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Cecily
Darden Adams
cadams@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Economics, Spelman
College, 1995
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland,
College Park, 2006
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Stratification
My broad
interests lie in the social reproduction of inequality, particularly at
the intersections of race, caste, class and gender. My previous work
has looked spatially at racial inequality mostly through residential
mobility and segregation. For my dissertation, I am employing the well
developed literature on the mechanisms that reproduce racial inequality
in US schools in looking at caste-based educational inequality in
India—engaging the ways these relationships may differ by social class
and gender. My dissertation takes a mixed-methods approach by analyzing
survey data from the 2005 India Human Development Survey as well as
qualitative interviews and focus groups. In addition to my dissertation
work, I am also examining hip hop as a space for a social movement for
marginalized youth globally; specifically, engaging the conflict between
hip hop identity and its perception in formal school settings.
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Scott
Albrecht
salbrecht@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Sociology, Brigham
Young University
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Development
I am
interested in the forces of economic development, inequality, and
poverty reduction in the developing world, especially Latin America.
Although I have primarily examined job structures and age
distributions, I am also interested in immigration and the role of
multilateral development institutions in this context. |
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Lester
Andrist
landrist@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2001
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Comparative
I have recently become interested in understanding processes whereby people confront and respond to seemingly incompatible systems of power. One example is Malaysian women who are lured to urban factory sites by the demands of postmodern capitalism while simultaneously warned to stay home by family members for fear of damaging their sexual modesty. In Taiwan and China, capitalism prescribes a "legitimate" means of obtaining resources, but idioms of the bustling free market run headlong into an indiginous search behavior that emphasizes the use of relationships known as guanxi.
I have recently worked with Sonalde Desai in analyzing processes which lead to early marriage in India, and I have explored the often unexamined dark side of social capital as it relates to women's autonomy in India. Finally, in Taipei I conducted in-depth interviews with human resource managers of medium- and large-size companies in order to discern the mechanics of an informal job market.
M.A. Thesis
Title:
"Social Capital's Dark Side
and Patriarchy in India."
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Zeynep
Atalay
zatalay@socy.umd.edu
My areas of interest are Political Sociology, Globalization, Civil Society, Political Islam, Sociology of Religion and Culture. My dissertation research focuses on the ways in which Muslim civil society organizations employ religion as a vehicle of engagement in their efforts to organize globally. It argues that there is indeed a growing engagement with global civil society in Muslim societies and the role of religion should not be overlooked in global civic organization.
Zeynep Atalay is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies at Stanford University.
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Bogazici University (Turkey), 2002
M.A. in Critical & Cultural Studies, Bogazici University (Turkey), 2004
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
Dissertation Title:
“Global Islam: Challenging Western Models of Global Civil Society.”
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Meg Austin Smith
maustin@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Classics, University of North Carolina
M.A. in Political Science, University of North Carolina
Specialty
Areas:
I am most interested in the commodification of knowledge and
education, but as a former ESL teacher, I am also interested in
relationships between adult literacy, health outcomes, and informed
consent. My Masters' research dealt with the development of political identification with the European Union as facilitated by educational
opportunities, and during a Fulbright grant in the Czech Republic, I
explored how children's literature can be used in adult second
language acquisition. |
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Manjistha Banerji
mbanerji@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Economics, University
of Delhi (India), 1997
M.A. in Economics, Delhi
School of Economics, University of Delhi (India), 1999
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Development
My primary
interest areas are in the field of social and family demography with a
particular focus on issues of gender autonomy and empowerment. Secondary
interest areas are sociological theory (particularly those around race,
gender and nationalism), discourses around development, sociology of
education and statistical methods. Previous research work includes an
examination of the barriers faced by children from socio-economically
disadvantaged groups in accessing education in India and background
research for the Chronic Poverty Report 2004-05 (CPRC, UK)
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Kendra Barber
kbarber@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology & Afro-American Studies, University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 2007
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification
My previous research has examined how Black churches are presently addressing educational inequalities, given the historical role they have played in education and social justice movements. For my undergraduate honors thesis I studied the roles of two Black Baptist churches in Durham, NC, in raising the achievement of black students. Since coming to Maryland, my research interests in Black churches has continued. My second year paper entitled "What happened to all the protests?: Black Churches' Responses to Racism in a Colorblind Era" explores why the public protesting on behalf of Black churches during the Civil Rights Movement has steadily declined and how black churches address racism that seemingly does not exist.
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Amy
Baxter
abaxter@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology & Psychology, University
of Akron
Specialty
Areas:
Social Psychology and Theory
I am interested in studying
Group Processes using experimental methods. Currently I am
investigating factors that contribute to the wage and promotion gap
between men and women and also exploring how gender and race interact
with mental illness. |

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Megan Benetsky
mbenetsky@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Penn State
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Stratification
I would like to focus primarily on immigration, health, race and ethnicity concerning developing regions of the world. |
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Michelle Beadle
mbeadle@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Ursinus
College, 2003
M.A. in Sociology, George
Washington University, 2006
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Theory
I am
interested in examining how individuals and groups within marginal
communities cope with the economic, mental, physical, and sociopolitical
burdens of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In the absence of adequate health care
resources, I am interested in exploring the extent to which marginal
groups build independent, viable health support systems. In addition, I
ask, how do marginalized group disproportionately affected by AIDS
simultaneously resist their subjugation within national and
international social structures?
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Ramu
Bishwakarma
rbishwa@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Business, Tribhuvan
University (Nepal), 1999
MBA, Tribhuvan University
(Nepal), 2003
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Arkansas, 2006
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Development
My research interest
is in human capital in developing countries. Specifically, I am
interested on children’s health differentiation along the line of
gender, caste/race, class, education and income; and how the variation
of health status in childhood affects life aspirations and motivation
during the youth/adult. My research also links to the cultural structure
and its effect on shaping the agency of the children to succeed in their
adulthood.
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Kimberly Bonner
kbonner@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology &
African-American Studies, University of South Carolina, 2002
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Theory
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Melissa
Buckmiller
mbuckmiller@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Duke University
Specialty
Areas:
Gender, Work and Family and Social
Psychology
As an undergraduate, I focused my Honors
thesis on the interplay between femininity and masculinity in Division I
female athletes competing at Duke University. I was interested in the
possible dissonance female athletes may experience in trying to achieve
different roles that are often very distinct. My current research
interests is to continue a focus on gender, but to broaden it through
exploring other connections and correlations between class, race, and
family roles.
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Kathryn Buford
kbuford@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Specialty
Areas:
Comparative and Theory
Kathryn graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Sociology and African American studies. Her current concentrations are comparative and theory. She is interested in activism and the African diaspora. |
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Nihal
Celik
ncelik@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Koc
University (Turkey), 2003)
M.S. in Social Sciences,
Middle East Technical University (Turkey), 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Theory
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Valerie Chepp
vchepp@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology & Women's
Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2001
M.A. in Social Sciences,
University of Chicago, 2004
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, 2009
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
Knowledge and Culture
My primary interests, while
constantly evolving, lie predominantly in the areas of feminist and
social theory, media and popular culture, and African American studies.
Most recently I have become interested in exploring different
methodological approaches to ethnography, particularly how sociologists
can use sounds (ranging from everyday conversation to oral histories to
song lyrics) to create analyses about the social world, as well as how
ethnographers and sociologists can employ different narrative strategies
for documenting the social world.
M.A. Thesis Title:
"'Here's to a New Breed of Broad, Yeah We Like It Raw!' Black Feminism,
Third Wave Feminism and the Sexual Politics of Contemporary Women's Rap
Music"
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Aleia Clark
alclark@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology & French, Spelman College, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
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Molly Clever
mclever@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of Pittsburgh
Specialty
Areas:
Comparative
My primary interest is in understanding the
trends and patterns of warfare over time with particular attention to the
complex relationship between the government, the military and the conduct
of war. My goal is to combine historical comparative methods with
statistical analysis to enhance our understanding of the causes and
patterns of warfare throughout history and into the future.
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Michelle Corbin
mcorbin@socy.umd.edu
Broadly speaking, my primary areas of interest are in social theory and sociology of knowledge. More specifically I specialize in feminist theory as it intersects with other emancipatory theoretical traditions such as anti-racist, critical race and post-colonial theory. Drawing on these critical theoretical lenses I am interested in investigating the role of knowledge in relations of power and inequality.
My dissertation title is “The politics of consciousness: a feminist genealogy of spirituality in the psychedelic sciences”. In this project I investigate the scientific study of psychedelic substances. I argue that through the study of these peculiar substances spirituality was brought into the laboratory to a historically unprecedented degree. Given the traditionally demarcated and historically hierarchical relationship between science and spirituality, I examine how the epistemological, ontological and political implications of this unusual intersection were negotiated in these sciences.
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Psychology &
Women's Studies, Western Michigan University, 1997
M.S. in Clinical Psychology,
Eastern Michigan University, 1999
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Gender,
Work, and Family
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Zsuzsa
Daczo
zdaczo@socy.umd.edu
Previous Degrees:
B.A. in Physics, Berzsenyi Daniel College, Szombathely (Hungary)
1994
M.A. in Society and Politics, Central European University, Warsaw
(Poland) 1996
M.A. in European Studies, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven (Belgium) 1997
Specialty Areas:
Comparative Historical Sociology and Demography
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Paul Dean
pdean@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
AAS in Business, Jamestown
Community College, New York, 2000
B.A. in Sociology, Binghamton
University, 2003
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, 2007
Specialty
Areas:
Political Economy; Stratification; Theory
My current research agenda covers two main projects. First, my dissertation focuses on social movement organizations promoting more ethical and socially responsible business practices. When we say that business should be more "socially responsible," what does that mean? Through qualitative methods, I investigate why movement actors assign certain meanings, and not others, to frames of social responsibility. I explore how social movement frames are constructed, striving to further our understanding of ethics and social justice. By connecting values with actual social movement struggles seeking change, we can better understand how collective efforts lead to different interpretations of these values and, therefore, the form they take within legislation, cultural norms, and discourse more generally. Second, I am a member of the Prosumer Studies Working Group, where I am investigating the role of prosumption (the blurring and blending of production and consumption) and new social media (i.e. Web 2.0) within contemporary capitalism. I am particularly interested in the political economy of online prosumption, and its implications for facilitating or impeding greater equality and democracy.
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Karin
Modesto DeAngelis
kdeangelis@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University
of Chicago, 2000
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, 2009
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Gender,
Work, and Family
My current research interests are post-9/11 military manpower policies, with an emphasis on recruiting trends and standards, the military’s increased reliance on women, and the inclusion/exclusion of racial and ethnic minorities. I am particularly interested in the growing presence of Latinos, especially noncitizens, in the U.S. military. My past research has focused on the ongoing integration of women into the military service academies, changing perceptions of the military as a profession, and military families, particularly dual-military couples.
M.A.
Thesis Title:
"Mandated Change and Gendered Organizational Culture: A Content Analysis of Graduate Perceptions of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Agenda for Change"
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Kathleen Denny
kdenny@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Colorado College
Specialty
Areas:
Gender, Work and Family and Social Psychology
My primary research interests include changing family structures, the parent-child dynamic, and the family-work nexus. I am currently working on my second year paper exploring how the father-child relationship affects father well-being.
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Ismail Demirezen
idemirezen@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. Selcuk University
(Turkey), 1997
M.A. in Religious Studies,
Catholic University, 2001
M.A. in Sociology, Catholic
University, 2002
Specialty
Areas:
Comparative and Theory
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Mehmet Atif Ergun
mergun@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Psychology, Bogazici University
(Turkey), 2002
M.S. in Women's Studies, Towson University,
2005
Specialty
Areas:
Theory, Stratification, and Gender
My teaching and research interests include
sociological aspects of human sexuality, social context of women's
sexuality, sexual deviance, ethnic conflicts and women's status, and
neocolonialism.
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Javier Garcia-Manglano
jgarciamanglano@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Economics, University of Navarra
B.A. in Sociology, Public University of Navarra
M.S. in Social Research Methods, London School of Economics
Specialty
Areas:
Gender, Work and Family and Demography
Javier’s research touches on family demography and work-family balance over the life-course. Currently, he is exploring how fertility patterns, marital histories and work trajectories intersect at individuals’ midlife and position them differently in terms of access to paid work and retirement benefits.
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Gabriel Gerni
ggerni@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, College of William and Mary
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Globalization/Development
My primary research interests are concerning the forms and locations in which individuals interact with nation-states through mechanisms of citizenship and intersecting power inequalities. I'm particularly interested in how discourses of citizenship have been changed by modern migration flows. My current quantitative research focuses on testing factors contributing to anti-immigrant attitudes, particularly in the EU.. |
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Mark Gross
mgross@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology and History, Certificate in African Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Demography
My broad research interests are in racial residential segregation and education and its effects on the SES of minority groups. I am also very broadly interested in South Africa and the lingering effects of apartheid on its development and persistence of racial/ethnic inequality. |
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Valerie Haddad
vhaddad@socy.umd.edu.
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of Michigan
Specialty
Areas:
My broad areas of interest include gender, race, social psychology,
and social inequality. I am specifically interested in how the
intersection of race and gender affects the lives and experiences of
women of color. |
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Khaleelah Hardie
khardie@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of California, Riverside
Specialty
Areas:
Comparative and Theory
Khaleelah's areas include Comparative and Theory with a special
emphasis, among other things, in social movements and race relations in the United
States.
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Shinta
Herwantoro
Hernandez
shernandez@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Psychology, Brandeis
University, 2000)
M.P.P. in Public Policy,
Georgetown Public Policy Institute, 2002
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Gender,
Work, and Family
My research interests include
child and adolescent reproductive health, education, poverty,
employment, and parental involvement. I worked at the Urban Institute's
Labor, Human Services, and Population Center where I conducted
quantitative and qualitative research studies on marriage and family,
teenage reproductive health, adult education, and the No Child Left
Behind Act. I also worked at Westat Inc. executing interviews with child
service agencies throughout the nation to examine child abuse and
neglect cases. I also teach a number of undergraduate sociology courses.
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Crosby Hipes
chipes@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in International Relations/French, University of Arkansas
M.A. in Sociology, University of Arkansas
Specialty
Areas:
My past research interests included veterans' issues, namely
posttraumatic stress disorder in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. I was
focused on how the issue of PTSD is framed and thus socially
constructed through the different narratives woven by the military,
mental health workers, and veterans themselves. I have also
researched military edgework (voluntary risk-taking) and simulated
edgework in the past.
Currently, I am gaining interests in group processes and the military self. |
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Susan Hong
shong@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Lehigh University
B.A. in Psychology, Lehigh University
M.A. in Sociology, Lehigh University
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification, Comparative-Historical
My research experience lies in stratification, urban, and medical sociology. My undergraduate thesis explored suicide rates and depression in American colleges and universities. For my Masters’ thesis, I used a mixed methods approach to study depression and future aspirations in low-income teenage mothers. |
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Wesley Huey
whuey@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. United States Naval
Academy, 1987
MBA, Jacksonville University,
1996
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Social
Psychology
I am a career Naval Officer
pursuing a PhD in Sociology. Upon degree I will report to the US Naval
Academy in Annapolis, MD to teach Leadership as a "Permanent Military
Professor" in the Department of Leadership, Ethics, and Law. I am a
father of three young children and enjoy the time with my family that
graduate school affords.
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Nathan
Jurgenson
nathanjurgenson@gmail.com
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Northern Illinois University-DeKalb,
2004
M.A. in Sociology, Northern Illinois University-DeKalb,
2007
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Social
Psychology
I'm currently excited by the bottom-up turn the Internet has taken -what has come to be known as Web 2.0. Working with George Ritzer and as a founding member of the Prosumer Studies Working Group, I have focused on how social theory informs and is informed by social media online, dealing with issues of prosumption and the prosumer, self-presentation and identity, exploitation and much else.
Some of these ideas can be found in our “Efficiency, Effectiveness and Web 2.0” chapter in The Culture of Efficiency (2009) and my chapter in the newest edition of The McDonaldization Reader (2010) titled, “The DeMcDonaldization of the Internet.” I have begun to post some of these thoughts on my blog, and on other sites. Finally, I’m also a musician and am currently obsessed with the history of New York City.
M.A. Thesis Title:
"A Conceptual Analysis of Anti-Intellectualism and Its Political Consequences: A Survey Approach"
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Nazneen Kane
nkane@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Psychology, Brigham
Young University, 2001
M.S. in Sociology, Brigham
Young University, 2004
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Gender,
Work, and Family
I am interested in
engaging with critical social theories through a sociology of knowledge
lens. My thesis analyzed closely the work of a French Anarchist, Georges
Sorel, particularly at the role of individual psychical myths in
producing collective social transformation. In my dissertation work, I
hope to further explore the nature of and processes of transformative
knowledge.
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Sarah Kendig
skendig@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Psychology, James
Madison University, 2002
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2007
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Social
Psychology
My broad areas of interest include family, health, fertility, race/class/gender, life course, and research methodology. My dissertation, using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth), examines race/ethnic and class differences in the influence of adolescent girls’ self-concepts on feelings of ambivalence towards pregnancy and the occurrence of pregnancy in adolescence.
M.A. Thesis Title:
"Family Structure
Differences in Maternal Time with Children: Disparate Social Structural
Locations or Different Propensities Towards Mothering"
Dissertation Title:
"Pathways to Early Pregnancy by Race/Ethnic and Class Locations: Adolescent Girls’ Self-Concepts and Ambivalence towards Pregnancy"
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Joanna Kling
jkling@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Muhlenberg College
Specialty
Areas:
My current interest is in the labor force and how certain populations dominate certain areas of the labor market. I am especially interested labor force participation by gender and race. |
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Mary Kniskern
mkniskern@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Elementary Education, Brigham Young University,
1988
M.A. in Leadership in Teaching, College of Notre Dame
of Maryland, 2004
Specialty
Areas:
Gender, Work and Family and Social
Psychology
In my research, I intend to examine
post-divorce parenting issues, the impact of parenting behaviors on
children's well-being and success, and social support for positive
parenting.
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Eric Laun
elaun@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
M.B.A. University of Baltimore
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative-Historical
My general academic interests are comparative sociology, globalization, historical sociology, political sociology, social stratification and sociological theory. Given these research interests, I plan to specialize in comparative sociology and sociological theory.
I plan to undertake academic research at the intersections between several areas of Sociology as well as other academic disciplines. |
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Chang Won Lee
clee@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Economics, Soongsil
University (Korea), 1998
M.A. in Sociology, Sogang
University (Korea), 2001
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2006
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and
Development
My primary areas of interest
are inequality and migration, which stem from my interests in the life
of minority groups (by race, gender, and class) in modern societies. I
am particularly interested in comparative patterns of income inequality
in East Asia and Latin America: for example, how South Korea maintains a
low level of income inequality, why China experiences rapid increase in
income inequality, and why income inequality remains high in Latin
America. The impact of globalization and local institutions (not only as
a cause and but also a consequence of income inequality) would be of
primary concern in this comparative study. I am also interested in race
relations, immigration, and transnationalism in the United States and
South Korea.
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Patrick Liu
pliu@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Sociology, University of California, Riverside
Specialty
Areas:
Social psychology
Patrick's interests lie in the domain of microsociology, although he's been known to dabble at other levels. |
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Emily Mann
emann@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Psychology, Boston
College, 1998
M.A. in Women's Studies,
University College Dublin (Ireland), 1999
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
My research interests lie at
the intersections of gender and sexuality studies and political
sociology, although my training cuts across a range of areas, including
social theory, comparative-historical sociology, and qualitative
research methodologies.
Dissertation Title:
“The Politics of Teenage Sexualities: Social
Regulation, Citizenship, and the U.S. State.”
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Heather Marsh
hmarsh@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in
Sociology & Philosophy, St. Lawrence University, 2003
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, 2009
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Stratification
My interest is theory as it relates to the areas of science and technology studies, disaster research, consumption, knowledge, sexuality, stratification and community. Current research has focused on green/sustainable technologies to explore how products, buildings and other places of consumption have become ontological sites with material affects. Other research looks at architecture and design to explore the rhetoric of healthy bodies and healthy communities.
My Master’s Thesis is a qualitative study of Greensburg, Kansas, focused on the meanings given to sustainability and sustainable communities. How do individuals incorporate sustainable building and in some cases, sustainable reconstruction after natural disasters, into narratives of community life? Key questions addressed the ways in which the green (re)built environment provides opportunities for rebirth, healing, stabilization and community revitalization.
M.A. Thesis Title:
“Sustainability as Community Catalyst: Rebuilding a Greener Greensburg, Kansas”
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Carolina Martin
cmartin@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Cultural Studies,
McGill University (Quebec), 1997
M.A. in Sociology, George
Washington University, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
Broadly
speaking, my interests lie in power relations-- power inequalities, the
abuse of power, and struggles against domination. Currently I am working
on theories and politics of resistance, with a focus on forms of
“everyday resistance”. I am particularly intrigued by what have been
characterized as “projects of autonomy” as challenges to political and
economic structures, such as worker factory-takeovers, squatter
movements, and community barter economies. Other interests include
sociology of knowledge, anarchist theory, self-help, and the state
monopoly of violence.
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Brittany McGill
bmcgill@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology and Women's
Studies, Georgetown University, 2001
MPP in Social Policy,
Georgetown Public Policy Institute, 2004
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Gender,
Work, and Family
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Sidra Montgomery
smontgomery@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Beloit College
Specialty
Areas:
My primary areas of interest are military sociology and gender, work, and family with an overall emphasis on the unique issues that military spouses and military families encounter. Generally, I am interested in the negotiations and constraints of military families. Some specific issues I hope to explore include the emotional stress surrounding frequent or multiple deployments; changing family rhythms due to relocations, extended separations, deployments or general occupational uncertainties; and the reintegration process for the service member and their family upon discharge or retirement from the military. Outside of military families, I am also interested in studying the rising rates of military suicide, and the complex social issues that lie behind the struggles of many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans today.
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Nanae Nakamoto
nnakamoto@socy.umd.edu
Previous Degree:
B.A. in Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University (Japan), 2006
Specialty Areas:
Demography and Social Psychology
My primary interest is social psychology and demography, with a
focus on issues of immigration. I was taking undergraduate classes at
Maryland last 1 1/2 years after earning BA in Policy Science in Japan.
I like to travel a lot and am interested in learning languages
(especially Arabic and Spanish).
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Amber Nelson
anelson@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology &
English, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, 2001
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2007
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Social Psychology
M.A. Thesis Title:
"Adolescents and Antidepressants: analysis of a social scientific controversy"
Dissertation Title:
"Adolescent Mental Health Disorders: A sociological analysis of professional knowledges and practices" |
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Alice Nixon
jnixon@socy.umb.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Goucher College
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Specialty
Areas:
My areas of concentration are demography and development. Based on my
previous work in the field of international health with a focus on
developing countries, I am interested in the impact of epidemics (e.g.
HIV/AIDS, malaria, influenza) and related public health initiatives on a
country’s population, and economic and social development particularly
with regard to health systems strengthening. |
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James Noon
jnoon@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, College of
William and Mary, 1998
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Arizona, 2000
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Demography
My areas
of interest include stratification, comparative sociology, social
mobility, social capital, the sociology of disasters, and India. Recent
projects I have been involved in have examined differences in social
networks by social groups in India, and the relationship between living
arrangements and health status of the elderly in India. My dissertation
will analyze survey data from the 2005 India Human Development Survey.
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Dawn Norris
dnorris@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology &
Psychology, University
of Maine, 2005
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, 2007
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Social
Psychology
M.A. Thesis Title:
"Walking Around Like a Panda Bear: Feelings of Stigma among Nontraditional-Age Students"
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Anna O'Donnell
aodonnell@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S., School of Foreign
Service, Georgetown University, 2002
M.S. in Social Policy &
Development, London School of Economics and Political Science, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Development |
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Sarah Phipps
sphipps@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Comparative-Historical
My interests at present center on the fields of comparative/historical sociology and the military. Specifically, I am interested in what systems govern the violence in war-waging, what explains wartime atrocities and the distinction between combatants and noncombatants, and how the state frames and narrates conflict. In the past my interests have included religion and society, and online communication and social interaction, as well as self-presentation and gender in an online context. |
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Marek Posard
mposard@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Political Science, Loyola University of Chicago
M.A. in Political Science, Loyola University of Chicago
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Comparative-Historical
My primary interests are in the fields of military and comparative-historical Sociology with a focus on interstate conflicts. My interests include research on the transformation of state-based and private military forces worldwide, including the United States. I am also interested in historical research on insurgencies and asymmetric warfare. |
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Beverly Pratt
bpratt@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Texas A&M University
M.S. in Sociology, Texas A&M University
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Social Psychology
My two areas of specialization are Theory and Social Psychology. Specifically my interests focus on the intersections of race/class/gender (including racism/discrimination, poverty, and consumption), religion, and mental health with social justice and activism as my motivations for research, writing, and community building. The particular dimensions regarding my interests, however, are constantly evolving and maturing as literature, research, and classroom interactions are all effecting the evolution of my sociological imagination.
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Lori Reeder
lreeder@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Pennsylvania State University
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Gender, Work and Family
I am interested in focusing on stratification, gender work and family, and gender inequality. |
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PJ Rey
pjrey.socy@gmail.com
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Political Science and Humanities, The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, 2006
M.A. in Philosophy, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, 2008
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
I have a great deal of interest in the Internet and prosumption. My
analysis tends to be informed by the traditions of Critical Theory,
French Post-Structuralism, and Psychoanalysis. I'm a lover modern
art, design, and jazz. I am currently a research assistant for George
Ritzer and member of the Prosumer Studies Working Group. For more information, see my website: www.pjrey.info
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Heather Ridolfo
hridolfo@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology &
Psychology, University of New Hampshire, 2000
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, 2007
Specialty
Areas:
Social Psychology and Stratification
My broad
research interests include self-concept development and mental health
disorders in adolescence. I am also interested in survey methodology, in
particular the accuracy of survey responses. My master’s thesis examined
how mother’s socialization mediates race differences found in the
self-concepts of adolescent girls.
M.A. Thesis
Title:
"Race and Self
Image: How Mothers’ Socialization Matters"
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Tracy Roberts
troberts@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in History & Women's
Studies, Wesleyan University, 1997
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Gender,
Work, and Family
I am interested in how well
our current approach to reducing welfare caseloads is working at moving
women off of welfare and keeping them self-sufficient over time. My
research examines the transitions that women make into employment and
marriage after leaving welfare to assess whether these paths affect
their risk of returning to welfare. I have found that women who become
employed and then marry have a lower rate of return to welfare than any
other group of women. Additionally, becoming employed after leaving
welfare appears to increase the chance that women will marry. This
suggests that welfare policy would be better directed at moving women
into employment than promoting marriage at welfare exit.
M.A. Thesis Title:
"Employment and Marriage:
Pathways Off Of Welfare?"
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J. Michael Ryan
mryan@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2001
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Social Psychology
I am co-editor (with Dr. George Ritzer) of The Blackwell Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology (forthcoming in 2009), managing editor of The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology online as well as three other forthcoming encyclopedias from Wiley-Blackwell, and was formerly the senior managing editor of The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology and the managing editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. I have assisted George Ritzer with research and revisions of many of his texts, most notably the last two revisions of The McDonaldization of Society. I have more than a dozen publications, many of them co-authored with Professor Ritzer. I have also spoken on the topic of homosexuality and same-sex marriage to more than 60 audiences at various universities and high schools in the area. My current research interests include globalization, Latin America, and consumption. My dissertation - tentatively titled “Toward an Understanding of the Relationship Between Populism and Inequality in Latin America” – will seek to develop a world-historical understanding of the relationship between populism and inequality in Latin America.
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Jillet Sam
jsam@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A., University of Delhi
MBE, University of Delhi
M.A. in Sociology, University of Hyderabad
Specialty
Areas:
Comparative and Stratification
For Jillet Sam, New Delhi and Hyderabad are “home” since they have had the most significant influence in her life. She came to Maryland after receiving her M.A. She originally started in Economics after which she “defected to the sociology camp.” Her primary academic interests focus on the cultural aspects of consumption and her secondary interests are in Diaspora and religion. Jillet works as a RA for Professor George Ritzer.
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Tannistha Samanta
tsamanta@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
M.Sc. in Economics, University of Calcutta (India), 2004
M.Phil. in Applied Economics, Centre for Development Studies (JNU,
India), 2006
M.A (without thesis) in Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park,
2009
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Gender, Work & Family (GWF)
As a part of my current research I am trying to revisit the
employment-empowerment debate while particularly distinguishing the
dialectic of context and individual agency for a sample of 30,992 (India
Human Development Survey, 2005) married women in India. Results from my
study show that employment does enhance women’s decision making power
within a household and her physical mobility outside the household and
hence suggest that women’s participation in economic activity is one of
the potential factors that could lead to greater female empowerment in
India. Results also demonstrate the fact that contextual factors and
traditional demographic forces shape the effects of various individual
woman level factors on empowerment. From a policy perspective these
findings underscore the need to recognize the nexus between individual
(agency) and context (structure) to explain the determinants of
empowerment.
Second-Year Paper Title:
"Individual and Contextual antecedents of
women's empowerment in India"
Advisor: Sonalde Desai
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Michelle Sandhoff
msandhoff@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in International Relations, University
of California-Davis, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Military
I am broadly interested in issues of gender
within the armed forces. In particular, I am interested in the ways
gender impacts compulsory military service in Israel and how this
systematic militarization impacts the ways in which gender-based
violence is carried out, and against whom. |
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Melissa Scopilliti
mscopilliti@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology &
Psychology, Case Western Reserve University, 2002
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Gender,
Work, and Family
M.A. Thesis
Title:
"Fertility, Employment, and
Wages During Midlife."
Dissertation Title:
“Locational Attainment and Residential Segregation in U.S. Metropolitan Areas”
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Kasia Skuratowicz
kskurato@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
M.S. in African Studies,
University of Warsaw (Poland), 2002
Postgraduate Diploma in
Anthropology, University Libre de Bruxelles, 2002
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Louisville, 2004
Specialty Areas:
Stratification and
Comparative |
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Michelle Smirnova
msmirnova@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in European Studies &
Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, 2006
M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, 2008
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Comparative
My broad research interests areas include, the sociology of knowledge,
resistance by other means, social construction of technology,
sociology of the body, and the media. My master's thesis focused on
the aesthetic component to the life-extension project (the biomedical
ideology which equates longer life with a better life, subsequently
advocating and and all means by which to promote health and extend
one's life) in order to understand how various discourses of age,
biomedicine, race, gender, sexuality, hyperreality and technology mark
the aging female body. My dissertation work will focus upon Soviet
and post-Soviet "hidden transcripts".
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David Smith
dasmith@socy.md.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Oceanography, United
States Naval Academy, 1987
M.S. in Global Leadership,
University of San Diego, 2003
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Social
Psychology
I am a
career Naval Officer pursuing a PhD in Sociology. Upon degree I will
report to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD to teach Leadership as a
"Permanent Military Professor" in the Department of Leadership, Ethics,
and Law. |
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Steve Sobotta
sobottas@umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Communications, Illinois State University, 1988
Masters of Public Administration, Western Kentucky University, 1998
M.S. in Information Systems, The Pennsylvania State University, 2003
Masters in Strategic Studies, United States Army War College, 2008
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Social Psychology
I am a career Army Officer pursuing a PhD in Sociology. Upon completion I will return to the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, PA as a Professor in the Department of Command, Leadership, and Management.
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David Strohecker
dstrohecker@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, Texas A&M University
Specialty
Areas:
I am most interested in forms of discrimination and prejudice as they
relate to individuals. Particularly, I am interested in studies of
white racism and white privilege, and how our historical legacy of
overlapping oppressions implicates our current positions in American
society. I am therefore interested in racial, gender, sexual, and
ethnic discrimination, especially as they are connected to individuals
and institutional forces. I am also interested in how the media plays
into current debates on race, gender, and sexual orientation. In this
regard, my interests lie at the confluence of race, politics, and the
media. I would like to perform a qualitative research study on mass
media framing and individual perceptions. More directly I would like
to see how race, gender, and other ascribed statuses are presented in
the media, and how these images influence one’s self-identity and
their view of other groups (racial, ethnic, sexual, or other). On the
collective level, I would also like to see how media images under gird
socio-political discourse on race, gender, and sexuality. I would like
to see how public discourse of these ascribed statuses influence
political decision-making, voting patterns, and larger social
movements for equality. I want to see how images in the media work in
tandem with entrenched political interests, ultimately leading
legislators and voters to pursue particular policies and action.
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Cagri
Tanyol
ctanyol@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
University
of Virginia
Specialty
Areas:
Political Economy and Comparative
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Gheda Temsah
gtemsah@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Specialty Areas:
Demography and Gender, Work and Family
My primary interests are in gender norms and behavior and women’s empowerment in Middle Eastern and Muslim communities. I am currently researching employment patterns and gender norms among Muslim and Hindu women in India.
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Betsy Thorn
bthorn@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
A.B. in Sociology, University
of Chicago, 1995
M.A. in Sociology, University
of Maryland, College Park, 2006
Specialty
Areas:
Theory and Gender, Work, and
Family
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J. Andrew Timleck
jtimleck@socy.umd.edu
jtimleck@mcdaniel.edu
Previous Degrees:
B.S. in Kinesiology Sports Sociology, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
M.P.H. in Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor
Specialty Areas:
Theory and Social Psychology
Andrew’s current research interests include using spatial social theory
and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to look at social
disorganization and urban planning, neighborhood wellness, and
criminology and deviance. Additionally he has written and presented on
sexuality & LGBT issues as they relate to health (physical activity, HIV
etc.) and social psychology, including identity. Currently Andrew is an
adjunct professor with the Sociology Department at McDaniel College,
Westminster, MD. He's worked in a myriad of jobs including the State of
Maryland's Health Dept., its Planning Dept., and spent a year with the
D.C. government analyzing data for Fire & EMS Services, the Office of
Neighborhoods, and their Education department. In all his work he is
driven by a desire to see public policy and people brought together for
the effective implementation of social theory in "real life"
applications. Future professional plans include continued teaching
and/or consulting in the public-private sector.
Second Year Thesis Paper:
"Gay Men Sport and Self-Esteem”
Dissertation Title:
“Understanding Urban Neighborhoods in Action:
Creating Typologies of Collective Efficacy Using Resident Reports of
Perceived Neighborhood Problems and a Geographic Information System
(GIS)”
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Ann-Catherine Ventura
aventura@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in History, United
States Naval Academy, 2003
Specialty
Areas:
Military and Social
Psychology |
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Kriti Vikram
kvikram@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A in Psychology and Sociology, St. Xavier's College, University of Mumbai, India
M.A, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
Specialty
Areas:
Demography, Stratification and Social Psychology
I am primarily interested in the issues of development, education and public health in developing countries.
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Joseph Waggle
jwaggle@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in Sociology, University of California, Berkeley
M.A. in Sociology, University of Chicago
Specialty
Areas:
My interests lie primarily in the intersection between social stratification and medical sociology. Specifically, I am interested in the relationship between socially dictated notions of class and how these relate to attitudes toward medicine and access to health care. I am also interested by the production and commoditization of knowledge as it pertains to the field of medicine, and how this knowledge spreads and changes over time. While I respect the ability of quanitative methods to paint broad strokes, I believe that no picture of a society can be complete without the subtle coloration of qualitative methods in complement. It is for this reason that the bulk of my research experience has been in ethnography, interviews, and participant observation.
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Ying Wang
ywang@socy.umd.edu
Previous Degrees:
B.A. in English, Ren Min University of China,
2003
M.A. in Sociology, University of New Mexico,
2006
Specialty Areas:
Stratification and
Demography
Race and ethnicity have been and will always
be my primary research interests, especially immigration and migration
issues and Asian-American studies.
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Brian Ward
bward@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Sociology, Towson
University, 2002
M.A. in Applied Sociology,
University of Maryland at Baltimore County, 2005
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Stratification
Since starting the program here at UMD, my broad research interests have
come to follow two distinct veins. In the first vein, my research
focuses on skill change in the New Economy and the impact of technology.
I am currently pursuing this topic for my dissertation research by
conducting a qualitative case study of professional firefighters at two
separate fire departments. Here I am examining firefighters’ skills over
the past twenty years in four different job-contexts using a
multi-tiered conceptual model which accounts for skill dimensions,
routinization, and technology’s impact. My second interest lies in
health and mortality. I have researched topics such as alcohol and
substance use/abuse among various populations, violent death caused by
alcohol and substance abuse, and methodological considerations
surrounding violent death data. During my last year in the Ph.D.
program, I will be working as an Associate Service Fellow at the
National Center for Health Statistics..
Dissertation Title:
“Firefighting in the New Economy: Changes in Skill and the Impact of Technology”
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Catharine Warner
cwarner@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. in History, College of
William and Mary, 1999
M.A. in Social Sciences,
University of Chicago, 2003
Specialty
Areas:
Stratification and Gender,
Work, and Family
My broad
research interests include stratification and gender, work, and family
in the United States. Recently, I have been investigating race and class
differences and similarities in children's mental health, in both the
family and school contexts, including school and teacher characteristics
and parents' involvement in schools. I am also concerned with household
resource sharing across variations in family structure and marital
status.
M.A.
Thesis Title:
"Mine is
Yours: Modes of Expense Sharing in Married and Cohabiting Households"
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Gregory White
gwhite@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.S. in Finance, Boston College
MSW, Boston University
Specialty
Areas:
Demography and Social Psychology
My current research interests include social policy issues related to unequal social and educational outcomes experienced among different demographic groups, as well as the areas of organizational development, innovation, and social organization of learning environments. I am also interested in civic learning and civic action.
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Daniel Williams
dwilliams@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
B.A. Northwestern University
M.A. Public Policy, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Specialty
Areas:
Comparative and Theory
My primary research interest is ethnicity and race in global comparative perspective. More particularly, I am interested in how these constructs intersect with and are transformed through politics and shifting understandings of nationhood. My dissertation research focuses on citizenship and immigration in contemporary Germany, and the relationship between state discourses and policies of membership and difference and prospective citizens' constructions of citizenship.
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William Yagatich
wyagatich@socy.umd.edu
Previous
Degrees:
BA in Sociology, Coastal Carolina University
Specialty
Areas:
My two areas of specialization are Theory and Stratification. My interests focus on the consumer culture and the concept of social distance. In particular, I would like to study the intersection of the two, how consumption creates and reinforces social distance along strata.
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