Scott Albrecht

sbrick@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@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2001

Specialty Areas:

Demography and Comparative

Broadly speaking, my current research project examines how the phenomena of indefinite detention impacts representational politics, and conversely, how the practice of indefinitely detaining populations has been resisted through representational practices. In earlier work, I have written on **marital timing "http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/demography/summary/v047/47.3.desai.html" *, the role of guanxi networks among job seekers in Taiwan, and **social capital* " http://www.ihds.umd.edu/IHDS_papers/SCdarkside.pdf" in India. I love teaching and have had the opportunity of teaching a number of undergraduate-level courses, including Introduction to Sociology, the Sociology of Gender, and Social Problems.

Away from all that work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, Julie, and my new nephew, Hal. I **blog* *, travel, mountain bike and happily scour DC for tasty dishes in hard-to-find restaurants

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.”

Margaret Austin Smith

mras@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Classics, University of North Carolina

M.A. in Political Science, University of North Carolina

Specialty Areas:

I study the Sociology of Education with a particular focus on social contexts of the classroom and student understandings of their classroom experiences. Before beginning at Maryland, I taught adult English language and literacy learners through the Arlington Public School system in Arlington, VA. Here, I teach Introduction to Sociology (and have also taught Social Problems). My second year paper, is a critical ethnographic study of how college students make meaning of their classroom experiences in relation to the social and political contexts in which they, their classrooms, and their schools are situated.

Manjistha Banerji

mbanerji@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)

Luoman Bao

lmbao@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, Fudan University, 2009
M.A. in Sociology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011

Specialty Areas:

Demography and Gender, Work and Family

My primary research interests include problems of aging, health of the elderly, intergenerational support, and fertility. By using longitudinal data, my Master thesis examined the motivations for supporting elderly parents in Chinese society.

Kendra Barber

khbarber@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

abaxter1@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.

Michelle Beadle

mibeadle@gmail.com

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?

Megan Benetsky

benetsky@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.

Kathryn Buford

kbuford@.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.

Kerby Bowling

kbowling@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

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Specialty Areas:

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Joey Brown

Jbrown15@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, University of Mississippi, 2009

M.A. in Sociology, University of Mississippi, 2011

Specialty Areas:

Social Psychology and Stratification

My research interests converge at the intersection of race, financial sociology, social psychology, and stratification. I am interested in how race and class identification affect people's understanding and different forms of debt. I would like to explore this area.

Nihal Celik

ncelik@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

My areas of specialty are theory and stratification, and my research areas are gender, international and transnational migration, political economy and globalization. My current research interest is everyday experiences of transnational migrant women. I am particularly interested in studying women migrants from the former-Soviet countries. My M.S. Thesis investigates how international migration became a family survival strategy for women of former-Soviet countries, who are employed as paid domestic helpers in Turkey. In my thesis,I particularly focused on roles of migrant networks prior to and after migration. In my current dissertation project, I study how, through transnational migration, women of former-Soviet countries, redefine their gender.

Valerie Chepp

vchepp@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; Culture; Knowledge; Inequality; Intersectionality; Social Change

In my dissertation, I examine how artistic cultural institutions can facilitate civic engagement among politically marginalized groups. Drawing upon 2 ½ years of ethnographic fieldwork and 30 in-depth interviews, I examine how a community of spoken word performance poets engage in political acts outside “official” political institutions, perceiving their poetry as a potential tool for transforming civil society and, more specifically, their local communities. To date, no in-depth sociological study has been conducted on this emerging and largely undocumented art form, practiced predominantly by small pockets of young adults in urban communities. This research diversifies existing scholarship predicated on adult-centric models of political participation and civic engagement by considering alternative ways young people—particularly those from marginalized communities—act politically, demonstrating how they use the arts and pop culture as a platform from which to articulate their political voice and engage in political action aimed at social justice. This research builds upon previous work I have published on art and social change, including research on African American verbal art traditions (forthcoming) and an analysis of the political and sociological significance of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, as well as research on intersectionality and politics (forthcoming),

I am also co-creator and co-editor of the website The Sociological Cinema: Teaching Sociology Through Video, designed to help instructors incorporate video into the classroom. I teach undergraduate courses on the Sociology of Gender, Ethnographic Field Methods, and Introductory Sociology.

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"

Carrie Clarady

cclarady@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BS, Physics, University of Houston

MA, Linguistics, University of Texas at Austin

Specialty Areas:

Social Psych, Demography

I am interested in regional identity and its place within the self-concept, and the effect of globalization on regional cultures and the subsequent effect on personal identity. I'm also interested in trying to figure out how to use previous expertise and experience with language analysis to explore some of these issues.

Aleia Clark

aclark@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

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

Specialty Areas:

Theory and Comparative

Molly Clever

mclever @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.

Tyler Crabb

tcrabb@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BA- Sociology --University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2009
BA- History --University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2009

Specialty Areas:

Theory and Historical Comparative

My primary research interest seeks to explain the political transformation of Latin America in recent decades. I am learning sociological theories of globalization and international-political economy to deploy Latin American history to improve sociological theory. I am acquiring an understanding of historical-comparative scholarship, particularly regarding the state and politics, to write theoretically rigorous, empirically grounded macro-sociology. I've yet to find a sociological theory useless and am also interested in broader social theory. I am also interested in the application scientific methodology to historical cases.

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

pdean2@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

In my dissertation, I examine social responsibility movements that seek to regulate corporations through market-based mechanisms. Using comparative methods and in-depth interviews with producers of social certifications (e.g. FairTrade) and socially responsible investments, I seek to understand why social and environmental standards for economic activity are constructed in one way, rather than another; and how they become codified in specific economic practices. I argue that an analysis of standard-setting in these fields can help us to better understand emergent private governance structures, movement dynamics of market campaigns, and the opportunities and constraints of these new social movement fields. In my second line of research, I am a founding member of the Prosumer Studies Working Group, where I investigate the political economy of prosumption (the blurring and blending of production and consumption) on social media, and its implications for inequality and democracy.

I am also very interested in public sociology, and I view teaching as an important venue for it. I encourage students to understand and apply sociology to the "real world" through civic engagement projects, video, and popular culture. With Lester Andrist and Valerie Chepp, I am co-creator and co-editor of the website The Sociological Cinema: Teaching Sociology Through Video, which includes a video library and relevant resources for using video in the sociology classroom. I am also a CTE-Lilly Graduate Teaching Fellow with the University's Center for Teaching Excellence.

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"

Nicole Deloatch

ndeloat@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BA, Sociology, Criminology, and Criminal Justice- University of Maryland, College Park

Specialty Areas

Military Sociology and Stratification

My primary research interests seek to explore and understand how macro level social dynamics and globalization have an effect on the organization of military service and military institutions as a whole. I would like to gain a more thorough understanding of why those who chose to serve in the US Armed Forces continue to do so and how ultimately the military has been used to advance the social and economic process of society and racial/ethnic/gender minorities who serve.

Kathleen Denny

kdenny@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

Sharon Edens

smedens@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BA - History, University of Wisconsin, Madison

BA - Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Specialty Areas:

Military Sociology; Gender, Work and Family

I am interested in Military Sociology. I find the military fascinating.

Mehmet Atif Ergun

mergun@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.

Anya Galli

galli@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Psychology, Women's Studies, and Studio Art, St. Olaf College 2008

Specialty Areas:

Theory

I am interested in the politics of food and its relationships to culture, global capitalism, immigrant and diaspora communities, and women's issues. More broadly, my interests center on gender and sexuality, inequality, and the intersections of race, class, and culture. Much of my work draws from feminist and intersectional theories.

Javier Garcia-Manglano

jgm@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.

Mark Gross

mcgross@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.

Rachel Guo

yuguo@.umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BA at Fudan University, Shanghai, China

Specialty Areas

Plan to study demography and gender

I'm interested in income inequality, gender inequality. I'm also interested in why different societies assume such different characters.

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@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in International Relations/French, University of

M.A. in Sociology, University of

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

shong3@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.

Ann Horwitz

ann.horwitz@gmail.com

Previous Degrees:

BA, World Politics - Hamilton College, 2006

Ed.M, International Education Policy, 2009

Specialty Areas:

Social psychology, globalizing theory

My work focuses on the relationship between education and identity-driven conflict.

Jonathan Jackson

jmjack3@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology and Religion, Emory University, 2009

Specialty Areas:

Demography and Stratification

My main interests lie in urban sociology. Specifically, I am interested in gentrification and the relationship between city-design and social capital.

Denae Johnson

denaej@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology and Pan-African Studies, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2009

Specialty Areas:

Gender, Work & Family, and Stratification

My main areas of research interest are race, sexuality and reproductive health. Most recently, I have found interests in the formation of opinions of legal abortions, and Americans' perceptions of black sexuality.

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

My dissertation on self-documentation and social media argues that users of social media have a developed "documentary vision" whereby we live our present always aware of its document-potential. The research is driven by the understanding that we increasingly live in an "augmented reality," a perspective that views the digital and physical as enmeshed rather than distinct. Based on this theoretical perspective, my colleague PJ Rey and I founded the Cyborgology blog and ran the Theorizing the Web 2011 conference.

Jaeehye Kang

jkang125@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

Specialty Areas:

Joanna Kling

jkling@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

mkmk@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.S. in Elementary Education, Brigham Young University

M.A. in Leadership in Teaching, College of Notre Dame of Maryland

Specialty Areas:

Gender, Work and Family and Military Sociology

My primary interests are in the intersection of work and family. My major research focus recently has been on the impact of the highly mobile military lifestyle on a civilian spouse’s employment. Other interests include sociology of education and health, as well as environmental sociology and social justice.

Chang Won Lee

cwlee@.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

pliu1@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.

Lucia Lykke

lykke@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Psychology and Women's Studies, College of William and Mary, 2007

Specialty Areas:

Social Psychology, Theory, Gender, Work, and Family

I am interested in gender and feminist theory, particularly with regard to the intersections of gender, race, and culture. At this point my research interests are very open and subject to change, but I am considering a second year paper project on the discourse of gender-specific sexual assault education programs.

Heather Marsh

hmarsh@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

carolina@.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.

Mandi Martinez

mnm06c@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, Florida State University 2010

Specialty Areas:

Gender, Work & Family, and Social Psychology

My research interests include gender and violence, social reproduction of inequality, and social psychology. For my undergraduate honors thesis, I studied gender differences in fear of crime, precautionary behaviors taken in response to those fears, and differences in the consequences of fear and precautionary behaviors.

Sidra Montgomery

sidra26@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.

Tyler Myroniuk

Myroniuk@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, University of Alberta, 2009

M.A. (Thesis-based) in Sociology, University of Alberta, 2011

Specialty Areas:

Demography, Stratification & Inequality

So far, my research has encompassed understanding how highly educated Malawians assess the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS policies and related social problems in their country through a mixed methods approach. My upcoming work will remain in sub-Saharan African but shift to South Africa where I am interested in how foreign and domestic migrants utilize various forms of social capital and whether or not this affects their access to basic human rights in an urban/township setting. As well, I aim to seek out why these individuals were motivated to migrate as well as the extent that their legal status in South Africa plays a part in this process.

Amber Nelson

anelson5@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

janixon@umd.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@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@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Psychology with a second major in Sociology, University of Maine, Orono, 2005

M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, 2007

Specialty Areas:

Social Psychology

Work and Occupations

 In my research, I explore questions that involve the nexus between age, mental health, and identity within particular institutions, such as universities, families, and workplaces. I am especially enthused about understanding the ways in which perceived mismatches between role and status (such as "50-year-old undergraduate") guide our behavior during role transitions. In my dissertation, I integrate stress process and symbolic interactionist approaches to explore the ways in which identity relates to distress and coping strategies during a major role transition – job loss.

Marek Posard

mposard@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@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

lreeder1@.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

My main substantive interest is the reciprocal relationship between technology and society with a view toward the future problems and possibilities this relationship engenders. Specifically, I have been thinking a lot about how important aspects of our lives are converging on and around the Internet: production and consumption (i.e., prosumption), play and labor (i.e., playbor), as well as material substances and digital codes (i.e., augmented reality). Because I am concerned with how power functions vis-à-vis technology, I have particular interest in the social theories of The Frankfurt School, the French post-structuralists, and the New Left Movement. For more information, see my website: www.pjrey.info

Zachary Richer

zricher@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

Specialty Areas:

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

samjs@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@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)

My dissertation examines the role of household context and how it relates to the health of the elderly in a transitional society that is experiencing rapid socioeconomic transformations and changes in family dynamics of intergenerational transfers of space, money and time. More specifically, using data from the India Human Development Survey (2004-05), a nationally representative multi-topic dataset of 41,554 households, I am investigating if living arrangement has any implication for elderly health outcome, after controlling for SES. As part of my previous research I have focused primarily on developing countries in the broad fields of stratification, health and development under the overarching framework of gender.

Second-Year Paper Title:

"Individual and Contextual antecedents of women's empowerment in India"

Phd in Sociology & Demography (expected Spring, 2012)

Dissertation keywords:

"aging, intergenerational relationships, gender, sociology of the family, India, multilevel models "

Michelle Sandhoff

msandhoff@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.

Rachel Shattuck

rshattuc@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

A.B., Bryn Mawr College

M.A., Columbia University

Specialty Areas:

Demography; Gender, Work and Family

My research interests are very much still taking shape, but I'm currently interested in neighborhood diversity and stability, as well as in women's workplace experiences.

Michelle Smirnova

msmirnova@gmail.com

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".

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

dpstroh@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in Sociology, Texas A&M University

Specialty Areas:

I am broadly interested in issues of individual expression and discrimination. Currently I am researching tattooing and body modification more generally through an ethnography of the tattoo subculture. Specifically I am looking at the popularization of tattooing and how tattoo artists and collectors respond to and differentiate themselves from this pop culture phenomena. Secondarily, I am interested in race relations and theories of racial discrimination, resistance, and identity. Thirdly, I am interested in gender roles and gender expression. Finally, I am interested in the confluence of these issues around the mass media and how the mass public responds to the discourse contained therein.

Daniel Swann

daswann@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

Specialty Areas:

Cagri Tanyol

ctanyol@socy.umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

University of Virginia

Specialty Areas:

Political Economy and Comparative

Gheda Temsah

gtemsah@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.

Shanna Brewton-Tiayon

sbtiayon@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BS, Biological Systems Engineering-Florida A&M University, 2001

Specialty Areas:

Social Psychology and Stratification

I am interested in the intersection of mental health, race, gender and socioeconomic status. More specifically, I want to understand what mental health means for persons of different race, gender and SES: how they perceive it, how they knowingly or unknowingly self-medicate, how it impacts their daily lives. I am particularly interested in how the above impacts African American women and mothers ant other minority women/ mothers.

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)”

Kriti Vikram

kvikram@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.

Jenelle Villareal

jennv@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

Specialty Areas:

Joseph Waggle

jwaggle@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.

Sarah Phipps Wanencheck

sphipps@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.

Ying Wang

yingwang@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.

Catharine Warner

cwarner3@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.A. in History, College of William and Mary, 1999

M.A. in Social Sciences, University of Chicago, 2003

M.A. in Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, 2007

Specialty Areas:

My broad research interests lie at the intersection of gender, family, and education. I am particularly concerned with family processes associated with educational inequalities. Recently, I have been investigating race/ethnic and class differences and similarities in children's mental health in the context of family and school. Future research plans include analyses of gender inequalities in elementary education, kindergarten readiness, and variations in parental school involvement by employment status. My dissertation focuses on maternal well-being and children’s elementary school experiences.

M.A. Thesis Title:

"Mine is Yours: Modes of Expense Sharing in Married and Cohabiting Households"

Dissertation Title:

"Mothering Work in Children’s Schooling: Evaluating the Role of Schools as Social Institutions in Mothers’ Lives"

Matthias Wasser

Mwasser1@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BA, Economics, University of Maryland, 2009

Specialty Areas:

Theory

Gregory White

gregw@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

B.S. in Finance, Boston College

MSW, Boston University

Specialty Areas:

Demography and Comparative Sociology

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

dwillia9@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.

Jingyuan Xie

ajor@umd.edu

Previous Degrees:

BA Sociology, University of Kansas, 2011

Specialty Areas:

Demography, Migration, Social Stratification

I'm interested in the internal migration in China and as well as the global transnational migration. I would also want to study the influence of migration on social stratification, especially in China.

William Yagatich

wyagati@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.