The Department of Sociology at Yale University provides concentrations in the fields of Comparative and Historical Sociology (CCR), Cultural Sociology and Social Theory (CCS), and Social Stratification and Life Course Research (CIQLE). In addition our faculty publish and teach in the areas of Gender and Sexuality, Political Sociology, Sociology of Religion, Economic Sociology, Urban Sociology and Ethnography, and Chinese Society.
Department News
Mikkel Kruger Krenchel Receives Mildred Priest Frank Prize
May 26, 2009 Congratulations to Mikkel Kruger Krenchel '09, majoring in Sociology and International Studies, who received the 2009 Mildred Priest Frank Prize. The Mildred Priest Frank Memorial Prize was established by Adam R. Rose, '81, in honor of his maternal grandmother. It is awarded each year to the graduating senior whose work in the Department of Sociology reflects the standards of excellence and love of people that characterize Mildred Priest Frank. Mikkel is also this year's winner of the WREXHAM-HEINZ PRIZE which is awarded for the best senior essay or other substantial piece of writing in the field of the social sciences. In his senior essay “Unthreatened Nation: Swedish Attitudes Towards Immigrants in Comparative Perspective” Mikkel shows that Sweden is an outlier in the Western hemisphere with respect to the extraordinary tolerance towards immigrants among ordinary Swedes. The essay aims at explaining this instance of “Swedish exceptionalism”. Mikkel devised an analytic strategy, in the tradition of the best case-comparative work, of examining Sweden in the context of countries which show less tolerance but are otherwise maximally similar, namely, Norway and Denmark. Quantitative analysis with survey data is used to isolate the factors that are most likely to explain differences in tolerance. These factors are in turn evaluated with a qualitative approach that locates the explanation in a unique configuration of historical circumstances that lead to the development of an inclusive national identity in Sweden.
Jeffrey C. Alexander Awarded The Foundation Mattei Dogan Prize in Sociology
May 18, 2009 Jeffrey C. Alexander has been awarded The Foundation Mattei Dogan Prize in Sociology by the International Sociological Association. The prize is awarded every four years in recognition of a “lifetime accomplishments” to “a scholar of very high standing in the profession and of outstanding international reputation.” Previous recipients of the award were Neil Smelser (2002) and Alain Touraine (2006). The $5000 prize will be presented at the World Congress of Sociology in Gothenberg, Sweden, in July 2010, where “the laureate will present a prize lecture at the special presidential prize-giving session.” Alexander is the Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology at Yale University.
Scott Boorman Receives Graduate Mentor Award.
May 18, 2009 Professor Scott Boorman is the 2009 recipient of the Graduate School's “Graduate Mentor Award.” The Graduate Mentor Award recognizes teachers and advisors who have been exceptional in their support of the professional, scholarly, and personal development of their students. Congratulations to the recipients, and thank you to all of the graduate students who submitted nomination letters. The recipients will be honored at the Graduate School Convocation on Sunday, May 24, at 2:00 PM in the Hall of Graduate Studies courtyard.
Sociology Senior Essay Conference May 6th
May 5, 2009 The 2009 Sociology Senior Essay Conference wil take place on Wednesday, May 6th, 10:30-3:30p at 107 Williams Hall. Lunch will be served. Major program topics are Social Class at Yale, Politics and Policy in National and International Contexts, and Exploring Community in New Haven and Beyond. Speakers are Amy Jones, Matthew O. Brimer, Matthew Evans, Mikkel Krenchel, Alice Lin, Kayty Himmelstein, Lauren Frohlich, Sylvia Bingham, and Margaret Plouffe. Download full PDF program.
All Our Kin Conference Offers Advance Registration for Roundtables
April 3, 2009 This spring marks the 35th anniversary of the publication of All Our Kin, Carol Stack's path-breaking ethnography of the survival strategies of African-American women living in poverty in urban America. A conference honoring the legacy of Stack's work will be held at Yale University May 1-2, 2009. The conference celebrates more than three decades of Stack's contribution to ethnography as a method of critical inquiry into the social conditions and public policies that shape people's everyday lives.
Before the registration site is opened to the general public, organizers are offering advance opportunity to Yale students to register to participate in one of three roundtables held during the conference on Friday, May 1st. Seating is limited to 15 participants per roundtable. To ensure a seat you MUST register within the next few days. Lunch will be served. You may register for the conference and roundtables at https://apps.business.yale.edu/dc/aok/new.do. For information about speakers and conference registration, please visit the American Studies website http://www.yale.edu/amstud/aok/index.html. Download PDF Announcement
Jonathan Wyrtzen Will Join the Department of Sociology in July, 2009
March 25, 2009 Jonathan Wyrtzen will join the Department of Sociology in July, 2009, as an Assistant Professor. He has conducted historical sociology in Morocco and France, where his work focuses on the history of Moroccan nationalism. His dissertation, “Constructing Morocco: The Colonial Struggle to Define the Nation” (1912-1956), concerns the relationships between French imperial expansion, colonial policies of modernization and state formation, and the rise of “Arab” nationalism in the mid-20th century. His study is the first to explore how three marginal groups – Berbers, Jews, and women – played central roles in the mobilization of anti-colonial nationalism in North Africa. The project is based on two years of fieldwork in the Arabic, Berber and French archives in Morocco and France. His next book will focus on a comparison of tribal insurgency movements during the French colonial period in Morocco, Lebanon, and Syria. Currently a Lecturer at Georgetown University, Mr. Wyrtzen has published a book chapter and two encyclopedia entries, and has presented several papers on Islamic social movements.
Innovative Teaching in the Sociology Department is Featured in the Yale Daily News
February 26, 2009 In the Yale Daily News, an article titled "Cyber Yale" reports on the online forum and blog launched by Professor Hannah Brückner to augment her spring seminar, Sociology 221, Sex and Romance in Adolescence. Because the issues her seminar addresses can be difficult to talk about openly, Professor Brückner wanted to create a blog that would allow for anonymous discussion outside of class. She contacted Yale’s Instructional Technology group to help her create the blog with the aim of fostering open discussion of sensitive and controversial issues. More than one hundred posts have been made since the blog started. To access the blog, click here and log in with your secure NetID.
Elijah Anderson's Code of the Street Spurs US Department of Justice NIJ Report
February 22, 2009 The National Institute of Justice has just published a conclusive report (The Code of the Street and African-American Adolescent Violence, NIJ, February 2009) exploring Professor Elijah Anderson's "code of the street” theory. The “code of the street” (Norton, 1999) theory presents an explanation for high rates of violence among African-American adolescents.
The NIJ summary:
"This Research in Brief presents research exploring Yale professor Elijah Anderson’s “code of the street” theory. Researchers looked for developmental relationships between neighborhood and family characteristics, reported experiences with racial discrimination, expressed street code values and self-reported violent behavior in young people. The results generally support Anderson’s original observations: the stress of living in a poor and violent environment can cause young people to adopt the code of the street as a lifestyle guide. This, in turn, is a powerful predictor of violent conduct, amplified by the effects of negative neighborhood characteristics. The research discussed in this report emphasizes the need to consider this theory in future studies within African-American households, neighborhoods and communities."
The National Institute of Justice is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. NIJ’s mission is to advance scientific research, development, and evaluation to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. To read more on the report, visit the NIJ website, or click here to download the PDF directly.
Come Learn About the Sociology Major at Yale!
February 14, 2009 Not sure what to major in? Tired of looking over the same old parts of the Blue Book? Thinking about a career in education, law, public health, business, consulting or public service? Meet with professors and current majors to learn about why Sociology might be a good choice for you at the Undergraduate Sociology Study Break in the Hall of Graduate Studies, Room 119, on February 27th, 5:00pm - 7:00pm. Free and Tasty Thai Food!
Master's Tea at Davenport with Margaret Talbot
February 13, 2009 Master's tea at Davenport College, Feb 16th, 4 pm, with Margaret Talbot, staff writer for the New Yorker and author of "Red Sex, Blue Sex" - an event organized in the context of Socy 221: Sex and Romance in Adolescence, and sponsored by the Poynter Fellowship.
Amy Jones Receives Emerging Trailblazer Award
January 30, 2009 Kudos to Amy Jones '09, double major in sociology and cognitive science, one of three seniors to receive the 2009 Emerging Trailblazer Award from the Union of Black Men at Yale!
CIQLE Accepting Applications for Postdoctoral Fellowship
January 28, 2009 The Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course (CIQLE) is currently accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship for one or more years, to start in Fall 2009. Candidates should be interested and have experience in empirical research with longitudinal data on the processes that generate inequalities of social class, race/ethnicity, generation, and gender across the life course. Click here to learn more about this job opportunity and how to submit an application.
CIQLE Will Host the 2009 ISA/Research Committee on Social Stratification and Mobility
January 22, 2009 The International Sociological Association (ISA) Research Committee On Social Stratification (RC28) will be hosted by the Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course (CIQLE) this summer at Yale University. The theme of the conference is Mobility and Inequality: Intergenerational and Life Course Perspectives. The RC28 was founded in 1950 under the sponsorship of the International Sociological Association with mission objectives to promote high quality cross-national research on social stratification and social mobility, and the international exchange of scientific information in this field. The summer meeting will be held from August 3- 6. For details, registration, and call for papers, please visit the RC28 website.
Center for Comparative Research Hosts Conference on Graduate Work
January 13, 2009 Graduate student work is the focus of a one-day conference organized by the Center for Comparative Research (CCR) on Saturday, January 24, 2009. The conference aims to bring CCR Fellows and prospective Fellows together to learn more about each others' major projects and to give all interested grads more practice in and feedback on styles of professional presentation. Several panels of student presentations are planned followed by faculty discussants and collective Q & A. To submit a paper, attend the conference, or make other inquiries, please contact Ben Herzog (ben.herzog@yale.edu) or visit the CCR website, or the Conference website.
34th Annual SSHA Meeting Coincides with Julia Adams Presidency
December 24, 2008 “Agency & Action” is the theme of Julia Adams’ presidential year at the Social Science History Association, culminating at the November 12-15 2009 SSHA conference on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. The SSHA is the preeminent American organization for interdisciplinary social science history and the historical social sciences. For more information on the conference or paper submission, please visit the “Agency and Action” conference website.
Alondra Nelson Wins Poorvu Family Award
October 16, 2008 Dean Joseph W. Gordon announced today that Alondra Nelson has been selected as one of three winners this year of a significant honor in Yale College, the Poorvu Family Award for Interdisciplinary Teaching. The award recognizes her teaching in such courses as Genealogy and the Politics of Family; Health Social Movements; and Technology, Identity, and Culture – courses that differ significantly from one another, but share the quality of drawing upon (and interrogating) the methods of the social sciences, biological sciences, technology, history, and literature. Congratulations to Alondra!
Karl Mayer is Designated as the Resor Professor of Sociology
September 26, 2008 Congratulations to Karl Ulrich Mayer, who has been appointed Stanley B. Resor Professor of Sociology at Yale University. Dr Mayer conducts research in the areas of social stratification and mobility, the sociology of aging and the life course, social demography, occupational structures and labor processes, and methods of survey research. At Yale, he chairs the Department of Sociology and is co-director of the Center for Research on Inequalities and the Life Course (CIQLE), of which he was the founding director 2003 through 2007. He is also a professor in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies. Read more from the Office of Public Affairs...
New Book Publication by Ron Eyerman: The Assassination of Theo van Gogh: From Social Drama to Cultural Trauma
August 12, 2008 In November 2004, the controversial Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was killed on a busy street in Amsterdam. A twenty-six-year-old Dutch citizen of Moroccan descent shot van Gogh, slit his throat, and pinned a five-page indictment of Western society to his body. The murder set off a series of reactions, including arson against Muslim schools and mosques. In The Assassination of Theo van Gogh, Ron Eyerman explores the multiple meanings of the murder and the different reactions it elicited: among the Amsterdam-based artistic and intellectual subculture, the wider Dutch public, the local and international Muslim communities, the radical Islamic movement, and the broader international community. After meticulously analyzing the actions and reputations of van Gogh and others in his milieu, the motives of the murderer, and the details of the assassination itself, Eyerman considers the various narrative frames the mass media used to characterize the killing. For more details, or to order, visit the publisher link: Duke University Press.
Rene Almeling Wins the Roberta G. Simmons Outstanding Dissertation Award
July 17, 2008 Rene Almeling has won the ASA Medical Sociology Section’s Roberta G. Simmons Outstanding Dissertation Award. The award will be presented on Monday afternoon, August 4th, at the ASA Annual Meeting in Boston. Congratulations to Rene!
Scott Boorman Receives the James Coleman Distinguished Career Award
July 7, 2008 Congratulations to Scott Boorman who receieved The Distinguished Career Award of the Mathematical Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association. The award recognizes a lifetime of contributions to the field of Mathematical Sociology. Scott will be honored at this year's ASA Annual Meeting in Boston this August.
Department of Sociology Plans Two Tenure Track Appointments
May 21, 2008 The Department of Sociology at Yale intends to make two tenure track Assistant Professor appointments beginning July 1, 2009. The Department has a preference for applications in urban, race, ethnic and migration studies, social networks, development and transnational processes, but will consider applications in all areas of the discipline. The Ph.D. is expected. Yale is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Yale values diversity among its faculty, staff, and students and especially encourages applications from women and underrepresented minorities. Letters of application with a current vitae, summary of thesis, one page summary of current research interests, a brief sample of writings, and letters from three referees should be sent to the Chair of the Search Committee, Professor Richard Breen, Department of Sociology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208265, New Haven, CT 06520-8265. Review of applications will begin September 15, 2008.
New Book Publication by Philip Smith: Punishment and Culture
May 19, 2008 From the chain gang to the electric chair, the problem of how to deal with criminals has long been debated. What explains this concern with getting punishment right? And why do attitudes toward particular punishments change radically over time? Punishment and Culture traces three centuries of the history of punishment, looking in detail at issues ranging from public executions and the development of the prison to Jeremy Bentham’s notorious panopticon and the invention of the guillotine. Moving from Andy Warhol to eighteenth-century highwaymen to Orwell’s 1984, Smith puts forward a dazzling account of the cultural landscape of punishment. His findings will fascinate students of sociology, history, criminology, law, and cultural studies. Visit the publisher link: University of Chicago Press.
Jeffrey Alexander Receives Mary Douglas Prize
May 9, 2008 The Mary Douglas Best Book Prize Committee has chosen The Civil Sphere as the co-winner of the 2008 ASA Culture Section book award. In a most competitive year, the committee received nearly 40 submissions. Congratulations to Jeff!
Lineages of Patrimonial Politics, Then and Now · May 9-10, 2008
May 8, 2008 This interdisciplinary conference, organized by Julia Adams (Yale) and Mounira Maya Charrad (University of Texas-Austin) under the auspices of the Center for Comparative Research, explores the intersections between states and family/household/kin networks across the globe. Participating scholars hail from the fields of sociology, history, political science, anthropology, and global studies. The countries and regions examined include South Korea, Taiwan, Western Europe, Malaysia, Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and the United States. Area-specific inquiries complement others that are oriented toward general theory and/or consider agendas for future research. Visit the conference website: Lineages of Partimonial Politics, Then and Now, Center for Comparative Research, Yale University.
Laudatio on Iván Szelényi's 70th Birthday by Uli Mayer
April 28, 2008 Iván Szelényi turned 70 on April 17. I would to make a few very sketchy notes on Ivan’s scholarly work. Sketchy because it would take a symposium of several days to do justice to it and also because he has himself written beautiful and much too self-critical reviews of his major works.
I have titled this section “Irony and Testimony” or “How to be an Intellectual as a Sociologist?”. What is striking about Ivan’s amazing oeuvre spanning almost 40 fertile years is at first glance its scope and breadth in both topics and methodological styles. Among else, he has written about... (Read Uli's entire laudatio here: Screen Viewing | Download for Print)
