “Hollowell Symposium” that will annually invite nationally and internationally known presenters who have done work in the civil rights and peace movement arena. He also is working on designing courses in social work to introduce students to justice studies and other contemporary issues that social workers may face. This spring, he plans to teach a course on civil rights.

“My course on the Civil Rights Movement and the Practice of Social work will expose students to the Civil Rights struggle and how this and, other movements, shape intergenerational attitudes and behaviors,” Dr. Clayton said. “This knowledge will enable practitioners to be more empathetic when dealing with clients from diverse backgrounds.”

Dr. Clayton most looks forward to meeting the students. “That is one of the things that will keep you teaching for 30 years and keeps you young is meeting young people who have a bright future ahead of them,” he said.

Through the president’s hiring initiative, UGA President Michael Adams and Provost Jere Morehead approved a new faculty line for the distinguished professorship. The professorship was endowed in April 2010 and was announced by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., chair of the endowment committee, at the world premiere of the documentary Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice at the Woodruff Fine Arts Center in Atlanta. The documentary was produced by the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies.

Faculty News: Dr. Robert Agnew - July 19, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Agnew, Samuel Dobbs Candler Professor of Sociology, as he was elected President of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). The ASC is the leading organization for academic and research criminologists. It publishes seven journals -- including the top journals in criminology and crime policy; its annual meeting features close to 900 sessions; it provides a range of other services to its members, and it consults with the Department of Justice and other organizations on crime policy. Dr. Agnew will preside over the 2013 meeting of the ASC in Atlanta.

Alumni News - Dr. Joanne Kaufman - July 12, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Joanne Kaufman, Emory '01G and Assistant Professor at University at Albany - SUNY, for receiving the 2011 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are presented annually to faculty and staff in six categories: Faculty Service, Librarianship, Professional Service, Scholarship and Creative Activities, Teaching, and Classified Service. The honor provides systemwide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourages the ongoing pursuit of excellence. Through these awards, SUNY publicly proclaims its pride in the accomplishment and personal dedication of its instructional faculty, librarians, and staff across its 64 campuses and System Administration.

Individuals selected for this honor are role models within the SUNY community. In acknowledgment of their selection, recipients are recognized in the college catalogue by the addition of the phrase "State University Chancellor's Award for Excellence in [category].” A certificate and a Chancellor’s Excellence Medallion are also bestowed upon each honoree to commemorate selection. Recipients are honored by their respective campuses during commencement exercises, at academic convocations, or other special events hosted in their honor.

She was one of 296 faculty and staff to receive the 2010-11 Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. To provide some context, the State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 467,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. The Emory Department of Sociology is truly excited that Dr. Kaufman's received this prestigious honor.

Alumni News: Dr. William Winders - July 8, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. William Winders for receiving the 2011 Book Award for the Political Economy of the World-System Section of the American Sociological Association. Dr. Winders is an Emory '01G and an Associate Professor as well as Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the School of History, Technology, and Society. The Book Award is given each year in recognition of a book that exemplifies outstanding scholarship in global or comparative-international sociology.

It was a competitive year for the Book Award, and the Political Economy of the World-System Section of the ASA is pleased to recognize his work as particularly outstanding within this field. Dr. Winders won the 2011 Book Award for The Politics of Food Supply published by Yale University Press. In keeping with this ASA Section’s tradition, the award will be announced at their annual meeting this August in Las Vegas.

Click here to learn more about The Politics of Food Supply by Dr. Winders.

Alumni News - Dr. Jody Clay-Warner - July 1, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Jody Clay-Warner, Emory '97G and Professor of Sociology at University of Georgia, for being named a 2011 Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor. She is one of five outstanding teachers to receive the professorship that recognizes excellence in instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Meigs Professors receive a permanent salary increase of $6,000 and a fund of $1,000 for academic support. The professorship is named for Josiah Meigs, who in 1801 succeeded Abraham Baldwin as president—and sole professor—of Georgia's fledgling state university.

Dr. Clay-Warner, director of the Criminal Justice Studies Program, has been at UGA since 1998. She also is an affiliate faculty member of the Institute for Women's Studies. She's known as a knowledgeable and well-prepared teacher who is friendly and upbeat.

Dr. Clay-Warner brings a focus on research into her classroom so that even students who do not have hands-on experience are able to understand and appreciate research. Numerous students have conducted research in the Laboratory for the Study of Social Interaction, which she co-directs with sociology colleague Dr. Dawn Robinson. Dr. Clay-Warner also involves students in her own non-laboratory-based research and has a strong record of publishing with her students.

Dr. Jody Clay-Warner has high expectations for her students.

"My goal is to challenge students within a supportive environment," Clay-Warner said. "I think of it as giving students a compass but only stepping in with a map if the navigation becomes too difficult. I want students to have at least one light bulb moment while actually taking an exam. If they don't, then I have wasted the students' time."

"She is a gifted and dynamic professor. . . who gets students to recognize their potential and raise their achievements to match," said Dr. William Finlay, head of the department of sociology. "She constantly seeks new ways to challenge and engage the students, to get them to become as passionate about learning as she is."

Her students said they appreciated her expectations.

"She pushed me in the right direction. . . I may struggle with the materials at time, but she always made me want to do better," one student said in a course evaluation.

"Dr. Clay-Warner challenged me to take my academic performance to the highest level and helped me reach my full potential," said Jennifer McHahon-Howard, an assistant professor of sociology at Kennesaw State University, who earned undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees at UGA.

McHahon-Howard said that she once turned in a thoroughly researched paper only to have it completely marked up. Given all the comments, she thought it was a terrible paper.

"When I met with Dr. Clay-Warner in her office, she said, 'I could tell you put a lot of time and hard work into this paper, so I thought that as your professor I should put just as much time and effort into giving you feedback so you could improve your writing and research skills.' "

"Dr. Clay-Warner is one of, if not the, best professors I've ever had," said a student. "I left the class each day feeling wiser, smarter and like I knew more about the world and could be a better person."

Click here to read the announcement on the University of Georgia's website.

Faculty News: Dr. Robert Agnew - June 29, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Robert Agnew, Samuel Dobbs Candler Professor of Sociology, for having a record number of downloads on his article "A General Strain Theory of Terrorism," published in the journal Theoretical Criminology. It was the most downloaded Theoretical Criminology article in 2010, of all articles published in 2009 and 2010.

SAGE and the journal editor sent along their congratulations on this achievement and for his contribution to the continued high quality and impact of this journal. Click here to read his article.

Alumni News - Dr. Joanne Kaufman - June 17, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Joanne Kaufman, Emory '01G and Assistant Professor at University at Albany - SUNY, for receiving the 2011 Excellence in Full-time Teaching award. Each year, the University at Albany honors special members of its community with Excellence Awards denoting exceptional contributions to the life of the campus. Thirteen faculty and staff members received this tribute in 2011.

Dr. Kaufman’s reputation as an excellent teacher is remarkable given the University at Albany - SUNY Department of Sociology’s overall reputation for excellence in teaching and advising. She is a dedicated and effective teacher at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels, taking her role seriously and putting time and energy into teaching and mentoring.

Dr. Kaufman has taught many different courses including large introductory classes, writing intensive classes, a senior seminar; and graduate research classes. In all of these settings, she creates a learning environment where students are encouraged to participate and raise critical issues. Both student and peer evaluation of her teaching show that her methods are successful in stimulating students’ interest and helping them learn. In the past three years, her evaluations have regularly been above the departmental average for both undergraduate and graduate courses. The scores are exceptionally high on the items “challenged you intellectually” and “held you to high standards”. Open-ended comments include such praise as “by far THE BEST sociology professor,” “I didn’t want to miss class because the class environment was different than other classes,” “This is an awesome class,” and “Joanne Kaufman is literally the best professor I’ve ever had.” One student stated that Dr. Kaufman was the reason that she decided to make sociology her minor. Graduate students stress her dedication and generosity in helping them become successful researchers, and praise the guidance she provides as they prepare papers for conference presentations and submissions to academic journals. Her TAs talk about how much they learn about encouraging students to participate, and facilitating dynamic classroom discussions.

As one of her colleagues remarks: “Dr. Kaufman is central to both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Her commitment to teaching embodies all that is best in the teacher/scholar model that is so highly valued at the University at Albany.”

Click here to read the announcement on the University at Albany-SUNY website.

Alumni News - Dr. Beth Tarasawa - June 6, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Beth Tarasawa, Emory 09G and Assistant Professor at St. Norbert College, for receiving the 2011 Community Action Research Initiative (CARI) award. This honor is announced by the American Sociological Association's (ASA) Spivack Program in Applied Social Research and Social Policy. The CARI is a small grants program that encourages and supports sociologists in bringing social science knowledge, methods, and expertise to address community-identified issues and concerns. In their proposals, each applicant proposed a project of pro bono work with a community organization or local public interest group, the group’s request for collaboration, and the intended outcomes. CARI provides up to $3,000 for each project to cover direct costs associated with the community action research.

Dr. Tarasawa will work with The Giving Tree Pantry of Green Bay, WI. The Giving Tree works to serve families facing economic challenges with the support of the Howard-Suamico School District. Established in 2008, the organization offers food, personal care items, school supplies, and winter apparel, in addition to assisting families with summer school and transportation fees. The Giving Tree works to provide their students with the confidence to excel academically and to assist them in becoming productive citizens of the community. With the help of Dr. Tarasawa, the school district hopes to assess how funded students perform compared to their non-funded peers. Working with Dr. Tarasawa, the Howard-Suamico School District will provide her with de-identified student demographic data matched with test performance measures for the spring 2009 and fall 2010 semesters. She will then use these data to study pantry-funded students who attend summer school to similar socioeconomic students who did not; socioeconomic advantaged students who attended summer school to those who did not. The Howard-Suamico School District hopes, with the outcome of this study, to connect with community businesses and foundations for additional support and funding for their programs.

Click here to read the full ASA footnotes article (May/June 2011).

Faculty News - Dr. Dennis Condron - May 26, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Dennis Condron, Assistant Professor of Sociology, for receiving the 2010 James Coleman Award. James Coleman, an American sociologist, had a far-reaching impact on the U.S.'s government education policy. This award is bestowed by the American Sociological Association for the outstanding article in the field of sociology of education published in 2009 or 2010. Several scholars independently identified Dr. Condron's “Social Class, School and Non-School Environments, and Black/White Inequalities in Children’s Learning” published in the American Sociological Review in October 2009 as the sociology of education article of the year.

The Emory Department of Sociology is truly excited that Dr. Condron's research has earned him this prestigious recognition.

Faculty News - Dr. Cathryn Johnson - May 26, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Cathryn Johnson, Professor of Sociology, who will join the Laney Graduate School as Senior Associate Dean. Her appointment will begin on August 1, 2011.

Cathryn has just completed a full term as Director of Graduate Studies for Sociology. She joined the Emory faculty in 1990 and is an accomplished scholar and mentor. Cathryn’s research focuses on legitimacy processes, emotions, responses to injustice, identity formation and negotiation, and environmental identity and citizenship. In August 2010 she was appointed coeditor, with Dr. Karen Hegtvedt, of the highly-respected Social Psychology Quarterly journal for a three-year term. With a wide range of publications, she is also the recipient of numerous research and teaching grants as well as honors and awards, including the Emory Williams Excellence in Teaching Award (2002), the Sociology Research Award (2007) and most recently, the 2011 George P. Cuttino Award for Excellence in Mentoring. The Cuttino Award in particular recognizes Cathryn’s outstanding and generous contributions to mentoring students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Cathryn’s commitment to graduate education and her accomplishments as DGS will serve her well in her new position where she will be responsible for LGS academic and governance policies, graduate fellowships and competitions, professionalization programming such as the Grant Writing Program and Professional Development Support funds and other academic matters as assigned. She will also be closely involved in student services, recruitment and diversity and will work alongside the Directors of Graduate Studies, the Executive Council and other advisory groups to help facilitate the important processes and outcomes of these governing bodies.

Please take a moment to visit these websites to learn more about Cathryn and her research and teaching interests and accomplishments.

http://sociology.emory.edu/cjohnson/

http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/stories/2011/05/people_commencement_cathryn_johnson_cuttino_award.html

Faculty News - Dr. Cathryn Johnson - May 11, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Dr. Cathryn Johnson, Professor of Sociology, for receiving the 2011 George P. Cuttino Award for Excellence in Mentoring. This is "an honor she says she shares broadly with her community. " Established in 1997 by trustee John T. Clover, the award is named in honor of the late history professor George Peddy Cuttino who was known as a guide and counselor beyond the classroom.

Her nominators said Johnson was an excellent candidate for the Cuttino award due to the history of work she has done to develop programs that make mentoring a "central and routine feature" of the sociology department, as well as the "extent and depth of her mentoring...She is extremely attentive in all of her mentoring especially involved when students need extra help."

Click here to read the full Emory Report article.

Faculty News: Dr. Kathryn Yount - April 28, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Dr. Kathryn Yount has been invited to serve on a newly established international expert panel on “Family Demography and Health in Developing Countries.”

This panel has been established by the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), the major international scientific association in demography.

Periodically, the IUSSP establishes new scientific panels in priority thematic areas. Panel membership typically includes about six members whose expertise motivates a targeted invitation to serve for a period of some years. Historically, these panels have been charged with the production of white papers/volumes that are intended to move the field in new directions.

The invitation to serve on IUSSP panels is a terrific honor for international demographers, such as Dr. Yount. Congratulations Dr. Yount!

Undergraduate News: Kristen A. C. Clayton & Sungeun Bae - April 14, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Kristen A. C. Clayton, senior sociology major, who won first place for her research paper at the 2011, 29th Annual SouthEastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium (SEUSS). Her research paper was titled, "Biracial Identity and the College Social Social Environment: An Examination of the Effect of College Racial Composition on Black-White Biracial Students' Racial Identity Construction and Maintenance." The theme of the symposium was Complex Inequalities: the Need for Pragmatism in Research and Education.

Congratulations also goes to Sungeun Bae, junior sociology and educational studies major, who tied for third place for her research paper at the 2011, 29th Annual SEUSS. Her research paper was titled, "Race, Sex, and Students’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of DARE and Zero Tolerance."

The 29th annual SEUSS was be held at Morehouse College and is cohosted by Morehouse College and Emory University. The symposium provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to present their sociological research at a professional meeting.

Graduate News: Selina Gallo-Cruz - April 11, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Selina Gallo-Cruz, a doctoral candidate in sociology, received a prestigious ASA Minority Fellowship, only five of which were awarded nationwide. Her fellowship will support a year of dissertation research as well as travel to the ASA annual meeting. Her research deals with the role of INGOs in the globalization of nonviolent protest.

Undergraduate News: Stephanie Spangler - April 7, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Congratulations to Stephanie Spangler, junior sociology & history major, who has been selected as a 2011 Truman Scholar, in recognition of her community leadership and potential for “making a difference.” Stephanie is one of only 60 undergraduates in the U.S. selected for this highly competitive scholarship.

The Truman Scholarship provides $30,000 to be used for graduate study in the pursuit of a career in public service. Stephanie is dedicated to advocacy work for children, particularly providing high quality early education. She will be pursuing an honors thesis in sociology her senior year.

Click here to read more.

Alumni News - Dr. William Winders - March 16, 2011

Updated: October 3, 2011

Dr. William Winders, Emory 01G and Associate Professor in the School of History, Technology, & Science at Georgia Tech, is the recent winner of the Bernstein & Byres Prize for the best article published in Journal of Agrarian Change in 2009. Dr. Winders's article is titled, “The Vanishing Free Market: The Formation and Spread of the British and US Food Regimes” [JAC, 9 (3): 315–44]. His article was judged on the quality of a work of political economy, its analytical power, originality, and quality of evidence presented. Congratulations, Dr. Winders!

Faculty News: Dr. Tracy Scott

Updated: October 3, 2011

What effect did the popular TV show, "Sex and the City", have on our culture and society? Did the program have a positive impact on feminism? Was the show as ground breaking and progressive as people once thought? Emory Sociology professor Tracy Scott discusses all this and more as she looks into the effects of "Sex and the City" on today's culture. The Effects of Sex and the City on Today's Culture

Graduate News: Laura Braden

Updated: October 3, 2011

Laura Braden, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Emory, has been awarded one of seven 2010 Woodrow Wilson Women’s Studies Dissertation Fellowships.

The Woodrow Wilson Women’s Studies program, the only national fellowship for doctoral work on issues of women and gender, supports the final year of dissertation writing for Ph.D. candidates in the humanities and social sciences doing interdisciplinary and original work on these issues.

Ms. Braden’s research is in the sociology of culture, focusing on how value and meaning is given to art and cultural expression. With the support of the Woodrow Wilson Women’s Studies Fellowship, Ms. Braden is currently using archival research to examine the career paths of artists to determine which opportunities led to long-term success and, ultimately, inclusion in the artistic canon. Ms. Braden was also recently awarded Emory University's Dean's Teaching Fellowship for excellence in pedagogy.

To view the press release from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and more details about the program, visit http://www.woodrow.org/news/news_items/WW_WS_Apr10.php.

The Foundation is delighted and privileged to be able to recognize Ms. Braden, as well as Emory University, with this award.

Facutly News: Dr. Delores P. Aldridge

Updated: October 3, 2011

In spring 2010, Dr. Delores P. Aldridge was named the winner of the Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award by the American Sociological Association. The Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award honors the intellectual traditions and contributions of Oliver Cox, Charles S. Johnson, and E. Franklin Frazier. The award is given either to a sociologist for a lifetime of research, teaching, and service to the community or to an academic institution for its work in assisting the development of scholarly efforts in this tradition.

Faculty News: Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths

Updated: October 3, 2011

Check out the March 2010 ASA Footnotes story by Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths: "Looking forward to the 2010 Annual Meeting in Atlanta--Engaged Scholarship and Service Learning Initiatives at Metro-Atlanta Universities."

Faculty News: Dr. Timothy J. Dowd

Updated: October 3, 2011

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Timothy J. Dowd of Emory Sociology and Dr. Susanne Janssen of Erasmus University Rotterdam are now Editors-in-Chief of the journal, Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Media, Culture, and the Arts. This international journal is among the leading outlets for sociological research in culture. Dr. Dowd and Dr. Janssen have long been editorial board members for Poetics and, as of January 2010, they have assumed its editorship for at least the next three years.

For additional information on Poetics, visit the following link: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/poetic.

Graduate News: Barret Michalec

Updated: October 3, 2011

Barret Michalec was awarded a grant from the Office of Medical Education and Student Affairs (Emory University School of Medicine) to continue his research on the potential changes in medical students' attitudes and perceptions during their four years of medical school. His project examines how socialization processes and stressors within medical training may actually be depressing students' positive attributes.

Undergraduate News: Shivani Jain - December 2, 2010

Congratulations to Shivani Jain, senior sociology major and honors student, who has been awarded the 2011 Marshall Scholarship for graduate study in England. She is the second consecutive Emory student to receive the scholarship and the 14th overall from the university.

Competition for Marshall Scholarships is extremely rigorous, and more than 800 candidates in the United States are interviewed each year for the exclusive awards. The scholarships finance up to 40 young Americans of high ability to study for a degree at the university of their choice in the United Kingdom for two years.

Jain plans to study global health and economic development at University College London, health policy at Cambridge University, and infectious disease control at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Click here to read the Emory Report article.

Faculty News: Dr. Sam Cherribi - December 2, 2010

Dr. Sam Cherribi is featured in the Emory Report for his new book, “In the House of War: Dutch Islam Observed.” He provides an insider's look at the troubling trends toward Dutch Muslims post 9/11.

Click here to read the Emory Report article.

Alumni News: Dr. Joya Misra - October 18, 2010

Dr. Joya Misra, Emory 94G and Professor as well as Interim Chair of Sociology at University of Massachusetts - Amherst, has been selected as the next editor of Gender and Society. She will serve a four year term starting in the summer of 2011 for this premier journal in the sociology of gender. Congratulations on this honor, Dr. Misra!

http://www.umass.edu/sbs/faculty/profiles/misra_gender_society.htm

Graduate News: Selina Gallo-Cruz - October 1, 2010

Selina Gallo-Cruz, a 2009-2010 Piedmont Fellow and PhD candidate in sociology at Emory, compiled the Sustainability in the Social Sciences film list. This list organizes Emory library films addressing the link between social behaviors and the environment.

The Emory University Piedmont Project is a nationally acclaimed campus sustainability program that facilitates interdisciplinary engagement on a host of environmental issues, supports curricular development on topics of sustainability, and sponsors campus-wide programs implementing sustainable practices.

Click here to read more about and view the Sustainability in the Social Sciences film list.

Faculty News: Dr. Ellen Idler - September 29, 2010

Updated: September 30, 2010

Dr. Ellen Idler is featured in Emory's eSciencCommons blog, the Emory Report, Reuters, The Register, on Fox News, Oneindia, and Yahoo! News for study findings she conducted with Julie Phillips of Rutgers University that were published in the journal Public Health Reports. Their analysis found that baby boomers appear to be driving a dramatic rise in suicide rates among middle-aged people.

Click here to read the Emory eScienceCommons blog article.

Click here to read the Emory Report article.

Click here to read the Reuters article.

Click here to read The Register article.

Click here to read the Fox News article.

Click here to read the Oneindia article.

Click here to read the Yahoo! News article.

Alumni News: Dr. Brian Powell - September 16, 2010

Dr. Brian Powell, Emory 94G and James H. Rudy Professor of Sociology at Indiana University, was featured on the ABC Evening News show, in the New York Times, in the Associated Press, and on National Public Radio for his book “Counted Out: Same-Sex Relations and Americans’ Definitions of Family” on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. Congratulations on this honor, Dr. Powell!

Click here to watch Dr. Powell on the ABC Evening News show.

Click here to read the New York Times article.

Click here to read the Associated Press article.

Undergraduate News: Khytie Brown - June 9, 2010

Congratulations to Khytie Brown, an Emory College alumna and religion & sociology joint major, who received the 2010 Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Program is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is one of the most distinguished national honors programs with a nine-year history at Emory University. Its fundamental objective is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students (and others with a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities) who will pursue doctoral degrees in core fields in the arts and sciences. The Program aims to reduce over time the serious under-representation of individuals from certain minority groups on the faculties of American colleges and universities, as well as to address the attendant educational consequences of these disparities. The MMUF Program aims to achieve its mission by identifying and supporting students of great promise and helping them to become scholars of the highest distinction.

For more information, view the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program website.

Undergraduate News: Tiffany Gills - June 9, 2010

Congratulations to Tiffany Gills, an Emory College alumna with an educational studies major and sociology minor, who won the 2010 Woodrow Wilson Rockfeller Brothers Fund Fellowship. She is one of 25 recipients nationwide to receive the Woodrow Wilson Rockefeller Brothers Fund for Aspiring Teachers of Color. Emory is among only 25 schools allowed to nominate. She’ll receive $30,000 to support a masters in education in preparation to teach in a high-needs school.

Click here to read Emory Report Article, "National honors for several undergraduates."

Faculty News: Dr. Robert Agnew - May 28, 2010

Dr. Robert Agnew's childhood is revealed in the Friday, May 27, 2010 Emory news release concerning arts and humanities research. Learn the personal history that shaped Dr. Agnew as a criminologist. Click here to read the full Emory news release.

Click here to read the news release on Emory's eScienceCommons Sociology blog.

Graduate News: Dr. Jacob Bucher - May 24, 2010

Dr. Jacob Bucher, Emory Sociology PhD alumnus, was awarded the 2010 Jennie Howell Kopke and Verda R. Kopke Award for Distinguished Teaching given by Baker University. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Baker University. Congratulations Dr. Bucher!

To view the press release from Baker University, visit http://www.bakeru.edu/news/3577-sociology-professor-receives-kopke-award-for-distinguished-teaching

Graduate News: Dr. Charity Crabtree - May 3, 2010

Updated: May 14, 2010

The dissertation of Dr. Charity Crabtree, Summer 2009 Sociology PhD recipient, is highlighted as an example of academics in application. Her dissertation is entitled, "Redefining Medicine: Boundary Work and Legitimating Claims Among Physicians and Acupuncturists." To view the press release from Emory University, visit http://www.emory.edu/home/research/dissertations.html (scroll down to Sociology). Congratulations Dr. Crabtree!

Graduate News: Dr. Lauren Rauscher - April 14, 2010

Updated: May 14, 2010

Dr. Lauren Rauscher, Emory Sociology PhD alumna, was awarded the 2010 Annual Advancement of Women Award at California State University, Long Beach given by the President's Commission on the Status of Women. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development at California State University, Long Beach. Congratulations Dr. Rauscher!

Faculty News: Dr. Corey Keyes - April 6, 2010

Dr. Corey Keyes is one of the faculty members featured in the Emory Report from April 5, 2010, Vol. 62, No. 24 for his research on happiness.

Click here to read the Emory Report article, "How to be happy."

Faculty News: Dr. Michael McQuaide - March 30, 2010

Dr. Michael McQuaide, Oxford College at Emory sociology professor, is featured along with his course, Sociology_OX 231R: Social Change in Developing Societies, in the Emory Report from March 29, 2010, Vol. 62, No. 23.

Click here to read the Emory Report article, "Oxford class goes off the grid on spring break."

Faculty News: Dr. Delores P. Aldridge - February 8, 2010

Updated: February 22, 2010

Dr. Delores P. Aldridge is being celebrated at the Thirteenth-Annual National Black Herstory Awards Banquet on March 27, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the Loudermilk
Center Ballroom, 40 Courtland Street at Peachtree Center. This year’s banquet also celebrates
the legacies of the late Mrs. Frances Pauley, Gwendolyn Keys-Fleming,
M. Bahati Kuumba, John Hope Franklin, Twanda Black, and others. Tickets can be purchased
at www.ticketalternative.com/Events/9904.aspx. For more information, visit www.blackherstory.org or view this flyer. This event is sponsored by National Black Herstory Task Force.

The Thirteenth Annual National Black Herstory Conference, "Empowering Our Communities: Self Determined, Unified, Resourceful, and Educated” will be held on Emory University's campus at the Whitehead Auditorium on Friday, March 26, 2010 from 2:00 pm-8:00 pm. The conference sessions are free and open to the public. Click here to view the conference flyer.

For more Emory Women's History month events, visit http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/_docs/issue-pdfs/02_08_10_insert.pdf.

Alumni News: Dr. John Brueggemann - February 17, 2010

Dr. John Brueggemann, an Emory 94G, was appointed to the Quadracci Chair in Social Responsibility at Skidmore College. Brueggeman’s research and teaching on class, race, social movements, and labor history have earned him high praise from leading sociologists and Skidmore students alike. He is praised for his active citizenship both within the College, where he served as Associate Dean of Faculty and chaired the Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work, and in the local community, where he has marshaled faculty and students to volunteer in programs serving the unmet and largely ignored needs of the city’s Latino community.

Endowed by Harry Quadracci and the Quadracci family, this professorship supports the teaching and research of faculty members whose work focuses on situational ethics, cultural study, and sustainable social responsibility, whether in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, or professional programs.

http://cms.skidmore.edu/news/news.cfm?passID=1389

Undergraduate News: Sara Berney - February 16, 2010

Sara Berney, a senior sociology and African studies double major, was named a 2009-2010 Humanitarian Award winner on February 9, 2010. The honor recognizes students who embody a spirit of volunteerism and sense of community, both on campus and off.

Students are nominated for the Humanitarian Award by peers and faculty members for demonstrating honesty, integrity, responsibility and a sense of community; for special acts of courage and friendship; and for committing an unusual amount of time and energy in service to others.

Faculty News: Dr. Sam Cherribi - February 15, 2010

One of our faculty members, Dr. Sam Cherribi, has facilitated the development of the European King Center. The City of the Hague and The King Center signed an agreement to establish the European King Center, which will disseminate the ideals and thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Europe. And which will function as the exclusive European umbrella-organization with regard to national organizations committed to the ideals and thought of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the States of Europe in general and the European Union in particular.

Emory scholars will have a the chance to benefit from this powerful relationship to bridge the scholarly transatlantic divide in the study of race and ethnic relations from a comparative perspective.

http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=27825

Faculty News: Dr. Regina Werum - December 29, 2009

Dr. Regina Werum, currently on sabbatical as Senior Fellow at the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, recently received a research grant from the Spencer Foundation. Funding is largely earmarked for graduate student research assistance and will facilitate her current project on the development of homeschooling policies and regulations in the U.S. since the 1970s.

Change in Departmental Administration - September 11, 2009

Starting Fall 2009, the Department of Sociology will have a new Chair, Dr. Karen Hegtvedt and a new Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Tracy Scott.

Associated Faculty News: Dr. Paul R. Wolpe - August 12, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Paul R. Wolpe, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Bioethics, Director of the Emory Center for Ethics and Emory Sociology Department adjunct faculty, was featured in a New York Times article on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 concerning the ethical questions of space travel.

Click here to read the NY Times article.

Adjunct Faculty News: Dr. Frank Howell - June 23, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Frank Howell, Emory Sociology Department adjunct faculty, was featured in The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, June 20, 2009 in an article on a Mississippi town and the the effects of the economic climate.

Click here for The Wall Street Journal article.

Graduate News - April 24, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

We are very pleased that the Social Psychology program in the Department of Sociology at Emory is now ranked among the top ten programs in the country by US News and World Report, moving from #14 in 2003 to #9 today. The program provides a strong foundation in the core areas of social psychology, while also allowing students to apply social psychology to topics such as crime, race, and health, and to bridge to other sociological areas, such as culture and stratification. We also believe that we have top programs in several areas that are not ranked by US News, including political economy and global/ comparative sociology, race and ethnicity, and sociology of education. Further, we continue to enhance the strength of our programs in culture and health, and have recently hired several senior faculty in several major areas. The department's overall ranking rose two steps to 36th and we expect that with these recent efforts we will see significantly more improvement in the next set of ratings.

Dr. Robert Agnew, Chair of Sociology and Dr. Cathryn Johnson, Director of Graduate Studies of Sociology

Click here for the Emory Report article.

Faculty News: Dr. Sam Cherribi & Dr. Roberto Franzosi - April 21, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Sam Cherribi, director of the Emory Development Initiative (EDI) and sociology professor, and Dr. Roberto Franzosi, professor of sociology and linguistics, were featured in the Emory Wheel for their participation in the "From Gefilte fish to Couscous: Towards a Greater Mediterranean Civilization" event.

Click here for the Emory Wheel article.

Faculty News: Dr. Roberto Franzosi - April 13, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Roberto Franzosi, professor of sociology and linguistics, was featured in the Emory Report for his presentation concerning creativity at the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence workshop. Click here for the Emory Report article about Dr. Franzosi's presentation.

Click here for the Emory Report article about the Faculty Development and Excellence workshop.

Undergraduate News - April 1, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Congratulations to our sociology student 2009 Delores P. Aldridge Excellence Awards nominees and winners!

Nominees for Excellence in Leadership & Service in a Diverse Group:

Stephen Deaderick (sociology major, sociology peer mentor)
Candice Merritt (sociology minor)
Pradeep Pramanik (sociology minor)
Yingxue (Rosie) Tang (sociology major) **Winner

Nominees for Excellence in Community Building, Diversity, & Intergroup Relations:

Candice Merritt (sociology minor)
Yingxue (Rosie) Tang (sociology major)

Nominee & Winner for Excellence in Diversity Research:

Candice Merrit (sociology minor)

Click here for the Emory Report article about the 2009 Delores P. Aldridge Excellence Awards banquet.

Faculty News: Dr. Mike McQuaide - March 2, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Mike McQuaide, Emory Oxford College professor of Sociology, received the first Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) award. Click here to read the Emory Report article.

Undergraduate News: Stephen Deaderick - February 23, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Stephen Deaderick, a sociology peer mentor and major, received the University’s 2009 Humanitarian Award. Click here for the Emory Report article.

Undergraduate News: Kevin Kelly - February 17, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Kevin Kelly, a sociology honors student major and Emory Scholar, is one of five seniors selected to receive the prestigious Bobby Jones Award. Click here for the Emory Wheel article. Click here for the Emory Report article.

Faculty News: Dr. Delores P. Aldridge - February 6, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Delores P. Aldridge is profiled in the February issue of Upscale magazine in an article entitled “History in the Making.” In this 20th Anniversary of the magazine’ existence, there are 20 individuals profiled. Beginning with President Barack Obama

Faculty News: Dr. Sam Cherribi - February 6, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Cherribi, director of the Emory Development Initiative (EDI) and sociology professor, was featured several times in Global Vision: The International Magazine for Business Executives. (Dr. Cherribi is labeled with red arrows throughout the magazine.)

Undergraduate News: Dr. Matthew E. Brashears - January 13, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Matthew E. Brashears, Emory Sociology undergraduate alumnus and University of Arizona doctoral alumnus, has accepted a position as Assistant Professor at Cornell University starting in fall 2008. Congratulations Dr. Brashears! Read more...

Associated Faculty News: Dr. Paul R. Wolpe - January 5, 2009

Updated: August 13, 2009

Dr. Paul Wolpe, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Bioethics, Director of the Emory Center for Ethics and Emory Sociology Department adjunct faculty, was featured on 60 Minutes on Sunday, January 4, 2009 in a segment on brain imaging, mind reading, and ethics. (Dr. Wolpe speaks in the middle of the segment.)

Emeritis Faculty News: Dr. John T. Dolby - December 9, 2008

John T. Doby, emeritus professor of sociology, came to Emory in 1958 where, over 27 years, he nurtured a highly successful graduate program in sociology. Read more...

Adjunct Faculty News: Dr. James Mercy - November 7, 2008

Dr. James Mercy, an Emory Sociology Department adjust faculty, has been named a public health hero by Research America: An Alliance for Discoveries in Health. Complete Research America article. Read more...

Department News: Re-Examining Race, Ethnic, & Class Divides Conference - November 3, 2008

Reporters from "The Emory Wheel" covered the two day conference hosted on Wednesday, October 29 and Thursday, October 30. Read more...

Faculty News: Dr. Sam Cherribi - September 5, 2008

Updated: October 31, 2008

Dr. Cherribi, director of the Emory Development Initiative (EDI) and sociology professor, was featured in the Emory Wheel for his recent trip to Tanzania. Read more...

Faculty News: Dr. Sam Cherribi - October 27, 2008

Dr. Sam Cherribi is featured in Emory's international politics news release. Click here for more. Read more...

Faculty News: Dr. Delores P. Aldridge - October 21, 2008

Dr. Aldridge was re-elected as Chair of the International Black Women's Congress (September, 2008). She also was re-elected as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Clark Atlanta University (October 17, 2008).
Read more...

Faculty News: Dr. Timothy Dowd - September 9, 2008

Dr. Timothy Dowd is featured in the Emory Report, September 2nd edition for his undergraduate SOC 443S: Sociology of Music course. Read more...

Graduate News: Rachel Askew - June 11, 2008

Rachel Askew has been awarded an NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant for her study of clinical decision making and professional training among mental health clinicians-in-training. Read more...

Graduate News: Anna Rubtsova - June 9, 2008

Anna Rubtsova has been awarded an NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant for her study of breastfeeding as a global issue. Her research examines the global pro-breastfeeding movement, links between global discourse and individual infant feeding decisions, and factors affecting breastfeeding rates around the world. Read more...

Faculty News: Dr. Regina Werum - May 19, 2008