As a nascent sociologist, how does one find their area of expertise? Is it necessary to narrow one’s interests or forsake creative preoccupations to be a credible sociologist? Being a discipline that centers on culture, human social interactions, and various aspects of everyday life, sociology offers a broad bandwidth of topics for scientific inquiry and instruction. All one must do is follow their sociological “character arc.” Discussing her special topics course, From Start-Up to Exit, the Sociology of Entrepreneurship & Cooperative Enterprise, Dr.

In a new publication, Assistant Professor of Sociology Vanessa Gonlin and Camryn Cobb, a UGA grad student in Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics connect personal and perceived group level discrimination to linked fate. They found that, for people with mixed-race ancestry, experiencing discrimination is strongly associated with linked fate with one's own minoritized group and also with all racialized minorities in the U.S. Additionally, believing a group is discriminated against generally increases linked fate with said group.

Join Amairini Sanchez as she discusses how a system of hybridity between the functions of the immigration system and criminal justice system have become enmeshed. This has led to an overcriminalization effect that has disproportionately affected noncitizens due to the risk of facing both criminal justice sanctions and immigration penalties.  Sanchez has investigated how states outline their relationship with federal immigration law in their state statute and how these distinctions relate to presentence detainment differences between citizens and noncitizens.

Join Dr. Barbara Combs for a discussion on how her Bodies Out of Place (BOP) Theory helps dismantle racism.

Drs. Sarah Shannon and Diana Graizbord have launched First Publics, a space intended for critical reflection as well as a useful resource for sociology instructors across higher ed institution types and teaching roles as well as contexts outside of the US.

Join us for a discussion of W.E.B. Du Bois' theory of double consciousness and social psychological work on identity as well as the experiences of Black STEM students.  The purpose of the study is to understand how social network factors within organizations shape how Black STEM students use identity management strategies to cope with experiences of racialization with Historically White Colleges and Universities (HWCUs) and how these strategies shape their emotional outcomes and well-being.  

In the past, researchers have lacked information and statistics regarding incarceration rates in rural jails. After noticing an increase in incarceration rates in these local jails, a team of UGA researchers got together to find out causes behind the arrests.  

Dr. Sarah Shannon, Meigs Professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Studies Program, was part of the team.  Read more about the research HERE.

The Department of Sociology is proud to announce that Dr. Dawn Robinson received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sociology of Emotions Section of the American Sociological Association at their annual meetings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This award is given every two years in recognition of a distinguished record of research contributions to the sociology of emotions.

Joe Hermanowicz was recently elected to the Sociological Research Association. This highly selective society of sociological scholars was founded in 1936. It currently has only 500 members and elects only a dozen or so new members each year. The honor recognizes those selected as among the most successful researchers in the field. New members were inducted this year at a dinner at the ASA meetings in Philadelphia.