Faculty & Staff
The Department of Sociology had its beginnings in 1940 when the University offered a concentration in sociology. Since then, the Sociology Department has been committed to excellence in teaching, research and community service.
Our research driven faculty help students to develop a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of complex social issues. That includes social inequalities, injustice, unequal distribution of wealth, poverty and the social macro forces behind these phenomena in an increasingly era of globalization and a transnational way of life.
Audrey N. Beck
Associate Professor (On Sabbatical Spring 2025)
Ph.D., Duke University
NH-214
abeck@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Health, Stratification, Family, Education, Demography, Immigration, Research Methods, Statistics
Timothy C. Brown
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Louisiana State University
NH-218
tbrown3@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Crime and Deviance, Gangs, Rural Crime, Social Inequality, Qualitative Research Methods
Jung Min Choi
Professor & Graduate Advisor
Ph.D., York University, Toronto
NH-204
jchoi@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Race and Ethnic Relations, Social Organization, Political Sociology
Jill Esbenshade
Professor Emerita
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
NH-221
jesbensh@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Ethnic Studies Minority Groups, Immigration, Global Economy, Labor and the Apparel Industry, Gender
Joseph Gibbons
Professor
Ph.D., University at Albany, State University of New York
NH-217
jgibbons@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Urban Sociology, Race and Ethnicity, Urban Organizations, Health Disparities, Mixed Methods, Spatial Analysis
Hank Johnston
Professor
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
NH-220
(619) 594-1323
hank.johnston@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Social movements and contentious politics, ethnonationalist movements, mobilization processes
Minjeong Kim
Professor and Director, Center for Asian & Pacific Studies
Ph.D., University at Albany, SUNY
NH-215
mkim@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Gender, family and international migration, Asian American studies and the media
Ruth X. Liu
Professor Emerita
Ph.D., Texas A&M University
NH-222
rliu@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Deviance and Crime, At-Risk Youth, Social Psychology, Quantitative Methods
Enrico Marcelli
Associate Professor (On Leave 2024-25)
Ph.D., University of Southern California
NH-219
enrico.marcelli@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Migration, Health, Urban Sociology, Demography
Michael McCall
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Washington University (St. Louis)
NH-216
mmccall@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Social Theory, Social Issues, Gender Roles
Michael J. Roberts
Professor & Advisor for Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD)
Ph.D., City University of New York, Graduate Center
NH-213
mroberts@sdsu.edu
Research interests: Critical theory, cultural studies, the culture and history of surfing, sociology of music, science and technology studies and labor studies
Norah Shultz
Professor & Chair
Ph.D., Bryn Mawr College
NH-223
nshultz@sdsu.edu
Research Interests: Higher Education Curriculum, Diversity & Inclusion in Higher Education
Stephen Cho Suh
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
AL-469
ssuh@sdsu.edu
Research Interests: Intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, migration, and culture, especially in relation to Asian Americans and the Korean diaspora
Neftalie Williams
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Waikato
NH-209
nswilliams@sdsu.edu
Sara Ajami
M.A., San Diego State University
NH-206
szajami@sdsu.edu
Mario Avalos
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
NH-211
mjavalos@sdsu.edu
José Briceño,
Ed.D., San Diego State University
NH-211
jcbriceno@sdsu.edu
Luciano N. Cruz
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University
NH-212
lcruz3@sdsu.edu
Daniel Davis
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
NH-207
ddavis@sdsu.edu
Darwin Fishman
Ph.D., University of Maryland-College Park
NH-206
dfishman@sdsu.edu
Daisy Gomez-Fuentes
M.A., San Diego State University
NH-206
dgomezfuentes@sdsu.edu
Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University/SDSU
NH-211
cholkenbrinkmonk@sdsu.edu
Rachael Horn Langford
Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University/SDSU
NH-206
rehorn@sdsu.edu
Kristopher Kohler
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
NH-206
kkohler@sdsu.edu
Leilani Pizano
M.A., California State University, San Marcos
NH-211
lpizano@sdsu.edu
Matthew Rowe
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
NH-212
msrowe@sdsu.edu
Piero Weiss
Ph.D., Aix-Marseille University
NH-211
pweiss@sdsu.edu
Amy Wong
Ed.D., University of Southern California
NH-208
awong@sdsu.edu
Jenna Petruzzo
Department Coordinator
NH-227
(619) 594-5449
jpetruzzo@sdsu.edu
Griffin Cassell
Administrative Support Assistant
NH-224
(619) 594-4826
gacassell@sdsu.edu
Bloomberg, Jr., Warner
Professor Emeritus
Buck, Robert
Professor Emeritus
Chandler, Shelly
Professor Emerita
Cottrell, Ann
Professor Emerita
El-Assal, Mohamed
Professor Emeritus
Emerick, Robert
Professor Emeritus
Gay, Phillip
Professor Emeritus
Gillette, Thomas
Professor Emeritus
Hill, Jr., Richard
Professor Emeritus
Hohm, Chuck F.
Professor Emeritus
Hough, Richard
Professor Emeritus,
Ima, Kenji
Professor Emeritus
Ojeda, Norma
Professor Emerita
Preston, David
Professor Emeritus
Sandlin, Joann
Professor Emerita
Scheck, Dennis
Professor Emeritus
Schulze, Rolf
Professor Emeritus
Stephenson, III, John
Professor Emeritus
Winslow, Robert
Professor Emeritus
Zhang, Sheldon
Professor Emeritus
Faculty with emeriti status but still teaching are listed above in the Tenured and Tenure-Track Professors section.