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.

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.

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."

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.”

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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"

Aleia Clark

alclark@socy.umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology & French, Spelman College, 2005

Specialty Areas:

Theory and Comparative

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.

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

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

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.

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"

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.

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

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.

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.

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..

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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"

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.

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"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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” 

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.

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

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.

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).

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"

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.

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.

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"

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

Sarah Phipps

sphipps@socy.umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania

Specialty Areas:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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"

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?"

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.

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.

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

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.

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”

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

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".

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.

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.

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.

Cagri Tanyol

ctanyol@socy.umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

University of Virginia

Specialty Areas:

Political Economy and Comparative

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.

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

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)”

Ann-Catherine Ventura

aventura@socy.umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in History, United States Naval Academy, 2003

Specialty Areas:

Military and Social Psychology

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.

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.

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.

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”

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"

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.

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.

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.