A select group of senior sociology majors serve as peer mentors to younger sociology majors, minors, and those interested in majoring or minoring in sociology.

You can contact the peer mentors using Learnlink. Search Public Conferences for the Sociology Conference and post your questions on the Ask the Mentors subconference.

Peer mentors are able to answer questions on a wide variety of topics, including questions about:

• the major and minor in sociology
• the pros and cons of double majoring
• internships, studying abroad, favorite classes
• post-college career plans
• making the transition from Oxford to Emory
• the Honors Program in sociology

The peer mentors' interests cover our major areas in sociology (e.g., criminology, law, public health, political sociology, social psychology, communications and journalism, public policy, and medicine).

Below is the list of peer mentors and their interests.

 

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Peer Mentors 2011-2012

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• Jaspal Bhatia
• Rachel Lo
• Jana Taylor
• Dana Toy

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Jaspal Bhatia

Hi Everyone! I’m a senior in the College majoring in Spanish and Sociology.  After graduation, I plan to work for at least a year and then pursue a PhD in Sociology.  I was a little late in joining the Sociology major game as I declared my major second semester junior year after finally convincing myself that medicine was not my true passion; and, yes, declaring this late is still doable (albeit a lot of reading).  Mostly through my extracurricular involvements I came to realize that I really enjoyed learning about the theory behind certain practices, especially as it pertains to topics of diversity, race and ethnicity, and higher education.  I hope to further my knowledge in these areas and, hopefully, I’ll be able to combine all of these areas in my future career.

These are the courses I’ve taken so far:

• SOC 101: Introduction to General Sociology  (Scott)
• SOC 245: Individual & Society  (Johnson)
• SOC 457(WRT): Development of Sociological Theory  (Boli)

For Fall 2011, I’m taking:

• SOC 221: Culture & Society  (Dowd)
• SOC 247: Racial & Ethnic Relations  (Lewis)
• SOC 355(WRT): Social Research I  (Mullis)
• SOC 497R: Directed Research

Outside of classes, I’m also involved in the Emory Student Ambassadors program, the President’s Commission on Race and Ethnicity, and the Emory Alumni Association in addition to several other organizations.  I also studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina this past summer, although those were all Spanish classes, not Sociology.  

I have truly enjoyed my sociology classes – it just took one class to convince me that I wanted to be a major.  Feel free to ask any questions you have about classes or otherwise! 

 

Rachel Lo

Hi everyone. I am a current senior in the College majoring in Sociology with an interest in holistic health and health communications. My first interest in Sociology happened after an amazing class with Dr. Keyes in SOC 389: The Sociology of Happiness - I became so interested in the intersection of social, physical and mental health that I changed my Journalism double major to a just a Sociology major my junior year. After I graduate Emory, I hope to work in a health-related company in marketing or PR for two years before I pursue an MBA/MPH.

Here is a list of the sociology courses I have take so far:

• SOC 101: Introduction to General Sociology  (Condron)
• SOC 245: Individual & Society  (Watson)
• SOC 247: Racial & Ethnic Relations  (Lewis)
• SOC 330: Mental Health & Well-Being  (Keyes)
• SOC 348: Aging in Society  (Keyes)
• SOC 350: Sociology of Law  (Mullis)
• SOC 389: The Sociology of Happiness  (Keyes)
• SOC 389: Language & Symbols of Mass Media  (Franzosi)

In Fall 2011, I will be taking:

• SOC 457: Development of Sociological Theory  (Lechner)

Aside from classes at Emory, I sit on the Student Leadership Roundtable at Emory for the Student Health Advisory Committee, am vice president of Active Minds, am active in Greek Life and will be a peer health mentor for HLTH 100. Last year, I was inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, the sociology honors society.

Additionally, I've had the good fortune to have a variety of internships in health. During the Summer of 2009, I wrote nutritional lesson plans and did outreach with inner-city kids at San Francisco's Department of Public Health. The next summer, I planned Hepatitis B clinics at the Asian Liver Center in Stanford Hospital. This past summer, I have been working in media relations at the headquarters for American Cancer Society. In the fall, I will be interning with a consulting firm at the CDC.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions about my sociology classes or have an interest in anything I've mentioned! I'm here to answer your questions.

 

Jana Taylor

Hi Everyone! I am currently a senior in the college. I am majoring in Sociology and minoring in Global Health, Culture, and Society. I came into school my freshman year thinking very confidently that I was going to be a Psychology major. I had an open space in my schedule and signed up for SOC 101: Introduction to General Sociology with Dr. Condron. I absolutely loved the class and decided to shift my focus from Psychology to Sociology. As I took more classes, I became even more enthralled in the discipline.

The courses I have taken include:

• SOC 101: Introduction to General Sociology  (Condron)
• SOC 221: Culture & Society (Schmutz)
• SOC 105: Introduction to Population & Human Ecology  (Yount)
• SOC 389: Theorizing Racial Inequality  (Foreman)
• SOC 311: Political Sociology  (Hicks)
• SOC 389: Culture & Urban Change in Contemporary Italy  (Study Abroad)
• SOC 245: Individual & Society  (Johnson)
• SOC 355: Social Research I  (Browne)

The courses I will take my senior year include:

• SOC 457: Development of Sociological Theory  (Lechner)
• SOC 495A & 495B: Honors  (Johnson & Scott)
• SOC 585: Qualitative Methods - Interviews  (Scott)

During the fall semester of my junior year (Fall 2010) I went abroad to Rome, Italy. Overall, I absolutely loved the abroad experience and I was able to take a very cool and different sociology class. I would highly recommend spending a semester abroad and would be more than happy to answer any questions about the the Rome program.

During the second semester of junior year, I joined the Alpha Kappa Delta (sociology honors society) and the Honors Program. I will spend much of my senior year focusing on completing my honors thesis. I will be examining the diffusion of information as a tool to reduce the stigmatization of mental illness.

I have found being a Sociology major to be extremely interesting and I feel I have truly enjoyed my academic experiences. Please feel free to email me with any questions about the courses I have taken or anything else I have mentioned above.

 

Dana Toy

Hello everyone! I am currently a senior in the College majoring in Sociology and Biology. Following graduation, I plan to take a gap year to work in a research lab and hope to attend medical school following this experience. My specific interests within sociology relate to culture and health.

These are the sociology classes I have taken:

• SOC 101: Introduction to General Sociology  (Scott)
• SOC 221: Culture & Society  (Scott)
• SOC 230: Sociological Aspects of Health/Illness  (Levinson)
• SOC 355(WRT): Social Research I  (Scott)
• SOC 389: Sociology of Happiness  (Keyes)
• SOC 389: Sociology of the Body  (Study Abroad)
• SOC 389: Drugs That Shape Society  (Study Abroad)

These are the sociology classes I will take in Spring 2012:

• SOC 214: Class/Status/Power
• SOC 457(WRT): Development of Sociological Theory

Since Fall 2009, I have been working in the lab of Dr. Arthur English researching neuromuscular synapse reformation following peripheral nerve injuries. In 2010, I was also in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Emory (SURE). Additionally, I volunteer with Project SHINE and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

For the Fall 2011 semester, I will be abroad at the University of Melbourne in Australia taking sociology and biology electives for my majors. I am really loving the abroad experience thus far. If you have any questions about studying abroad in Australia or going abroad during senior year, I would be happy to speak with you!

I have loved my sociology classes and know that it will be extremely useful when practicing medicine and conducting clinical research. If you have any questions about anything I mentioned, please feel free to email me!