Michigan State University
Department of Sociology
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News

Zachary Neal's 2009 HARP Development proposal entitled "The Connected City: How Networks are Shaping the Modern Metropolis" was funded by OVPRGS.

Cathy Liu's reseach on marriage and mortality featured in the cover story of the current issue(Feb. 2010) "Capital Area Women's LifeStyle Magazine" (read here)

Tom Dietz, Michigan State University and Paul Stern's (National Research Coucil) recent paper on reducing houshold CO2 emissions received coverage on All Things Considered, Michigan Public Radio, the Huffington Post, Legal Planet, The Edmonton Journal, The Calcutta Telegraph, ScienceNow and Energy and Environmental Daily.

"The Impact of Political Party and Ideology on Perceptions of Health Inequalities: Findings from a US Survey" by HARRY PERLSTADT has been acccepted for presentation in the RC15 session Social Class and Health Inequality at the ISA World Congress of Sociology to held in Gothenburg, Sweden from July 11 to 17, 2010.

STUDENT IN THE HONORS COLLEGE HAVE A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY to publish their work in ReCUR, the new Honors College Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Journal (explore further)

AFRICAN ATLANTIC RESEARCH TEAM (AART) FALL NEWSLETTER (here)

Read about alumni Paula Palmer (here)

GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS!

CONTEXTS.ORG...UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE IN THEIR SOCIAL WORLDS

Cathy Liu, Ph.D. releases new study... read about this and more on the GLORY PAGE (Most Recent Faculty/Student Activites)

John V. Stone, Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Food and Agricultural Standards (IFAS http://ifas.msu.edu/), was a featured speaker at the Fall 2009 Ballenger Eminent Persons Lecture, held November 4th & 5th at the Regional Technology Center on the campus of Mott Community College. The Ballenger Lecture Series wascreated in 1955 by the Ballenger Trust to enhance educational opportunities for MCC studentsas well as promote public discussion of major societal issues http://www.mcc.edu/10_alumni/af_ballenger_lecture_series.shtml#past The Series is presently addressing issues in the 'STEM' disciplines -- science, technology, engineering, and medicine -- for which Dr. Stone's talk, titled "Societal Considerations in Agrifood Nanotechnologies," was invited as part of a broader Series emphasis on Nanotechnology: How Little things Inspire Big Ideas. Further information on the nanotechnology lectures may be found here.

Graduate Student VIOLETA DONAWA featured in B.L.A.C. magazine article on the relationship of Latinos, Afro-Latinos, and Africa Americans. (see article)

News Archive

Events

UPCOMING EVENTS

TECHNOLOGICAL WORKSHOPS

Please consider attending the following events. They reflect updates in the mechanical structures and the options in ANGEL and also new academic technologies that are available for teaching and research communication (see more)

USA WILL HOST A PANEL ON ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY...click here for info...

GLOBAL URBAN STUDIES WORKSHOPS

On February 1, 2010, in Room 466 Berkey Hall, Zachary Neal will be presenting "Using Airline Traffic to Understand Intercity Networks".

On March 29, 2010, in Room 466 Berkey Hall, Alesia Montgomery will be presenting "The Sight of Loss"; Detroit, Memory, Structural Crisis, Social Consciousness.

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The department's academic year 2009-10 started off with the annual picnic. This year's gathering was held at Wonch Park in Okemos.

This has always been a great way to start the year-- for faculty, graduate students and staff to get acquainted and share in fun and laughter, and LOTS of good eats!

Fall 2009 Picnic

Graduate students Linda Gjokaj and Breanne Grace

Events Archive

Spotlight

Michigan State University’s deep involvement in environmental sustainability science and policy again was demonstrated Jan. 20-22 at a high-profile Washington, D.C., conference (read more)

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Hello from one of our graduates Lorian Wyzinski

Hello!

The rainy season has come to Lesotho, which means beautiful storms with loud thunder, striking lightening, violent winds, and roof tops in the fields. Luckily, my roof is still intact and I have no leaks (well, no big leaks. I do have one dribble right above my bed that strategically lands on my forehead when in sleeping position, but who counts that?). I have been busy doing the same projects as I have previously informed you all of. I attached some photos of some of the school libraries I helped to start and organize. Starting libraries is a lot harder than I thought. It has taken me a whole year to get to this point. Out of five, one library is finally open! That is a great achievement for me.

Another achievement that I am proud of is that I was able to encourage three teenage boys (who I have known for the past year) to go to the local clinic and test for HIV. In Lesotho (and in all of southern Africa), that is HUGE! There is such a stigma associated with testing that most people just don't do it. It's a scary thing for anybody, anywhere. Like I told them (as well as what GI Joe said) "knowing is half the battle." As I'm sure most of you know, once people know their status, they can take proper care of their health. All of the boys tested negative. I have been talking to them about HIV and answering their questions for the last year. It has taken me a long time to establish a relationship with them and for them to trust me. At least now I can say that during my one year of service I have FINALLY done something.

I am doing really well. Planting my garden, hiking, visiting other volunteers, and planning a Christmas vacation. I hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Lorian Wyzinski

Congratulations to David Bidwell (graduate student in the department) on the publication of an article about the political ecology of disease in bison in Yellowstone National Park. The article began as a paper for a graduate course four years ago. (read abstract).

DR. CARL TAYLOR

is featured in MSU Today depicting his work in Detroit as an activist scholar. Please click on the following link for the complete story/video.

Michigan State University has been working with partners in Southeast Michigan for decades. Today, our presence in the region is stronger than ever, and our new MSU Detroit Center is a symbol of our expanding commitment.

Dr. Taylor, along with Presdient Simon with President Simon discuss the opening of a new MSU building in Detroit. story/video.

Welcoming Sandra Marquart-Pyatt to our department this fall. (READ ABOUT DR. MARQUART-PYATT)

Congratulations to David Bidwell, Ph.D. student in the department, on the publication of his paper on community based participatory research and "post-normal" science in the journal "Science, Technology, and Human Values." See the link below:
Is Community-Based Participatory Research Postnormal Science?

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Spotlight Archive