New Book

Amy Wong, lecturer for the Department of Sociology, published a new book, Stories of Survival: The Paradox of Suicide Vulnerability and Resiliency among Asian American College Students. The book explores the paradox of suicide vulnerability and resiliency among Asian American college students. It uses a strength-based approach to understand how Asian American college students live with their suicidal tendencies and offers practical recommendations for colleges and universities to address the mental health challenges of their students.

Congratulations Amy!

 

Pirates of the Contact Zone: Or, How to Hijack Capitalism through Skateboarding South to the U.S.-Mexico Border

Featuring Andrea Buchetti

 

Roots of the Revolts: Segregation, Serial Displacement, and Gentrification in St. Louis, Baltimore, and Beyond

Featuring Derek Hyra, Ph.D.

Thursday, April 6, 2023 | 12-1 p.m.
Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union Legacy Suite Room 372

By investigating the legacy of serial displacement in the St. Louis region and Baltimore, this presentation argues certain urban housing and community development policies over time perpetuate segregation, poverty concentration, and gentrification that create a contemporary context for aggressive policing, Black frustrations, and unrest.

Derek Hyra is a professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy within the School of Public Affairs at American University. His research focuses on processes of neighborhood change, with an emphasis on housing, urban politics, and race.

Co-sponsored with the School of Public Affairs. 

 

Feeling Politics: The Role of Emotions in Environmental Racism Fights

Featuring Nadia Kim, Ph.D.

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 | 2 3:30 p.m.
Finch Conference Room, AL 660

This talk draws on Nadia Kim's book "Refusing Death" to explore how we must grasp environmental injustice, as well as other forms of injustice, through a lens of physical and emotional violence and neglect. More specifically, Kim addresses how we best understand this systemic injustice by examining how communities of color receive it and fight back.

Nadia Y. Kim is Professor of Asian & Asian American Studies and affiliated faculty in Sociology at Loyola Marymount University. Her research focuses on US race and citizenship injustices and on fights against environmental racism/classism.

Co-sponsored with the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, Sustainability, Chicana and Chicano Studies, Women's Studies, and Asian American Studies.

Faculty Research Hour featured

“Stories of Survival: The Paradox of Suicide Vulnerability and Resiliancy among Asian American College Students” - Amy Wong

“Mexican Railroad Workers and Social Change” - Michael Calderon-Zaks

“Roll and Flow: The Cultural Politics of Skateboarding and Surfing” - Michael Roberts

 

Sociology Research Hour: Mexican Railroad Workers and Social Change

with Michael Calderon-Zaks, Ph.D.

Friday, March 17, 2023 | 2-3 p.m.
NH 229

This talk focuses on my research on Mexican railroad workers in the US through different social changes during the 20th century. Mexicans made up ninety percent of southwestern US track crews from around 1920 to the 1950s. The track crews were the most radicalized divisions of labor in each region, making this study an ideal intersection between race and class. This talk covers the phase in which Mexicans succeeded Chinese and Japanese workers on the tracks by the 1920s, two attempted organizing campaigns in the 1930s and 1940s, and how technological changes eliminated most of the jobs on the railroad right of ways. This talk also offers lessons in light of recent events on the railroads.

 

The Makers Assemble: The Volunteer Phenomenon of PPE Makers

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 |  7 p.m. | Scripps Cottage

Flattening the Curve During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the U. S.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced with great force, revealing that the national supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) was dangerously underwhelming. Hospitals and clinics, nursing homes and assisted living centers, funeral home workers, essential workers, first responders, and schools at all levels were requesting immediately that someone (anyone who could) step up to make desperately-needed PPE (face masks, hospital gowns, hospital caps, ear savers, and face shields). Volunteer quilters, sewists and 3D printer enthusiasts emerged in a groundswell of life-saving gendered disaster response, creating PPE for those in need.

Marybeth C. Stalp, University of Northern Iowa, Kimberly Kelly and Braden Leap, Mississippi State University collected data from 740 makers through qualitative phone interviews and an online qualitative questionnaire from July 2020 to January 2021. They consider makers broadly, and include makers to be people with sewing and 3D printing skills, those who cut fabric and elastic and assembled mask kits for sewists to pick up, sew, and drop off for distribution, 3D printing groups that cut and printed face shield parts and ear savers and distributed them in person or mailed them across the country to those in need. 

The purpose of this research is to highlight and understand the groundswell of volunteer work accomplished by makers: quilters, sewists, and 3D printing enthusiasts. The authors focus on how makers, and in particular quilters and sewists, generously devoted time money and attention to flattening the curve and caring for their communities.   

Commencement 2022

The Department of Sociology organized a celebration for Sociology graduating seniors on May 13, 2022 in Tula Community Center.  We recognized the Outstanding Graduating Senior, Amaya Childes and her Most Influential Faculty Member, Professor and Chair, Minjeong Kim.  Students, parents, faculty and staff were also in attendance to celebrate this momentous occasion.  We are truly proud of all our graduates and their accomplishments!

New Directions in Research on Immigration and Crime

Tuesday, May 3 | 2 p.m. | Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, Pride Suite

Do immigrants commit more crime than non-immigrants? Do increases in immigration cause crime rates to rise in communities?

These questions are at the forefront of discussions about crime and public safety in the United States. Public opinion data suggest many residents believe the answer to these questions is an unqualified “yes” but does scientific research agree? In this talk, Charis Kubrin reviews what we know about the immigration-crime link — highlighting opportunities and pitfalls from her own research journey — and discusses new directions in research.

Charis E. Kubrin is professor of criminology, law and society and (by courtesy) sociology at University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on neighborhood correlates of crime, with an emphasis on race and violent crime. Recent work examines the immigration-crime nexus, as well as assesses the impact of criminal justice reform on crime rates. In addition to her work in peer-reviewed journals, Professor Kubrin is co-author of “Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance “(Oxford University Press 2008) and “Privileged Places: Race, Residence, and the Structure of Opportunity” (Lynne Rienner, 2006) and co editor of “Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Sociological Perspective” (Stanford University Press 2013) and “Punishing Immigrants: Policy, Politics, and Injustice” (New York University Press 2012).

Professor Kubrin has received national awards for her scholarly contributions to the field including the Ruth Shonle Cavan Young Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology (for outstanding scholarly contributions to the discipline of criminology) and the W.E.B. DuBois Award from the Western Society of Criminology (for significant contributions to racial and ethnic issues in the field of criminology). In 2019, she was named a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology.

Sponsored by instructionally related activities funds.

 

Commencement 2021

Graduate Student Symposium 

Join us for this year's 30th Anniversary symposium: Commitment to Anti-Racism on April 23, 2021. 

Learn more about the symposium.

 

Director of CCRE

We are pleased to announce the new Director for the Center for Community Research and Engagement, Dr. Jill Esbenshade. CCRE's mission statement reflects many of current Sociology faculty members’ ongoing projects and interests that promote student engagement with research and community issues and organizations, contribute to community well-being through the development of evidence-based analysis and policy, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. This year, we launched the Center’s website, created a logo, and established service learning agreements with different community organizations.

 

M.A. Research Scholarship Winner

Congratulations to Sociology graduate student, Kariar Al-Naiem, recipient of an SDSU Master’s Research Scholarship.  His thesis research will examine if an increase in militarization leads to an increase/normalization of violence overwhelmingly affecting communities of color. 

 

 

Fall 2020 Orientations   

Welcome to the Department of Sociology.  Your orientation advisors will be in touch regarding your various orientation activities. As part of these activities, we will also be holding sociology-specific sessions on the following dates (all Pacific Standard Time):

• For Freshman: July 14th 9-10 am, July 21st 5-6 pm, July 28th 9-10 am
• For Juniors: August 3rd 5-6 pm, August 7th 9-10 am, August 13th 9-10 am

Retirement Parade

On July 2, 2020, the Department celebrated the successful career of three esteemed Sociology colleagues, Nancy Federman, Dae Elliot, and Tom Semm. Because of the restrictions in gatherings due to the global pandemic, the Department honored them with a surprise vehicle parade. The Department cannot express how much we appreciate the work that three lecturers did for us over many years. Their retirement will be a monumental loss for the Department, but we wish them only the very best.

The Right to Seek Asylum

Join us for this upcoming event, The Right to Seek Asylum: Migrants' stories of their struggles for human rights, dignity and peace in the United States, on Human Rights Day (Tuesday, December 10) at 12:30-1:45pm at Scripps Cottage.  Presented by the ACLU and the SDSU Center for Community Research and Engagement (Department of Sociology).  Co-sponsored with the SDSU CAL Interdisciplinary Human Rights Initiative.  For more information, contact Grace Cheng [email protected].

What's New for Fall 2019

Congratulations to our recently promoted faculty: Michael Roberts (promoted to Professor) and Joseph Gibbons (awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor).  We also want to welcome our new lecturer, Haroutun Bursalyan.  Haroutun received his MA in Sociology from the department in 2015.

Nietzsche and Critical Theory

We are excited to announce that the special issue Mike Roberts guest co-edited with Christine Payne (one of our MA alum!) for Critical Sociology is available online. The title of the issue is "Nietzsche and Critical Theory," and was born out of the conference they organized in 2017. In addition to the keynote piece by the editors titled "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Nietzsche for Critical Sociology," Mike has two articles, "In search of the Wanderer and Free Spirits: The Ascetic Absence of Nietzsche in American Sociology" and "Twilight of Work: The Labor Question in Nietzsche and Marx." 

Social Movements, Nonviolent Resistance, and the State

Professor Johnston's new edited volume is out and available!  Published as part of the Mobilization-Routledge Series on Social Movements and Protest, this volume brings together new research on nonviolent tactics of social change. Highlighting numerous anti-state challenges from around the world and theoretical/methodological issues of studying them, this collection explores the overlaps between two research concentrations: the field of social movement studies and the academic focus on nonviolent strategies of change. The book is the fruit of the first Hansen-SDSU conference on nonviolent resistance and social change in 2016. Congratulations, Hank.

Commencement 2019

Congratulations to the graduates of 2019! Commencement was held on Friday, May 17, 2017. View photos from the department ceremony.

Mind, Body, and Self in Contemporary Society - 2nd Annual Graduate Student Conference

Saturday, April 20, 9 am – 5 pm, Hepner Hall 221

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Dylan Rodriguez, UC Riverside, Professor, Media and Cultural Studies

Join us for the 2nd Annual Graduate Student Conference.  This conference aims to examine the ill-effects of contemporary society toward the individual whether it is the mind, body, or self.  We also seek to engage in critical dialogue, ranging from social institutions’ impact on certain bodies to the strain and stigma on mental awareness.  We hope to create an interdisciplinary discourse regarding the extent of contemporary society’s effect on the individual.

More information

Hosted by Sociology Graduate Student Committee at SDSU and made possible by IRA Funds.

2nd Annual Praxis in Education Student Conference

Saturday, April 20, 8 am - 5:30 pm, Conrad Prebys Student Union

The conference was created with the vision to provide an event for the student community to convene, focused on the goal of transforming education through educational praxis. This is a great opportunity to connect and learn from each other, as well as share and expand on our knowledge.  This year's keynote speaker is Dr. John W. Murphy, Professor of Sociology at the University of Miami, FL. As one of the most prolific writers of our generation in the field of social theory, Dr. Murphy has covered topics including globalization, narrative medicine, health, stratification, race, education, and postmodernism. Dr. Murphy's writing and research are all underpinned by community-based philosophy.

Roots of Immigration: Public Security Policies in El Salvador

Monday, April 15, 1 pm - 1:50 pm, Scripps Cottage       

Presentation by Dr. Jose Morales, Former Dean of the Law School at the National University of El Salvador and Vice-President of the Central American Commission for the Defense of Human Rights           

Co-sponsored with the CAL Dean's Office, Interdisciplinary Human Rights Initiative, Latin American Studies, Political Science, and Chicana and Chicano Studies.

Explore SDSU

The Sociology department took part in SDSU's annual open house, "Explore SDSU."  The event took place on Saturday March 23, 2019, 9 am - 2 pm.  Professor Beck gave the information session on Sociology (see middle image below).

 

 

Staff Awards

Congratulations to Monica Cortez who is celebrating twenty-five years of service with SDSU!

Monica began her distinguished career at the Imperial Valley campus. She transferred to San Diego three years ago. We are so lucky to have her.  Thanks, for all that you do Monica.

 

Sorry to Bother You Film Screening

Monday, November 12
8-10 PM
Little Theatre, Hepner Hall

Join us for a Department of Sociology sponsored screening of Sorry to Bother You, a satire that delves into a wide range of subjects from the dehumanizing effects of labor to contemporary issues of race in Oakland California. The film stars Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Steven Yeun.

Join us following the screening for an informal conversation about the film at Eureka! in South Campus Plaza.

 

Professor Amy Wong

Congratulations to Professor Amy Wong who was invited to join the SDSU EOP Summer Bridge Faculty! EOP students are first-generation low income students and the Bridge Program allows them to live five weeks on campus and take two classes (earning 6 units). She taught a sociology course last summer and is planning to continue to teach in summer 2019. She "is very proud to be affiliated with this program" and we are so proud that she represents our department in the program!

Amy was also invited to teach an honors course at the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland for the Summer of 2020! This class is sponsored by the Weber Honors College (where she is a faculty fellow) and she is planning to teach her honors course, "Sociology through Fiction."

Dean's List

Congratulations to Sociology majors, Michael Juarez Chuevas, Adam Allen London, and Veronica Rae Roybal, for making the Summer 2018 Dean's List! 

CHEPS Fellow

Congratulations to Dr. Audrey Beck winner of a Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies (CHEPS) Faculty Research Fellowship for 2018-19.

 

Grant Awarded

Congratulations to associate professor and new chair of Sociology, Minjeong Kim, for receiving an NSF award for $173,000 in support of her research on Korean immigrants in the U.S.-Mexico border region.

 

Sally Casanova Scholarship

Congratulations to the newest winner of a Sally Casanova Scholarship, graduate student, Joshua Hudson. The scholarship was awarded to pre-doctoral scholars for the 2018-19 academic year. Joshua was just one of 75 highly qualified California State University students who was chosen from 304 applications. Dr. Minjeong Kim mentors him.

 

New Faculty

The department would like to welcome its new tenure-track hire: Tim Brown.  He will start this Fall 2018.

Dr. Brown will teach Homicide in America (SOC-442) and Seminar: Criminology & Criminal Justice Theory (SOC 743).  He received his Ph.D. in Sociology with a concentration in Criminology from Louisiana State University.  

Learn more by visiting his bio page.

 

Pacific Sociological Association (PSA)

The 89th Annual PSA Conference “Teaching Sociology: Innovations, Changes, and Challenges” was held March 28-31, 2018 in Long Beach, CA at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency.  In addition to the presentations, graduate students got together for SDSU Night at PSA!

Paper presentations: 
“Reframing the World through Hip Hop”  — Jonathan Baltazar 
“Why People Attend Music Festivals Beyond the Music” — Kelly Gmeiner 
“Adolescent Children Narratives of Parental Incarceration” — Denise Hernandez 
“The Media’s Portrayal of Women Murderers/Killers” — Ian Larson 
“Advocating for Social Change in Punk Music: A Latent Function

Scholarship Reception held on Wednesday, December 13

Congratulations to Nancy Nguyen (Sociology/Interdisciplinary Studies) and Leonardo Alcaraz (Sociology)! They are the winners of this year's Arts and Letters Alumni Chapter Scholarship, which had close to 200 applicants.

Check out more photos from the event.

 

 

Sociology Graduate Students at CSA Conference

Ian Larson, Kelly Gmeiner, Arely Sanchez, and Sean Jones presented at the California Sociological Association (CSA) conference in Sacramento on November 17-18. Ian Larson organized a topic on Popular Culture and New Technology. Within the topic, he presented "A Call for the Sociology of Video Games," Sean Jones presented " Advocating for Social Change in Punk Music: A Latent Function of Entertainment," and Arely Sanchez presented "The Media's Portrayal of Women Murderers/Killers." Kelly Gmeiner presented "Why People Attend Music Festivals Beyond the Music" within the Student Research topic.

 

Award and New Book

Congratulations to Sociology lecturer, Daniel Davis for his award at the American Sociological Association for best article in the Soc of Ed section: Career Funneling: How Elite Students Learn to Define and Desire ‘Prestigious’ Jobs, with Amy Binder and Nick Bloom, 2016, Sociology of Education, 89(1): 20-39. 

He also has a new book being published on Oct 1, 2017 by Stylus Publishers: Contingent Academic Labor: Evaluating Conditions to Improve Student Outcomes.

Social Movements and Protest: Nonviolent Strategies and the State

Conference: May 5-6, 2017

This conference is planned as an informal and friendly gathering to present your current work, discuss it with others, network, and, generally, ponder the new directions in which our field is heading. Plenary sessions will emphasize strategies, tactics, and nonviolent approaches to social change.

Learn more by visiting the conference website.

SDSU Sociology Graduate Students

Five Sociology graduate students presented their research posters at the 10h Annual Student Research Symposium (SRS), held on March 3-5, 2017 at SDSU.

In Memoriam

Professor Emeritus, Joan Werner passed away February 14, 2017. She was a member of the Sociology Department from 1965 to 1998. She earned her PhD from Syracuse University. Professor Werner did not wish to have a Memorial Service.