Graduate News
Wald Successful in Defense
Pam Wald successfully defended her dissertation, "Bringing Welfare State Theories to the States: How Ideas, Actors, and State Structures Affect Welfare Reform Trajectories in Minnesota and Wisconsin" on Wed., July 23. Her advisor is Robin Stryker. Congratulations, Pam!
July 28th, 2008Four New Doctorates!
The rainy spring weather has seemingly produced a bumper crop of new doctorates in the department. Paul Croll, Rehema Kilonzo, Ronda Copher, and Heather Hlavka all successfully passed their dissertation defenses between the months of May and June, 2008. In the fall, Croll is heading to Augustana College, Hlavka is heading to Marquett, Kilonzo is returning to Tanzania to go on the market, and Copher will continue her work in the private sector. The department is exceedingly proud of all four students and wishes them well!
June 24th, 2008Three 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, 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, 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, 2008Croll 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, 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, 2008Davis 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, 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, 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, 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, 2007Busse Wins DDF and OIP Fellowships
Erika Busse was recently informed by both the Graduate School and the Office of International Programs (OIP) that she has won fellowships to support her 2007-08 dissertation work. The Graduate School selected Erika for a Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship and the OIP selected her for a Dissertation Research and Writing Fellowship. Congrats, Erika!
May 4th, 2007Hlavka Wins DDF!
Heather Hlavka was recently announced a winner of one of the Graduate School's most prestigious awards, the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. Congratulations, Heather!
May 4th, 2007Johnson Defends Dissertation
LuAnne Johnson successfully defended her dissertation: "Mimetic Behavior as a Response to Social Uncertainty: The Rise of Internet Advertising in Manufacturing versus Service Industries." Additionally, the Graduate Committee nominated LuAnne for The Graduate School's 'Best Dissertation' Award. Congratulations, LuAnne!
April 19th, 2007Songora Accepts Position at Worcester State
Fortunata Songora Makene has accepted an Assistant Professor of Sociology position at Worcester State College in Worcester, MA. Congratulations, Fortunata!
April 9th, 2007Pereira Accepts Cal State Position
Ana Pereira has accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Sociology at California State University, Northridge. Congratulations, Ana!
April 9th, 2007Dill Accepts Postion at U of IL
Brian Dill has accepted an offer from the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He will begin his tenure-track position as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2007. Congratulations, Brian!
March 5th, 2007Wakefield Accepts Position at UC Irivine
Sara Wakefield has accepted a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. Congratulations and good luck, Sara!
January 12th, 2007Bell Accepts Position at Georgia
After receiving a number of offers from around the country, Joyce Bell finally accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia. Congratulations, Joyce!
January 5th, 2007Docka and Edgell to be Published in Soc. Forum
Danielle Docka and her co-advisor, Penny Edgell, have a co-authored a paper that will be published in the journal Sociological Forum. The article is titled "Beyond the Nuclear Family? Familism and Gender Ideology in Diverse Religious Communities,” and will be part of the forthcoming volume 22, issue 1, in March 2007.
December 19th, 2006Jennifer Lee Accepts Position at Indiana U
Jennifer Lee has accepted a full-time faculty position at Indiana University starting in the fall of 2007. Jennifer began her PhD studies in the fall of 2002, and has made rapid progress ever since. Jennifer expects to complete and defend her dissertation in 2007. Congratulations, Jennifer!
December 19th, 2006Jeanette Hussemann Wins ASC Award
First-year student Jeanette Hussemann is the winner of the 2006 American Society of Criminology's Graduate Student Paper Competition in the Division of Women and Crime. The title of her paper is Long-term Effects of Early Sexual Abuse on Women's Transition to Adulthood. Congratulations, Jeanette!
October 27th, 2006Shchukin Successfully Defends Dissertation
Yakov Shchukin successfully defended his dissertation on Wednesday, October 11. His dissertation title is Limited Inclusion Nationalism in Contemporary Russia. His advisor is Ron Aminzade. Congratulations, Yakov!
October 13th, 2006Edgell and Tranby in Social Problems
Professor Penny Edgell and fifth-year student Eric Tranby have collaborated together on a paper entitled "Religious Influences on Understandings of Racial Inequality in the United States." The paper has been accepted by the peer reviewed journal Social Problems and is forthcoming.
September 13th, 2006Darren Wheelock Successfully Defends Dissertation
Darren Wheelock succesfully defended his disseration, "Jury of One's 'Peers:' Felon Jury Exclusion, Racial Threat, and Racial Inequality in United States Criminal Courts," on Friday, September 18. His advisors are Doug Hartmann and Chris Uggen. Darren will begin his appointment as Assistant Professor at Marquette University this fall. Congratulations, Darren!
August 25th, 2006Incoming Students Successful in Fellowship Bids
Incoming first-year students, Jeremy Minyard, Ryan Alaniz, and Daniel Winchester recently competed successfully for three prestigious U. of M. fellowships. Minyard was awarded a Graduate School Fellowship, Alaniz was awarded a Diversity of Views and Experiences (DOVE) Fellowship, and Winchester was awarded the Edelstein Family Foundation AMP Graduate Fellowship. Congratulations to these promising scholars!
August 24th, 2006Kristin Carbone-Lopez Accepts Position at U of Miami
Kristin Carbone-Lopez successfully defended her dissertation, "In, Out, and In Again? A Life Course Understanding of Women's Violent Relationships" on Wed., June 21. Her advisors are Candace Kruttschnitt and Ross Macmillan. Kristin will begin her position as Assistant Professor at the University of Miami, Florida, Department of Sociology in fall 2006.
July 6th, 2006Kulick and Biaocchi Awarded FLAS Fellowships
Both Rachael Kulick and Arturo Biaocchi have been awarded Institute of Global Studies' (IGS) Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships for the 2006-2007 academic year. The purpose of IGC's FLAS fellowship is to promote the study of modern foreign languages supporting West European Studies. Kulick was awarded the fellowship based upon her efforts to master Dutch. Biaocchi was awarded the fellowship to pursue the acquisition of Portuguese.
July 5th, 2006Katja Guenther Wins Best Dissertation Award
Katja Guenther has received the Graduate School Best Dissertation Award for the Social and Behavioral Sciences and Education. Her dissertation title is "The New Truemmerfrauen: Rebuilding Women's Welfare in Eastern Germany since German Unification." Selection is based on the originality and importance of the research, and the potential for the student to make an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. Katja will begin her tenure-track appointment at California State University, Fullerton in Fall 2006.
June 8th, 2006Sara Wakefield Awarded Dissertation Fellowship
Sociology graduate student Sara Wakefield has been awarded a Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship. The purpose of the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship program is to give outstanding final-year Ph.D. candidates who are making timely progress toward the degree an opportunity to complete the dissertation within the upcoming academic year by devoting full-time effort to the research and writing of the dissertation.
June 8th, 2006Samantha Ammons Receives Award from AAPSS
Graduate student Samantha Ammons has been appointed a 2006 Graduate Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. This honor is awarded to students who show an outstanding grasp of a discipline's theories and methods, an enthusiasm for understanding social issues, and the promise of making substantial contributions to the social sciences in the future.
June 8th, 2006Trina Smith Elected SWS UN Representative
Sociology graduate student Trina Smith has been elected as United Nations Representative for Sociologists for Women in Society. She will be able to particpate in meetings at the UN in New York this year.
June 6th, 2006Sociology Students Continue Tradition with ICGC
The Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) and the Department of Sociology continue the long tradition of supporting mutual interests. The 2006-2007 academic year finds four sociology students being named ICGC Fellows. Xinxiang Chen and Rehema Kilonzo have both be named ICGC MacArthur Fellows and Rehema Kilonzo and Susan Mlangwa have both been named ICGC Compton Peace Fellows. The purpose of the ICGC is to foster an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural community of faculty and students committed to studying global change and focusing on the contemporary developing world. The Department of Sociology co-sponsors the ICGC fellows by providing additional funds to support their research and coursework.
June 5th, 2006Jennifer Lee Awarded Spencer Dissertation Fellowship
Jennifer Lee was awarded an esteemed Spencer Dissertation Fellowship for her dissertation in progress entitled “Ethnic Economies and Education among Asian Immigrants." The Spencer Dissertation Fellowship Program seeks to encourage a new generation of scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research relevant to the improvement of education. These fellowships support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world.
May 5th, 2006