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The graduate program in the Department of Sociology and Criminology develops professionals who are qualified to conduct original research in the field of sociology and serve the discipline and larger community through teaching and/or other applications of sociological and criminological knowledge.
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Join the next generation of research, academic, and policy experts
The doctoral program has a research emphasis and primarily prepares sociologists for positions at colleges and universities or research positions in academic, private, and government institutions.
Graduate students work closely with faculty on collaborative research as well as developing independent research programs. In addition to valuable research experiences, students also can obtain substantial training and experience in undergraduate teaching, including online courses. The department training program includes an orientation workshop for new teaching assistants, a credited teaching seminar, SOC:7010 Teaching Sociology, for advanced graduate students, courses on instruction, and an opportunity for these graduate students to design and teach their own courses under the mentorship of the faculty.
The graduate program provides rigorous training in theory and methods as well as in these substantive areas:
- Crime, Law, and Social Control
- Gender and Family
- Social and Political Organizations
- Stratification
- Political Sociology
- Complex Organizations
Program goals
- Develop the expertise to conduct original research in sociology and criminology that is publishable in scholarly outlets.
- Develop a professional skillset in research methodology commonly used in the social sciences, particularly sociology and criminology.
- Develop a professional skillset in social science theories pertaining to sociology and criminology.
- Develop professional expertise in substantive sociological and criminological research areas, which at minimum includes graduate-level competence in both a major and minor area of research.
- Develop scholarly writing and communication skills.
- Serve the discipline and broader community as sociologists and criminologists.
- Prepare to teach in the field of sociology and/or criminology.
- Understand the goals, practices, and standards of research and applied professionals associated with the discipline of sociology and/or criminology. This includes developing a firm grasp of the principles of ethical research.
Park, Jihye. "US Immigration Politics, Sanctions Threats and Private Prison Corporations’ Stock Market Values." The British Journal of Criminology (July 2022). https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azac057
Chun, Hyunsik and Michael Sauder. "The power in managing numbers: changing interdependencies and the rise of ranking expertise." Higher Education (February 2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00823-x
Pullen, Erin, Emily Ekl, Elizabeth Felix, Christopher Turner, Bernice Pescosolido, and Brea Perry. “Labeling, Causal Attributions, and Social Network Ties to People with Mental Illness” Social Science and Medicine 293 (January 2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114646
Winer, Canton, Megan Carroll, Yuchen Yang, Katherine Linder, and Brittney Miles. ““I Didn’t Know Ace Was a Thing”: Bisexuality and Pansexuality as Identity Pathways in Asexual Identity Formation.” Sexualities, (April 2022). https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/agnd8
Felix, Elizabeth and Freda Lynn. “Mental Health Stigma and Social Contact Revisited: The Role of Network Closeness and Negativity.” Society and Mental Health, (September 2021). https://doi.org/10.1177/21568693211043156.
Lynn, Freda B. and Hannah Espy. “Cumulative Advantage.” Forthcoming in Research Handbook on Analytical Sociology, edited by G. Manzo (2021).
Perry, Brea, Elizabeth Felix, Megan Bolton, Erin L. Pullen, and Bernice Pescosolido. “Public Stigma and Personal Networks: Confronting the Limitations of Unidimensional Measures of Social Contact.” Forthcoming in Journal of Health and Social Behavior, (February 2021). https://doi.org/10.1177/00221465211072311
Smith, Andrea C., Jacqueline Woerner, Rochelle Perera, Angela M. Haeny, and Jonathan M. Cox. "An Investigation of Associations Between Race, Ethnicity, and Past Experiences of Discrimination with Medical Mistrust and COVID-19 Protective Strategies." J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, (June 2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01080-x.
Smith, Andrea C., Yingru Li, and Ting Du. “Unhealthy after School Snacks: Socioeconomic Disparities of Food Environments around Public and Private Schools in the United States.” Papers in Applied Geography, 8, no. 1 (July 2021): 50-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/23754931.2021.1943499.
Arnull, Elaine, Jihye Park, and Karen Heimer. "Girls in the Juvenile Justice System in England and Wales, 2002-2017." Journal of Youth Studies, (September 2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2021.1970723.
Chun, Hyunsik and Michael Sauder. "The logic of quantification: institutionalizing numerical thinking." Theory and Society 51 (2021): 335-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-021-09453-1.
Sauder, Michael, Hyunsik Chun, and Wendy Espeland. "The Garbage Can Model and Organizational Metrics." In Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 175-97. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20210000074033.
Kim, Ji Hye and Claire S. Lee. "Social Capital and Subjective Social Status: Heterogeneity within East Asia." Social Indicators Research, 154 (April, 2021): 789–813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-020-02548-9.
Fatema, Kaniz and Joseph T. Lariscy. "Mass media exposure and maternal healthcare utilization in South Asia." SSM-Population Health 11 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100614.
Lee, Claire S. and Ji Hye Kim. "Latent Groups of Cybersecurity Preparedness in Europe: Sociodemographic Factors and Country-level Contexts." Computers & Security 97 (October 2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2020.101995.
Miller, Graham N.S., Freda B. Lynn, and Laila I. McCloud. “By Lack of Reciprocity: Positioning Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Organizational Field of Higher Education.” The Journal of Higher Education 92, no. 2 (2021): 194-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1803026.
Wo, James C. and Jihye Park. “An Examination of Schools, Social Ecological Factors, and Neighborhood Crime.” British Journal of Criminology 60, no. 4 (July 2020): 851-72. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaa002.
Berg, Mark T., Ethan M. Rogers, Bruce G. Taylor, Weiwei Liu, and Elizabeth A. Mumford. “Lessons of an Honour Code: A Consideration of Conflict-Related Processes and Interpersonal Violence.” British Journal of Criminology 59, no. 5 (September 2019): 1076-98. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azz022.
Berg, Mark T., Ethan M. Rogers, Weiwei Liu, Elizabeth A. Mumford, and Bruce G. Taylor. “The Interpersonal Context of Depression and Violent Behavior: A Social Psychological Interpretation.” Aggressive Behavior 45, no. 4 (March 2019): 437-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21832.
Jennifer L. Glanville and Qianyi Shi. “The Extension of Particularized to Generalized and Out-Group Trust: The Constraining Role of Collectivism.” Social Forces 98, no. 4 (June 2020): 1801-28. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz114.
Lynn, Freda, Mary Noonan, Michael Sauder, and Matthew A. Andersson. “A Rare Case of Gender Parity in Academia.” Social Forces 98, no. 2 (December 2019): 518-47. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soy126.
Noonan, Mary and Jennifer Turchi. “Childhood Obesity Differences in Single-Father and Single-Mother Families.” Sociological Focus 52, no. 3 (2019): 216-30. 10.1080/00380237.2019.1624234.
Novoselova, Olga A., Freda B. Lynn, and Graham N. S. Miller. “Controlled, Verified, and Understood: Identity and Status in the Field of Higher Education,” In Identities in Everyday Life, edited by J. E. Stets and R. T. Serpe, 289–308. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190873066.003.0014.
Park, Jihye. "Women’s Socioeconomic Status and Victimization." In The Encyclopedia of Women and Crime, edited by Frances and Kelly Frailing. Wiley, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118929803.ewac0477.
Rogers, Ethan M., Richard B. Felson, Mark T. Berg, and Andrew Krajewski. “Taking Sides: Gender and Third-Party Partisanship in Disputes.” Criminology 57, no. 4 (November 2019): 579-602. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12215.
Sauder, Michael, Wendy Espeland, and Hyunsik Chun. "Managing Measures: The Dangers of Reactivity." Controlling & Management Review 63, no. 5 (July 2019): 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12176-019-0029-2.
Tegegne, Mesay and Jennifer L. Glanville. “The Immigrant-Native Gap in Subjective Well-Being: Assessing the Role of Social Capital.” International Migration Review 53, no. 2 (June 2019):458-85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0197918318769309.
Bruch, Sarah K., Inga Popovaite, Elizabeth Felix, and Matthew Anson. “Patterns and Impacts of Racial and International Student Disparities in Experiences of Campus Climate, Academic Support, and Financial Conditions at the University of Iowa.” In Evaluating Campus Climate at U.S. Research Universities: Opportunities for Diversity and Inclusion, edited by Krista M. Soria, 327-51. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94836-2_15.
Bruch, Sarah K. and KaLeigh K. White. “Politics, State Discretion and Retrenchment in Safety Net Provision: Evidence from the USA in the Post-Welfare Reform Era.” Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy, and Society 11, no. 3 (September 2018): 459-83. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsy017.
Wo, James and Park, Jihye. "Places not Cases? Re-thinking Probation: The Effects of Nonprofit Organizations on Probationer Re-Arrest Rates." Crime & Delinquency 65, no. 5 (July 2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128718788046.
Novoselova, Olga A. “What Matters for Interorganizational Connectedness? Locating the Drivers of Multiplex Corporate Networks.” Strategic Management Journal (September 2017): 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3343.
Durkee, Rebecca L. "The Maintenance of Untenable Values: an Ethnographic Study of Group-Level Strategies to Manage Conflict." Qualitative Sociology 40, no. 4 (October, 2017): 493-509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11133-017-9369-4.
Felson, Richard B., Mark T. Berg, Ethan M. Rogers, and Andrew Krajewski. “Disputatiousness and the Offender-Victim Overlap.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 55, no. 3 (November 2017): 351-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427817744594.
Berg, Mark T., and Ethan M. Rogers. “The Mobilization of Criminal Law.” Annual Review of Law and Social Science 13, no. 1 (2017): 451-69. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110615-084510.
Kwon, Hye Won. "Expanding the Notion of Agency: Introducing Grit as an Additional Facet of Agency." In Agency of Work: An Agentic Perspective on Professional Learning and Development. Edited by Michael Goller and Susanna Paloniemi, 105-20. New York: Springer, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60943-0_6.
Kwon, Hye Won and Rengin Firat. "Altruistic Values of Self and In-Groups and Implications for Suffering Alleviation." In Alleviating World Suffering: The Challenge of Negative Quality of Life, edited by Ronald E. Anderson. New York: Springer, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51391-1_9.
Lynn, Freda B., and George Ellerbach. “A Position with a View: Educational Status and the Construction of the Occupational Hierarchy.” American Sociological Review 82, no. 1 (February 2017): 32–58. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122416671743.
Gorga, Allison. “‘Kinda Like a Man and a Woman Thing’: The Construction and Reification of Gender Hegemony in a Women’s Prison.” Social Currents 4, no. 5 (October 2017): 413–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329496516686617.
Gorga, Allison and Oehmen, Nicole. “Gendered Prisons, Gendered Policy: Gender Subtext and the Prison Rape Elimination Act.” Gender Panic, Gender Policy 24 (October 2017): 251-71. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1529-212620170000024015
Glanville, Jennifer L., Pamela Paxton, and Yan Wang. “Social Capital and Generosity: A Multilevel Analysis.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 45, no. 3 (June 2016): 526–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764015591366.
Rogers, Ethan. “Building Novelty: The Importance of Starting with a Wide Foundation.” The Criminologist 42, no. 6 (November, 2016): 36-37. https://asc41.com/wp-content/uploads/ASC-Criminologist-2016-11.pdf
Park, Jihye. "Firing Regulation and Public Administration." In Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, edited by Ali Farazmand. Boston: Springer, 2016.
Rabe-Hemp, Cara, and Park, Jihye. "Income Inequality." In Today's Economic Issues: Democrats versus Republicans, edited by LInd, Nancy, Rik Rankin, and Gardenia Harris, 145-52. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2016.
Biagas, David and Alison J. Bianchi. “The Latin Americanization Thesis: An Expectation States Approach.” Social Forces 94, no. 3 (May 2015):1335-58. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sov070
Rogers, Ethan and William Alex Pridemore. “Research on Social Disorganization Theory and Crime in Rural Communities.” In The Routledge International Handbook of Rural Criminology, edited by Joseph Donnermeyer, 905-23. Routledge, 2013.
Andersson, Matthew A. and Jennifer L. Glanville. “The Contingent Effects of Mental Well-Being and Education on Volunteering.” Society and Mental Health 6, no. 2 (July 2016): 90–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869316634173.
Ruch, Alexander and Marina Zaloznaya. “Corruption Discourse in Current Debates on Genetically Modified Foods: Moral and Ethical Challenges to Law and Science.” In Corruption: Political, Economic, and Social Issues, edited by Brenda Davis, 233-66. Nova Science Publishers, 2016.
Bianchi, Alison J., Alexander M. Ruch, Michael J Ritter, and JiHye Kim. "Emotion Management: Unexpected Research Opportunities." Sociology Compass 10, no. 2 (February, 2016): 172-83. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12340
Paik, Anthony, Kenneth Sanchagrin, and Karen Heimer. "Broken Promises: Abstinence Pledging and Sexual Reproductive Health." Journal of Marriage and Family 78, no. 2 (April, 2016): 546-61. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12279.
Glass, Jennifer, Robin W. Simon, and Matthew A. Andersson. "Parenthood and Happiness: Effects of Work-Family Reconciliation Policies in22 OECD Countries." American Journal of Sociology 122, no. 3 (2016): 886-929. https://doi.org/10.1086/688892
Rabe-Hemp, Cara and Jihye Park. “Elizabeth Robb, Chief Judge, 11th Judicial Circuit of Illinois” In Trends in the Judiciary: Interviews with Judges across the Globe. edited by David Lowe and Dilip Das, 255-66. CRC Press, 2015.
Park, Jihye and Dae-Hoon Kwak. "Empirical Status of the CSI Effect in the Criminal Justice System: A Brief Review." Korean Journal of Scientific Criminal Investigation 9, no. 2 (May, 2015): 90-96. https://www.earticle.net/Article/A246691.
Tegegne, Mesay A. “Immigrants’ Social Capital and Labor Market Performance: the Effect of Social Ties on Earnings and Occupational Prestige.” Social Science Quarterly 96, no. 5 (2015): 1396-1410. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12212.
Hitlin, Steven and Matthew Andersson. “Morality, Dignity, and the Self.” In Order on the Edge of Chaos: Social Psychology and the Problem of Social Order, edited by Edward Lawler, Shane Thye and Jeongkoo Yoon, 268-85. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Hitlin, Steven and Hye Won Kwon. “Agency.” In Handbook of the Life Course, edited by Shanahan, Michael, Jeylan Mortimer and Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson, 431-49. Springer, 2016.
Mayhew, M. E.T. Pascarella, T.L. Trolian, and B. Selznick. "Measurements matter: Taking the DIT-2 multiple times and college students' oral reasoning development." Research In High Education 56, no.4 (2015): 378-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-014-9348-5
Hitlin, Steven, Matthew Andersson, and Glen H. Elder, Jr. “Motivation: Life Course and Sociological Perspectives.” In International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Science, edited by Eccles, Jacquelynne and Katariina Salmela-Aro, 940-45. Elsevier, 2015.
McPherson, Chad and Michael Sauder. "Counting Qualitative Data". In Handbook of Qualitative Organizational Research, edited by Kimbrly Elsbach and Roderick Kramer, 434-43. Routledge, 2015.
Walker, Mark H. “The Contingent Value of Embeddedness: Self-Affirming Social Environments, Network Density, and Well-Being.” Society and Mental Health 5, no. 2 (July 2015): 128–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869315574601
Wittrock, Stacy, Sarah Ono, Kenda Stewart, Heather Schacht Reising, and Mary Charlton. "Unclaimed Healthcare Benefits: A Mixed-Method Analysis of Rural Veterans." Journal of Rural Health 31, no. 1 (2015): 35-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12082
Boxer, Christie, Mary Noonan, and Christine Whelan. "Measuring Mate Preferences: A Replication and Extension." Journal of Family Issues 36, no. 2 (2015): 163-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X13490404
White, Karletta. “The Salience of Skin Tone: Effects on the Exercise of Police Enforcement Authority.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 38, no. 6 (2015): 993-1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2014.952752
Glass, Jennifer and Philip Levchak. "Red States, Blue States, and Divorce: Understanding Regional Variation in Divorce Rates." American Journal of Sociology 119, no. 4 (2014): 1002-46. https://doi.org/10.1086/674703
Campos-Castillo, Celeste, and Kwesi Ewoodzie. "Relational Trustworthiness: How Status Affects Intro-organizational Inequality in Job Autonomy." Social Science Research 44 (March 2014): 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.11.001
Cumley, Samantha R., Karen Heimer and Stacy De Coster. "Gender and Crime." In International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences, edited by James D. Wright. Oxford, UK: Elsevier, 2014.
Gaglioti, Anne, Ashley Cozad, Stacy Wittrock, Kenda Stewart, Michelle Lampman, Sarah Ono, Heataher Schacht Reisinger, and Mary E. Charlton. "Non-VA Primary Care Providers Perspectives on Co-management for Rural Veterans." Military Medicine 179, no. 11 (November, 2014): 1236-43. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-13-00342
Hitlin, Steven and Katherine Kramer. “Morality and Adolescent Desistance from Crime.” Advances in Life Course Research 20 (2014): 16-27.
Pascarella, E.T., G.L. Martin, J.M. Hanson, T.L. Trolian, B. Gillig, and C. Blaich. "Effects of diversity experiences on critial thinking skills over four years of college." Journal of College Student Development 55, no. 1 (January 2014): 86-92. doi:10.1353/csd.2014.0009.
Stone, Amy and Allison Gorga. "Containing Pariah Feminiinities: Lesbians in the Sorority Rush Process." Sexualities 17, no. 3 (2014):348-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363460713516336
Lancianese, Donna A. “Sociological Social Psychology and Intersectionality: A Synergistic Relationship.” Sociology Compass 8, no. 5 (2014):556-70. DOI:10.1111/soc4.12154
White, Karletta. “The Salience of Skin Tone: Effects on the Exercise of Police Enforcement Authority.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 38, no. 6 (2014): 993-1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2014.952752
Andersson, Matthew A., Jennifer Glass and Robin W. Simon. "Users Beware! Variable Effects of Parenthood on Happiness Within and Across International Datasets." Social Indicators Research 115, no. 3 (February, 2014): 945-61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24720441
Campos-Castillo, Celeste and Steven Hitlin. "Copresence: Revisiting a Building Block for Social Interaction Theories." Sociological Theory 31, no. 2 (July 2013): 168-192. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735275113489811
De Coster, Stacy, Karen Heimer, and Samantha R. Cumley. "Gender and Delinquency." In Oxford University Handbook of Criminology. Edited by Francis T. Cullen and Pamela Wilcox, 313- 30. New York: Oxford, 2013.
Firat, Rengin. “Trust and Political Participation: A Multi-Dimensional Comparison of Four Nations.” Sosyoloji Arastirmalari Dergisi (Journal of Sociological Research 15, no. 2 (2012): 45-76. http://www.sosyolojidernegi.org.tr/s/2300/i/2012-2-guz-firat-b-rengin.pdf
Hitlin, Steven and Matthew Andersson. "Social Psychology and Human Rights." Handbook of the Sociology and Human Rights edited by Brunsma, David L., Keri E. Iyall Smith, and Brian Gran, 384-93. Paradigm Publishers, 2013.
Hitlin, Steven and Kevin Pinkston. "Values, Attitudes, and Ideologies: Explicit and Implicit Constructs Shaping Perception and Action." In Handbook of Social Psychology edited by Delamater, John and Amanda Ward, 319-39. New York: Springer, 2013.
McPherson, Chad and Michael Sauder. "Logics In Action: Managing Institutional Complexity in a Drug Court." Administrative Science Quarterly 58 (2013):165-196. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839213486447
Paik, Anthony and Kenneth Sanchagrin. "Social Isolation in America: An Artifact." American Sociological Review 78, no. 3 (April 2013):339-360. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122413482919
Pascarella, E.T., J. Wang, T.L. Trolian, and C. Blaich. "How the instructional and learning environments of liberal arts colleges enhance cognitive development." Higher Education 66 (March 2013): 569-83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9622-z
Walker, Mark and Freda B. Lynn. "The Embedded Self: A Social Networks Approach to Identity Theory." Social Psychology Quarterly 76, no. 2 (2013): 151-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272513482929
Willer, Robb, Christabel Rogalin, Bridget Conlon, and Michael T. Woinowicz. "Overdoing Gender: A Test of the Masculine Overcompensation Thesis." American Journal of Sociology 118 (2013): 980-1022. https://doi.org/10.1086/668417
Woods, Leah, Jamie Willis, D.C. Wright, and Tim Knapp. "Building Community Engagement in Higher Education: Public Sociology at Missouri State University." Journal of Public Scholarship in Higher Education 3 (2013): 67-90. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120257.pdf
Campos-Castillo, Celeste and Kwesi Ewoodzie. "Relational Trustworthiness: How Status Affects Intra-organizational Inequality in Job Autonomy." Social Science Research 44 (March 2014): 60-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.11.001
Glanville, Jennifer L., Matthew A. Andersson, and Pamela Paxton. "Do Social Connections Create Trust? An Examination Using New Longitudinal Data." Social Forces. 92, no. 2 (2013): 545-562. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot079
Andersson, Matthew A. and Colleen S. Conley. "Optimizing the Perceived Benefits and Health Outcomes of Writing about Traumatic Life Events." Stress and Health 29, no. 1 (March, 2012): 40-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2423