Recent News and Events
Three Sociology GSFs!
The department is delighted to announce that during academic year 2008-09 three of its advanced PhD candidates will be supported by the prestigious Graduate School Fellowship (GSF). Eric Dahlin, Dalhia Mani, and Michael Vuolo will each receive a generous academic year stipend, a waiver of all tuition charges, and health insurance coverage in support of their dissertation writing. Congratulations, Eric, Dalhia, and Mike!
May 9th, 2008Isik to be 2008-09 OIP Fellow
Gulseren Kozak-Isik has recently been announced as a recipient of a 2008-09 Office of International Programs (OIP) Doctoral Research Fellowship for her research project entitled "Institutional Conflicts and Reconciliation Attempts: A Comparative Study of the (Re)construction of Islamic Legal, Religious and Political Institutions in the USA and U.K." Congratulations, Gulseren!
May 7th, 2008Prof Stryker Wins Guggenheim Award
Robin Stryker awarded a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship in recognition of her work in government regulation of equal employment opportunity.
May 2nd, 2008Lee Accepts Position at UWRF
Pao Lee, who plans on defending his dissertation in August '08, has recently accepted an Assistant Professor (tenure track) position in the Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice department at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. Congratulations, Pao!
April 9th, 2008Fulbright Winner!
Fifth-year PhD student Rachael Kulick received a Fulbright Fellowship to study home birth and maternity care in the Netherlands during academic year 2008-09. Rachael's advisors are Phyllis Moen and Kathleen Hull. Congratulations Rachael!
April 4th, 2008University of MN President's Faculty Multicultural Research Awards
Logan and Swartz are recipients of President's Faculty Multicultural Research Award IDEA grants are designed to support innovative and transformative projects, programming, events, and research that support underrepresented and marginalized students, faculty, staff, and communities. Logan's project title is "On Dreams Deferred and American Dreams: African-American Perspectives on Immigration and Race in the Contemporary U.S." and Swartz's is "Growing Up But Not Apart: Intergenerational Relations and the Transition to Adulthood."
March 26th, 2008Faculty, Grad Students & Alumni Collaborate for Special Issue!
The Special Issue of New Directions for Child & Adolescent Development: Social Class and the Transitions to Adulthood (No. 119; Spring 2008) edited by Profs. Jeylan Mortimer and Frank Furstenberg includes work by Profs. Teresa Swartz, Ann Meier, Christopher Uggen, Erin Kelly, and Jeylan Mortimer; graduate students Gina Allen, Samantha Ammons, and Heather McLaughlin; and alumni Profs. Pamela Aronson (U MI-Dearborn), Jeremy Staff (Penn State), and Amy Blackstone (U Maine).
March 18th, 2008Winchester to be Published in Social Forces
Second-year graduate student Dan Winchester has written an article entitled "Embodying the Faith: Religious Practice and the Making of a Muslim Moral Habitus," which is being published by the journal Social Forces. Utilizing ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews, the article due out in June 2008 examines how a group of adult Muslim converts produced new moral selves in and through the use of embodied religious practices. Congratulations, Dan!
March 13th, 2008First Minnesota issue of Contexts now available!
February 26th, 2008
Contexts aims to make sociological research dynamic for and interesting to the educated lay reader. Drawing from sociology and its related fields, Contexts includes feature articles, photography, summaries of the latest social science research, news about the field, and book and culture reviews of today’s provocative topics. Contributors challenge outdated ideas, stimulate creative thinking, and start lively debate. Contexts is available at University of Minnesota Bookstores, at www.contexts.org and select Barnes & Noble bookstores in the Twin Cities area. For more information, call Contexts Managing Editor Amy Johnson Conner at 612-624-0245 or amy@contexts.org. The first Minnesota issue features articles on the growing presence of religion and its study on college campuses, a study on the relationship between crime and immigration by Harvard University Sociology Professor Robert Sampson, America’s hero worship of firefighters, and Disney’s Ratatouille as a study in social hierarchy.Croll and Ammons Accept Offers
Advanced PhD students Paul Croll and Samantha Ammons have both recently accepted offers for Assistant Professor positions starting Fall 2008. Croll will be working in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. Ammons will be working in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Both students expect to defend their dissertation later this spring. Congratulations, Paul and Sam!
February 19th, 2008Prof Hartmann Wins MSS Award
Prof. Douglas Hartmann has been selected to receive the inaugural Midwest Sociological Society Early Career Scholarship Award for 2008. This award draws attention to the quality of scholarship being produced by younger scholars (Ph.D. within the past 10 years) and underscores the Society’s commitment to the professional development of younger scholars. He will be given this award at their annual meetings in St. Louis, MO, March 27-30, 2008.
February 11th, 2008Williams Successfully Defends Dissertation
On Friday, January 18, 2008, Marcia Williams successfully defended her dissertation, "Speaking Truth to Power: An Ethnographic Study of a Midwestern School." Her advisor was Douglas Hartmann. Congratulations, Marcia!
January 28th, 2008Change in Fall 2008 for Soc 3801: Social Research Methods
Please note that starting with Fall 2008, SOC 3801: Social Research
December 12th, 2007
Methods will no longer be a writing intensive designated course. We
will continue to have many writing intensive course options.New Undergraduate Capstone Research Award
Through the generous support of an anonymous donor, the Department of Sociology has awarded four undergraduate research awards of $3,000 to senior Sociology majors conducting original research as part of their capstone projects.
December 10th, 2007Davis Successful in Dissertation Defense
Tiffany Davis successfully defended her dissertation on Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. Her dissertation title is "The American Dream Deferred: The Effects of Racialization on the Assimilation of First Generation Mexican Migrants in the Twin Cities." Tiffany is now in process of moving to Chicago where she will be actively seeking employment in higher education administration or teaching. Congratulations, Tiffany!
November 12th, 2007Study Abroad in the Social Sciences
Wednesday, Nov 14, noon - 1:30,
November 8th, 2007
110 Heller Hall
Are you a past study abroad participant? Family and friends no longer interested in hearing your stories? Are you interested in studying abroad and want to hear from other students who have incorporated study abroad into their degrees? Join us for lively discussion and refreshments, and learn about some of your options for studying abroad as an undergraduate. Please call 612-626-7714 for more info. and to registerJoachim Savelsberg and Ryan King win ASA Article Award
Prof. Joachim Savelsberg and Ryan King received the American Sociological Association Section on Culture Article Award for "Institutionalizing Collective Memories of Hate: Law and Law Enforcement in Germany and the United States," published in the American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 111, No. 2, pp. 579-616. They were awarded the Law and Society Association's article award for the same article in 2006. Congratulations, Joachim and Ryan!!
October 16th, 2007Stein Successful in Dissertation Defense
Alex Stein successfully defended her dissertation, "Attachment, Networks and Discourse in Extremist Political Organizations: A Comparative Case Study." Her advisor is Joachim Savelsberg. Congratulations, Alex and Joachim!
October 10th, 2007Careers in Criminal Justice Student Alumni Panel
Wednesday, November 7, 10:00 - 11:00, 1314 Soc Sci
Have you thought about a career in criminal justice or corrections? Come to this panel discussion to hear from people with internship or work experience in these fields.
Please register to attend by going to the CCLC web site at http://www.cclc.umn.edu/newsandevents/index.html
October 4th, 2007Undergraduate Soc Association Meeting
Next Fall Semester meeting, Monday, October 22, 2:30 - 3:30 915 Soc Sci
Come and join fellow majors for an informal discussion and program planning meeting. We will have some treats in appreciation for our 07-08 leadership team and plan for our fall welcome reception.
September 28th, 2007Fall 2007 Workshop Schedule
The Fall 2007 Workshop schedule is now available. We hope you can join us.
September 12th, 2007Odubote Passes Dissertation Defense
Andrew Odubote successfully defended his dissertation, "Parenting Style and Delinquency: A Comparative Study of European American, African American and Nigerian Families," on Mon., Aug. 27. Andrew will continue in his position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bethel University. Congratulations, Andrew!
September 4th, 2007Lee Passes Dissertation Defense
Jennifer Lee successfully passed her final oral defense on Monday, August 6, 2007. Her dissertation title is "Labor Market and Educational Stratification Among Asian Immigrants and Their Children: Investigating the Role of the Ethnic Economy." Jennifer is now off to Indiana where she will assume an assistant professor position with the Department of Sociology. Congratulations, Jennifer!
August 9th, 2007Five New PhDs!
Sociology is proud to announce the recent accomplishments of five advanced students. Sara Wakefield, Ana Periera, Fortunata Songora, Joyce Bell, and Brian Dill all successfully passed their final oral exams and were awarded their doctorates. The department is exceedingly proud of the achievements of these fine students.
July 30th, 2007Fantastic scholarship awarded
Mohamed Bakri, 2007 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship This scholarship is for beginning graduate or professional study in any field, and covers tuition, room, board, fees, and books - up to $50,000 annually - for up to six years of graduate study. Congratulations! Mohamed is a 2006 summa cum laude graduate, and was the winner of CLA's Turner Award for Best Summa Thesis for 2006, as well as, a Soc Research Institute (SRI) award for best undergraduate paper.
July 18th, 2007Wruck Wins ASA Award
Peter Wruck, a UMN undergraduate student entering the PhD program in the Fall of 2007, was recently announced as the winner of ASA's Feagin Undergraduate Student Paper Competition. Peter's paper was written in his honors seminar overseen by Prof. Liz Boyle. Congrats to both Peter and Liz!
June 25th, 2007Prof Meier Research in May 2007 AJS
Prof. Ann Meier’s American Journal of Sociology article, “Adolescent First Sex and Subsequent Mental Health,” was also featured in the New York Times on June 5, 2007. Her research, supported by the National Institutes of Health, examines changes in depression and self-esteem after teenage sex. Though a decade of federally sponsored abstinence education initiatives have suggested that non-marital sex is psychologically harmful, Meier finds that negative effects on mental health are confined to a small proportion of those who have sex earlier than their peers and in uncommitted relationships. Read more in the press release.
June 6th, 2007Sociology Faculty in the News
Several stories from our 2007 Facets Magazine (PDF) have been picked up by UMNews and by other news outlets. Read about Prof. Ann Hironaka’s research in “Fighting Words.” Learn about a collaborative project with Prof. Ross Macmillan and graduate student Gina Allen in “Growing Up With Disability.” Read about Prof. Rob Warren’s research on high school exits exams, “Do they make the grade?” and take a look at the project website.
June 6th, 2007Fantastic Fall Courses to consider
Soc 3090: Soc of Music
Soc 3251W: Race, Class & Gender
Soc 3411W: Orgs & Society
Soc 3421W: Soc of Work
Soc 3452: Education & Society
Soc 4090: Soc of Sport
Soc 4142: Juvenile Justice and Law
Soc 4170: Soc of International Law
Soc 4190: Cases that Shaped & Shocked the Nation
To learn more, visit the class schedule and the course guide descriptions.
May 11th, 2007