Sociology Graduate Students
Degree: Masters
Expected Graduation:
Email: smjaftab@gmail.com
Previous Education: Bachelor of History, King Abdulaziz University, 2013
Research Interests: Collective Memory, Ethnic Studies, Identity, Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies.
Bio: My previous research explored the the Role of Collective Memory in Transforming Inter-communal Relations in Post-Conflict Lebanese Society(in Arabic). Currently my focus on collective memory of Arab American and how it shapes their living experience and their collective identity.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-aftab-3539261a5/
Quote: "Vision without power does bring moral elevation but cannot give a lasting culture" ~Muhammad Iqbal
Degree: Masters
Completion Date:
Email: crballer@vt.edu
Previous Education: BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Science, Minors in Gender and Women’s studies and Economics
Research Interests: Environmental and Economic Justice, Mental Health, New Materialist Feminisms, Social Movements, and Sustainable Finance
Bio: My research is informed by my experience as a community organizer, particularly my experiences as an anti-pipeline, worker’s rights and fossil fuel divestment organizer. My passion for studying mental health comes from many experiences including my own struggle with Bipolar disorder. I have a love for critical theory which is inspired by my experience as a high school and undergraduate competitive policy debater.
Quote: "One must imagine Sisyphus happy." - Albert Camus
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 1st year Ph.D
Email: upali@vt.edu
Previous Education: Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, M.A Sociology, 2018
Research and Interests: Higher Education, Digital Inclusion and Education, Social Stratification, Gender adnd Work
Bio: After graduating with a Master's in Sociology, I worked in the domain of higher education and social impact in India. I worked closely on a policy document that outlines a five-year action plan on higher education for higher education institutions in India, with a special focus on how technology can be used to make education more accessible.
Awards/Honors: Krishna Raj Summer Travel Fellowship, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics, 2017
Publications: Bhattacharya, U. (2021, February 23). The Art of Meaning-Making: Museums as Spaces of Performance. Https://Livewire.Thewire.in/Politics/Museums-as-Spaces-of-Performance/
Twitter: @upali208
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/upali-bhattacharya-979511145/
Quote: "Respect Differences." -Dr. Anjali Bhatia
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: aburroughs1@vt.edu
Previous Education: Radford University, Sociology B.S., 2019; Central Virginia Community College, Science A.A.S., 2017
Research Interests: Food, political economy, Appalachia
Bio: I'm a first generation student from Pulaski, Virginia. I first became interested in food studies during undergrad when I worked on a project related to food insecurity on college campuses. That interest evolved into my current research on food and Dollar General. For my master's thesis, I examined the relationship between food, Dollar General, and Central Appalachia as an example of accumulation by dispossession.
Presentations: "Feeding the Family: Dollar General and Food Access in Central Appalachia" Presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society, Virtual
"#BlueWave: Liberal Paternalism in the 2020 Kentucky Senate Election.” Presented at the 2021 annual meeting of the Appalachian Studies Association, Virtual
“The Sexualization of Appalachian Women.” Presented at the 2019 annual meeting of the Appalachian Studies Association, Asheville, NC
Twitter: @AmandaBurroughs
Quote: "I'm skeptical that you could, yet intrigued that you may." - Dale Gribble
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: missy86@vt.edu
Previous Education: MA in Sociology, East Carolina University (2014); BS in Business, East Carolina University (2009)
Research Interests: Diversity and Student Experience, Gender, Indigeneity within the Academy, Material Feminist Perspectives Among Indigenous Women, Racial Performativity
Courses Taught: AINS 1004 Intro to American Indian Studies, SOC 1004 Intro to Sociology
Bio: Melissa Faircloth is a PhD candidate in Sociology. Her dissertation research focuses on the role of cultural centers as a form of institutional support for Indigenous students. Other research interests include the intersections of indigeneity and gender and the implications of racial performativity. Originally from North Carolina, she is an enrolled member of the Coharie tribe. Before pursuing her doctorate she worked in academic advising at East Carolina University. As a 2017 Diversity Scholar, Melissa started the first powwow on the Virginia Tech campus. She currently serves as the Director for the American Indian and Indigenous Community center while completing her doctorate part time.
Awards/Honors: 2017 Diversity Scholar - The Graduate School at Virginia Tech
Presentations: 2018 Faircloth M, Adkins Q, Brown D, Tallas N. “Building Space for American Indians In Higher Education presented at the 12th Annual American Indian Women of Proud Nations Conference, Clinton, NC September 2018.
2018 Cook S, Hey M, Faircloth M, Kirwan J, Dieter K. “Indigenizing Academic Space: Eradicating the Vanishing American Motif in the Built Environment, Classroom, and Nature” presented at the 14th Annual Southeast Indian Studies Conference, Pembroke, NC April 2018.
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: gilesse@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech, MS, 2017; Hollins University, BA, 2013.
Courses Taught: Intro to Sociology, Research Methods
Research Interests: Aging, Policy, Race, and Inequality
Bio: Sadie’s main research interest throughout her graduate career has been in aging. Her M.S. thesis was rooted in cultural gerontology, which ultimately led to a deep interest in the interconnections between ageism and a complex policy history spanning back decades. As she gravitated towards critical gerontology, her research became more focused on policy and inequality. Sadie is currently working on her dissertation, which is a project on racial health disparities in old age with a focus on how policy-based resources translate to health equity or inequity Native American and Alaska Native elders. Sadie has also worked closely with Dr Toni Calasanti as a research assistant on various projects related to the study of aging over the past several years, including work on topics such as retirement migration and spousal caregiving and dementia.
Awards/Honors: •Carol Bailey Graduate Student Symposium Paper Award. Spring 2018. For “Under the Ageist Microscope: The Biomedicalization of Successful Aging.” With Jessica Herling.
• Professional Travel Award. Center for Gerontology and the Department of Human Development at Virginia Tech for travel to the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting. New Orleans, LA, November 2016.
Presentations: • Giles, Sadie. A Confluence of Policy Inequality: Health Disparities in Old Age Among American Indian and Alaska Native Populations. Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. November 2020. (Moved to virtual format due to Covid19.)
• Calasanti Toni, Marion Repetti, and Sadie Giles. Retirement Migration: A way to evade social exclusion? To be presented at the 6th International REIACTIS Conference, “Inclusiveness in an Aging Society.” February, 2020. Metz, France.
• Maples, James, Sadie Giles, Michael Bradley, Brian Clark, Rhiannon Leebrick. Climbing out of Coal Country: The Economic Impact of Rock Climbing in West Virginia’s New River Gorge. Southern Sociological Society 2018 Annual Meeting. Atlanta, Ga. April 2019
• Giles, Sadie and Jessica Herling. Under the Ageist Microscope: The Biomedicalization of Successful Aging. American Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. August 2018. (Roundtable)
• Giles, Sadie. Sexy Seniors Aren’t Geezers: Redrawing the Boundaries of Old Age. IAGG 2017 World Congress. San Francisco, CA. July 2017.
• Giles, Sadie. Sexy Seniors Aren’t Geezers: Redrawing the Boundaries of Old Age. Southern Sociological Society 2017 Annual Meeting. Greenville, SC. March 2017.
• Giles, Sadie and Toni Calasanti. “Gray Matters: Privilege in the Age of #grannyhair.” Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting. New Orleans, LA, November 2016.
Publications: • Maples, James N., Michael J. Bradley, Sadie Giles, Rhiannon Leebrick, and Brian Clark. 2019. “The Economic Impact of Rock Climbing in West Virginia’s New River Gorge Region.” Journal of Appalachian Studies. 25(2):184-201.
• Calasanti, Toni and Sadie Giles. 2018. “The Challenge of Intersectionality.” Generations. 41(4): 69-74.
Twitter: @sadiegiles_soc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadiegiles
Degree: Masters
Expected Graduation:
Email: agraves1@vt.edu
Previous Education: University of North Carolina Asheville, BA Sociology 2020
Research Interests: Compulsory Heterosexuality, LGBTQ Identity Formation, White Supremacy, Extremism, and Hate Crimes
Quote: "What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Degree: Ph.D
Completion Date:
Email: wahayes@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech B.A. 2009; Chatham University M.F.A. 2015; Virginia Tech M.S. 2019
Research Interests: Culture, Identity, Networks, Race, Social Media/Digital Communications, Social Psychology
Publications: Brunsma, David L., David G. Embrick, Amy Ernstes, Whitney Hayes, Megan Nanney, and Kevin Zevallos. 2020. “The Mothers and Fathers of the Sociology of Race and Ethnicity: Learning from Them in Eight Lessons.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity 7(1):1-11.
Hayes, Whitney, and Kaitlin M. Boyle. 2020. “Identity and Hooking Up at a U.S. ‘Party School.’” Deviant Behavior.
Twitter: @Hashtag_Whitney
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-hayes-471907a/
Personal Website: whitneyhayes.net
Quote: "So it goes."
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: jherling@vt.edu
Previous Education: MS in Sociology, Virginia Tech, 2016
BA in Sociology and BA in Women’s and Gender Studies, West Chester University, 2014
Research Interests: Feminist Science Studies, LGBTQ Health, Media, Medical Education, Medical Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies
Courses Taught: SOC 2004 Social Problems, WGS 1824 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
Bio: Jessica Herling is a PhD candidate in Sociology with a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies. During the summer of 2019, she completed a graduate student residency at the National Humanities Center and currently serves as a Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Digital Humanities Graduate Assistant. She is currently working on her dissertation research, which is an ethnography of how medical schools incorporate LGBTQ health into their curriculum as an attempt to alleviate health care disparities for LGBTQ populations. This dissertation investigates whether and how gender and sexual inequality are reproduced in medical and technological spaces. To that end, she examines the factors that both facilitate and impede inclusionary initiatives and how these initiatives translate with varying levels of success into equitable institutional practices. She is committed to serving her discipline, the university, and wider public communities. She has served on the program committee for Virginia Tech’s international Gender, Bodies & Technology conference, as well as for the regional Southern Sociological Society annual conference. In her wider public communities, she has worked as a Graduate Intern for the Nashville Pride Community Visioning Project and as the Sex and Health editor for Virginia Tech’s LGBTQ+ magazine.
Awards/Honors: Virginia Tech Women’s and Gender Studies Program. 2020. Graduate Student Research Grant, $800. “Enactment of LGBTQ Health in Medical Education.”
Virginia Tech Sociology Department. 2020. Graduate Student Research Grant, $3,350, “Enactment of LGBTQ Health in Medical Education.” *Award money not dispersed due to COVID-19
Carol A. Bailey Graduate Student Paper Award. 2018. $100, “Under the Ageist Microscope: The Biomedicalization of Successful Aging” (With Sadie Giles)
Barbara Ellen Smith Outstanding Essay Award. 2017. $350, “Not Biological? A Feminist Science Studies Analysis of Biomedical Reporting on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation”
Presentations: Herling, Jessica. 2020. “The Integration of Sexual and Gender Minority Health into Medical School Curriculum.” Presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Conference held virtually due to COVID-19.
Herling, Jessica. 2020. “Oh you should talk to…: Examining the Implementation of LGBTQ Health Curricula in Medical Education” Presented at the Eastern Sociological Society Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
Herling, Jessica. 2020. “Medical Curricula on Sexual and Gender Minority Health.” Presented at the Sociologists for Women in Society Conference in San Diego, CA.
Herling, Jessica. 2019. “Enactment of LGBTQ Health in Medical Curriculum” Presented at the Society for the Study of Social Problems in New York, NY.
Herling, Jessica. 2019. “Hidden Curriculum in Medical Education on LGBTQ Health” Presented at the Gender, Bodies & Technology Conference in Roanoke, VA.
Herling, Jessica. 2019. “Hidden Curriculum in Medical Education on LGBTQ Health” Presented at the Southern Sociological Society Conference in Atlanta, GA.
Publications: Herling, Jessica. 2021. “‘Oh you should talk to…’: The Implementation of LGBTQ Health Curricula in Medical Education.”. Advances in Medical Sociology, Vol 21: 277-298.
King, Neal, Rayanne Streeter, Jessica Herling, and Talitha Rose. 2018. Gender in Film and Media. New York: Routledge.
Twitter: @jessica_herling
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaherling/
Personal Website: https://jessicaherling.weebly.com/
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 2021
Email: inaashi1@vt.edu
Previous Education: PhD in Sociology, Virginia Tech. 2021; Masters in Sociology. Virginia Tech. 2017.
Research Interests: Muslims, Islamophobia, Race and Ethnicity, Gender, Social Media, Social Movements, Racial Identity, Religion
Courses Taught: Introductory Sociology. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
Bio: Inaash Islam is a 2021 Ph.D. graduate in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Tech. Her research broadly focuses on how contexts of orientalism, Islamophobia and the racialization of Muslims post-9/11 influence the lived experiences, identity formation and online activities of Muslims in the west. Beginning Fall 2021, she will be joining Saint Michael's College as an Assistant Professor of Sociology.
Awards/Honors: 2021 Outstanding Doctoral Student Award in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech.
2020 Outstanding Doctoral Student Award, Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech.
Publications: 2021 (Forthcoming) David L. Brunsma, Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown, Joong Won Kim, Steve McGlamery and Inaash Islam. “COVID-19 as White Space: The Collective Perils of Whiteness During the Pandemic.” Book Chapter for Race, Ethnicity and the Covid-19 Global Pandemic. Thomas, Henderson, and Horton (eds).
2020 Islam, Inaash. “Muslim American Double Consciousness.” Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race. Online. November 10, 2020: pp. 1-20. doi:10.1017/S1742058X20000235
2019 Islam, Inaash. ‘Redefining #YourAverageMuslim woman: Muslim female digital activism on social media’, Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 12(2), pp. 213–233, doi: 10.1386/jammr_00004_1
2019 Islam, Inaash. “Mired in Paradox: Black Feminist Approaches to Black Female (Re)presentations On-Screen” in Standpoints: Black Feminist Knowledges edited by Andrea N. Baldwin, Ashley Reichelmann and Kwame Harrison. Virginia Tech Publishing, Blacksburg, VA.
2018 Islam, Inaash and Brunsma, David L. “The Color Complex (Revised): The Politics of Skin Color in a New Millennium.” By Kathy Russell-Cole, Midge Wilson and Ronald E. Hall. 2013. Submitted to the Journal of Family Theory and Review. SPECIAL ISSUE: Revisioning Family Theories: Centering Race and Ethnicity. June 2018. (10:2) Pp. 484-506.
Twitter: @InaashIslam
Degree: BS/MS
Expected Graduation: May 2021
Email: rachk98@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech 2020 B.S. in Sociology and B.S. in Criminology
Research Interests: Crime, Deviance, Human Rights, Human Trafficking, Juvenile Justice
Courses Taught: GTA for SOC 2004 Social Problems, SOC 2404 Deviant Behavior, SOC 4704 Medical Sociology
Bio: My thesis concentrates on victim profiling in cross-national human trafficking. I analyze individual-level and national-level demographics to conduct a cluster analysis as well as multiple logistic regressions. Routine Activity Theory and VIVA are the theoretical bases of this study. The dataset I utilize demonstrates information on physical, psychological, and economic control as well as sexual and labor exploitation. The goal of this research is to evaluate target suitability and vulnerability involved in the abduction of or recruiting of human trafficking victims.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/rachel-kidd-36a338191
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: jkimsy@vt.edu
Previous Education: DePaul University
• M.A. Sociology, June 2016
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• B.A. Sociology, May 2012
Courses Taught: Introductory Sociology Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Deviant Behavior Women and Crime
Research Interests: Race and Racisms, Racial Ideology and Language, Asia and Asian America, Gender and Masculinities, Sociology of Culture
Bio: Joong Won Kim received his B.A. in Sociology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and M.A. in Sociology from DePaul University with distinction. Joong Won is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Tech. He is also a graduate programming assistant for the Asian Cultural Engagement Center (ACEC) at Virginia Tech and a graduate research associate for the Laboratory for the Study of Youth Inequality and Justice (YIJ). His current research examines racialization, whiteness, and language use - particularly in the transnational context between the U.S. and South Korea. His work can be found in academic peer-reviewed journals such as Ethnic and Racial Studies, Sociological Inquiry, American Behavioral
Scientist, Sociation, and Sustainability
Presentations: 2020 Kim, Joong Won. “The Possessive Investment in Honorary Whiteness: How Language Shapes a Transnational Racial Order” at the 115th Annual Meeting of American Sociological Association. (Session cancelled).
2019 Zare, Bonnie, and Joong Won Kim. “‘#MeToo is Mostly Good, But Women are Out to Get Us!’: How Asian and White Males on College Campus Frame Backlash Towards #MeToo and the Dating Atmosphere” at the 2019 Annual Meeting of National Women’s Studies Association.
2019 Brunsma, David L., Nathaniel G. Chapman, and Joong Won Kim. “The Culture of White Space, the Racialized Production of Meaning, and the Jamband Scene” at the 114th Annual Meeting of American Sociological Association.
2019 Kim, Joong Won. “The Vernacular of Whiteness: Towards a Sociology of Race and Language” at the 82nd Annual Meeting of Southern Sociological Society.
2019 Kim, Jae Kyun and Joong Won Kim. “The Making of Good-looking Men and Its Racial Context: Comparative Analysis on Colonial and Postcolonial Aesthetic Norms in Korea” at the 82nd Annual Meeting of Southern Sociological Society.
2019 Kim, Joong Won. “The Vernacular of Whiteness: Towards a Sociology of Race and Language” at the 30th Annual Virginia Tech Department of Sociology Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposium.
2018 Kim, Joong Won, Anthony A. Peguero, and Jennifer M. Bondy. “The Significance of Social Bonds for Asian Americans” at the 113th Annual Meeting of American Sociological Association.
2018 Kim, Joong Won. “The (In)visible Boundary: Conceptualizing Language as Symbolic Barriers to Social Inclusion” at Asians in the U.S.: Experiences and Exclusions, Community Conversations Panel at Virginia Tech.
2018 Brunsma, David L., Nathaniel P. Chapman, and Joong Won Kim. “Like a Phish Out of The Water: Race in The White Space of Jamband Subculture” at the 81st Annual Meeting of Southern Sociological Society.
2018 Han, Soyoung, Mintai Kim, Yoonku Kwon, and Joong Won Kim. “The Legacy of the Settlement-House Movement: Its Social Wellbeing and Welfare Services in Community Garden Planning” at the 2018 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Conference.
2018 Kim, Joong Won. “A Feminist Archeology of Public Architectural Artifacts: The (Un)Gendering of the Modern Public Architecture” at the 2018 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Conference.
2018 Han, Soyoung, Mintai Kim, Yoonku Kwon, and Joong Won Kim “Welfare Services in Parks: Their Roles and Ideological Development Processes” at the 2018 Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Conference.
2017 Kim, Joong Won and Soyoung Han. “The (In)visible Boundary: Conceptualizing Language as Symbolic Barriers to Social Inclusion” at the 1st Annual Advancing the Human Condition Symposium.
2017 Kim, Joong Won and Soyoung Han. “A Feminist Archeology of Public Architectural Artifacts: The Gendering of the Modern Public Architecture” at the Virginia Tech WGS Undergraduate and Graduate Student Conference.
2017 Kim, Joong Won. “Depictions of Masculinities: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of GQ” at the 80th Annual Meeting of Southern Sociological Society.
2017 Han, Soyoung and Joong Won Kim. “Spatial Storytelling Planning Strategy through the Multilayered Structure: A Revision of MacCannell’s Theory of Staged Authenticity” at the 33rd Annual Virginia Tech Graduate Student Assembly Research Symposium.
2017 Kim, Joong Won. “An Analysis of a Korean Immigrant Church: Belonging as a Spatio-Temporal Framework” at the 29th Annual Virginia Tech Department of Sociology Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposium.
2016 Kim, Joong Won. “Depictions of Masculinities: Tracing its Cultural Roots and Economic Routes” at the 18th Annual Chicago Ethnography Conference.
Publications: 2021 Kim, Joong Won. “The Possessive Investment in Honorary Whiteness?: How Asian and Asian Americans Reify a Transnational Racial Order through Language.” Ethnic and Racial Studies https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2021.1878250
2020 Brunsma, David L., Nathaniel G. Chapman, Joong Won Kim, J. Slade Lellock,
Jennifer Padilla Wyse, Erik Withers, and Megan Underhill. “The Culture of White
Space: On the Racialized Production of Meaning.” American Behavioral
Scientist 64(12):2001-2005
2020 Kim, Joong Won, Anthony A. Peguero, and Jennifer M. Bondy. “The Significance of Social Bonds for Asian Americans: Investigating the Relationship between Sex/Gender, Race/Ethnicity, Immigrant Generation, and Educational Attainment.” Sociation 19(2):13-36.
2020 Brunsma, David L., Nathaniel G. Chapman, and Joong Won Kim. “The Culture of White Space, the Racialized Production of Meaning, and the Jamband Scene.” Sociological Inquiry 90(1):7–29.
2019 Han, Soyoung, Joong Won Kim, and Yoonku Kwon. “Contemporary Spatial
Publicness: Its New Characteristics and Democratic Possibilities” Sustainability
11(17): 4729; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174729
Twitter: @thedvdskypause
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joong-won-kim-807235b7/
Degree: PhD
Expected Graduation:
Email: lloydj16@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech, MS in Sociology; 2019 Concord University, BA in History and Sociology (double major), 2015
Research Interests: Hate Crime and Far Right Extremism, Criminology and Public Policy, Sociology of Digital Culture, History of Criminology and Crime Science
Bio: I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. I specialize in researching contemporary and historical extremist groups. My research so far suggests that hate groups use technology to enact a means of social control in the form of hate crimes. My current projects mainly focus on addressing the relationship between how hate groups operate and where hate crimes occur.
Awards/Honors:
Presentations: “Hate at the Scene of the Crime: Interrogating Place in Anti-Religious Hate Crime Analysis.” Poster session presented at the Southern Criminal Justice Association Research Showcase. September 08, 2020. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.28257.94568
“Hate Crimes as Social Control: Theorizing the Hate Manager.” Presented at “Improving the Efficiency and Quality of Criminology Research and Education”, Southern Criminal Justice Association Conference. September 11, 2019, Nashville, TN.
“Public Data to Predict Hate Crimes.” Presented at “Technology for Security/Technology for Sustenance”, Virginia Tech Community Conversation, April 24, 2019, Blacksburg, VA.
Publications: Shruti Phadke, Jonathan Lloyd, James Hawdon, Mattia Samory, and Tanushree Mitra. 2018. “Framing Hate with Hate Frames: Designing the Codebook.” In Companion of the 2018 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW '18). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 201-204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3272973.3274055.
Twitter: @LLoydsoc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lloydsoc
Personal Website: lloydsoc.com
Quote: "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort" - Herm Albright
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: May 2021
Email: smmcglamery@hotmail.com
Previous Education: Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, M.Div., 1998; Illinois State University, B.S. in Communications, 1984
Courses Taught: Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Race and Ethnicity, Race and Racism, Intro to African-American Studies, Qualitative Research Methods
Research Interests: Race and Racisms, Inequality, Race/Class Gender, Critical Race Theory, Qualitative Methods, Race and Religion, Whiteness Studies
Bio: I am an experienced college instructor in sociology and a PhD candidate in sociology at Virginia Tech, expecting to graduate Spring or Summer 2021. My dissertation is on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Race Relations Sunday initiative, looking at 1970-2000. I also write a blog at https://itsaboutracestupid.blogspot.com. I am a native of Illinois, and have a background in ministry.
Awards/Honors: Sociology Dept. graduate student grant for research software, 2020.
Jay and Patricia Edwards Scholarship recipient, Virginia Tech Dept. of Sociology, 2007-08.
Presentations: 2021 “A Cure for Original Sin? Southern Baptists and Race 1970-2000: A Study of a ‘Race Relations Sunday’ Institutional Initiative” to be presented at Southern Sociological Association Annual Meeting (virtual).
2016 Panel member, "United Against Racism" event, Radford U. Sch. of Social Work.
2010 “Institutional Racism and the Decline of Men’s Basketball at HBCUs.” 22nd annual Dept. of Sociology Graduate and Undergraduate Research Symposium, Virginia Tech.
2009 “The Blurred Boundaries of Whiteness.” 21st annual Dept. of Sociology Graduate and Undergraduate Research Symposium, Virginia Tech.
2008 “Southern Whites’ Reaction to Desegregation: The Neglected Rural Setting.” Southern Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Richmond, Va.
Twitter: @StevemacGee
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-mcglamery-77941054/
Social Media: https://itsaboutracestupid.blogspot.com/
Quote: "[Slavery] has been called by a great many names, and it will call itself by yet another name; ... [we] had better wait and see what new form this old monster will assume, in what new skin this old snake will come forth next." --Frederick Douglass, May 1865
Degree: Masters
Completion Date:
Email: cjmiceli@vt.edu
Previous Education: Keene State College, B.A. in Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies, 2019
Research Interests: Crime, Deviance, Policing, Trans* Studies
Bio: Christopher's current work focuses on perceptions of police among transgender individuals. He has previously worked on research examining drug abuse among incarcerated women in New Hampshire, and a content analysis of political messaging in contemporary rap music.
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: drmullins@vt.edu
Previous Education: Marshall University, Master of Arts in Sociology, Grad Cert. in Women's Studies, 2018; West Virginia Wesleyan College, Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Sociology, 2012
Courses Taught: Introduction to Sociology
Research Interests: Rural sociology, Indigenous Studies, Political Economy, Gender, Environment
Bio: Danielle is a first generation scholar from West Virginia. Her work looks at the intersections of rural life, global political economy, and gender. Her dissertation looks at the formation of public lands in relation to closing the commons, Native status, and state intervention. Danielle has also been an active researcher on a project looking at the health effects of living in a pipeline construction zone and will now serve on a research team looking at social issues surrounding changes to cattle grazing practices in Virginia. Her Master's thesis was a qualitative study for which she interviewed white, West Virginia women across five counties in order to understand and analyze their perceptions of feminism in Appalachia after the 2016 election.
Awards/Honors: 2020 Graduate Student Research Grant ($3000)(**canceled due to COVID19)
Virginia Tech
2018 Patricia Edwards Scholarship
Virginia Tech
2018 Outstanding Sociology Graduate Student
Marshall University
2017 Outstanding Teaching Assistant (Sociology)
Marshall University
2017 Steve Winn Memorial Scholarship for Social Stratification Recipient ($750)
Marshall University
2017 Alpha Kappa Delta Sociological Honor Society Induction
Marshall University
2012 Best International Studies Senior
West Virginia Wesleyan College
2012 Campus Leadership and Service Award
West Virginia Wesleyan College
2012 Rao Global Awareness Award (Sociology) ($250)
West Virginia Wesleyan College
2012 2nd Place Paper—Mid-Atlantic Research Conference ($200)
West Virginia Wesleyan College
2011 Maxine Bruhn’s Scholarship for International Study ($5,000)
West Virginia Wesleyan College
2011 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow
National Award—on behalf of WVWC
2008 Bonner Community Service Scholarship Program (full scholarship)
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Presentations: Appalachian Studies Association • March 2020 • Lexington, KY
ASA Annual Conference** Canceled due to COVID19
Panel Presentation: “Barefoot and Pregnant: How West Virginia Women Navigate Stereotypes”
Southern Sociological Society • April 2019 • Atlanta, GA
SSS Annual Conference
Panel Presentation: “Weathered Mountains: West Virginia Women and their Perceptions of Strength, Land, and Womanhood”
Penn State • October 2017 • State College, PA
Penn State Rural Sociology’s 5th Annual Rural Studies Graduate Conference
Panel Presentation: “Appalachian Womanhood: Strength in Our Own Voices”
Marshall University • April 2016 • Huntington, WV
Women & Gender in the Social and Natural Worlds: Rural Perspectives (bi-annual)
Panel Presentation: “Rural Feminism: Appalachian Women and their Place within Mainstream Feminist Discourses”
North Central Sociological Association • March 2016 • Indianapolis, IN
NCSA Annual Conference
Panel Presentation: “The Production and Commodification of the Maasai Warrior”
West Virginia Wesleyan College • 2012 • Buckhannon, WV
Mid-Atlantic Research Conference (annual)
Panel Presentation: “The Production and Commodification of the Maasai Warrior”
University of Richmond • 2011 • Richmond, VA
Annual Undergraduate Gender Studies Conference
Masculinities Round Table: “What it Means to be a Man: Focus on South Africa”
Quote: "be you. whoever that is. your purest truth. be a blinding anomaly." Nayyirah Waheed
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: annemp@vt.edu
Previous Education: Morehead State University, B.A. in Sociology and Strategic Communication, 2016; Morehead State University, M.A. in Sociology, 2018
Courses Taught: Sociology of Intimate Relations, Deviant Behavior, Introduction to Criminology, American Social Problems, Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, Three Sections of Introduction to Sociology, Principles of Debate
Research Interests: gender, identity, consumption, masculinity, culture, political affiliation, food, women's and gender studies, inequality
Awards/Honors: Outstanding Student in Sociology, Morehead State University, 2016
Outstanding Student in Strategic Communication, Morehead State University, 2016
Presentations: Patrick, Anne. “What to Eat and How to Eat It: Understanding Gendered Expectations Associated with Consumption”
Just Food Conference, Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference.
Accepted for June 9-15, 2021.
Patrick, Anne. ““Have It Your Way”: Twitter Users Respond to Burger King’s Impossible Whopper”
Southern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting. Virtual Conference.
Accepted for April 7-10, 2021.
Patrick, Anne. “What’s The Beef With Fake Meat; Online Discourse Surrounding New Vegetarian and Vegan Options at Fast-Food Restaurants”
Popular Culture Association, Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, PA.
Accepted for April 15-18, 2020.*
Patrick, Anne. ““Have It Your Way”: Online Backlash to the New Impossible Whopper”
Southern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting. Jacksonville, FL.
Accepted for April 1-4, 2020.*
Patrick, Anne. “Where’s the beef? Masculinity, gender and violence in food advertising.” Gender, Bodies, and Technology Conference, Annual Meeting. Roanoke, VA.
April 26-27, 2019.
Patrick, Anne. “Eating Women. Masculinity, Gender and Violence In Food Advertising”
Popular Culture Association, Annual Meeting. Washington D.C.
April 17-20, 2019.
Patrick, Anne. “Where’s the beef? Masculinity, gender and violence in food advertising.”
Southern Sociological Society, Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA.
April 10-13, 2019.
Patrick, Anne. “Masculinity, gender and violence in food advertising.”
Annual Undergraduate and Graduate Research Symposium. Blacksburg, VA.
March 22, 2019.
Twitter: @edenchair
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: cbillete@vt.edu
Previous Education: West Virginia University, BA, 2000.; Virginia Tech, MS, 2002.
Courses Taught: Peace Studies and Violence Prevention; Sociology of Law; Sociology of Gender; Sociology of Family; Genocide
Research Interests: Peace Studies and Violence Prevention; Contemplative Sociology; Pedagogy and Curriculum Development; Gender and Sexuality
Bio: Prior to seeking the terminal degree, Courtney taught in academia in various roles for fifteen years. She embraces the power of learning through self-reflection, active engagement, and embodied learning. She is actively involved in infusing contemplative practices as a promising method of teaching social justice as a liberatory practice. Out-of-the-classroom, she enjoys gardening, camping, and outdoors activities.
Presentations:
Ross, Courtney B. 2019. Presentation. “Teaching Positive Sociology through Sociological
Mindfulness.” North Central Sociological Society conference, Mar. 30.
Ross, Courtney B. and Alan Forrest. 2020. Presentation. “Sociological Insight
Through Contemplative Reading.” Contemplative Practices for Higher Education
Conference. Mar. 6.
Ross, Courtney B. 2021. Presentation. “Transforming the Gloom and Doom of the Sociology
of Law Classroom with Contemplative Practices.” 37th Graduate Student Assembly
Research Symposium and Exposition, Virginia Tech, Mar. 23.
Ross, Courtney B. 2021. Presentation. “Promising Signs for Teaching the Sociology of Law
with Contemplative Pedagogy.” 32nd Annual Undergraduate and Graduate Research
Symposium, Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech, Mar. 26.
Publications: Ross, Courtney B. 2020. “Cheech & Chong.” _, in Marijuana in America: Cultural, Political,
and Medical Controversies, edited by J. Hawdon, B. Miller, and M. Costello.
ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Ross, Courtney B. 2020. “Reefer Madness.” _, in Marijuana in America: Cultural, Political,
and Medical Controversies, edited by J. Hawdon, B. Miller, and M. Costello.
ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Ross, Courtney B. and Jim Hawdon. 2020. “Stoner Films.” _, in Marijuana in America:
Cultural, Political, and Medical Controversies, edited by J. Hawdon, B. Miller, and
M. Costello. ABC-CLIO, LLC.
Quote: "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." ~Henry David Thoreau~
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: scaptura@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech, M.S. in Sociology, 2019; Christopher Newport University, B.A. in Sociology, 2017
Courses Taught: SOC 3014: Gender Relations; SOC 2304: Individual in Society; CRIM 3414: Criminology
Research Interests: Masculinity, Violence, Incels, Male Extremism, Masculinity Threat
Bio: Maria N. Scaptura received her M.S. in sociology at Virginia Tech in 2019, where she is earning her doctorate. Her research interests are masculinity, gender, and crime. These areas converge in her thesis project, in which she examines the impact of masculinity on attitudes towards guns.
Awards/Honors: Graduate Student Poster Award through American Society of Criminology, Division of Women and Crime for “Masculinity Threat, Attitudes toward Guns and the Propensity for Aggression.” 2019.
Presentations:
Scaptura, Maria N. 2021. “Nice guys aren’t actually that nice': A Content Analysis of Former Incels of Reddit.” Paper presentation at the Annual Meetings of Southern Sociological Society.
Scaptura, Maria N. 2021. "Gender Expression, Criminal History and Fear of Victimization: A General Strain Theory Approach." Paper presentation at Virginia Tech Sociology Department’s Annual Symposium. Blacksburg, VA.
Scaptura, Maria N. 2019. “Plight of the Adolescent Male: Incel Identity, Masculinity Threat, and the Propensity for Violence and Misogyny.” Poster presentation at the Annual Meetings of Southern Sociological Society. Atlanta, GA.
Publications:
Scaptura, Maria N. 2021. Review of Violent Manhood. Written by J.E. Sumerau. Men and Masculinities.
Scaptura, Maria N. 2019. “From Plantations to Presidency: A Historiography of Black Women’s Oppression Due to White Women’s Complacency” in Standpoints: Black Feminist Knowledges. Edited by Andrea N. Baldwin, Ashley V. Reichelmann, and Anthony Kwame Harrison. Virginia Tech Publishing. https://doi.org/10.21061/standpoints.
Scaptura, Maria N. and Kaitlin M. Boyle. 2020. “Masculinity Threat, ‘Incel’ Traits, and Violent Fantasies Among Heterosexual Men in the United States.” Feminist Criminology 15(3), 278–298. https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/N9K2MSDIFCNKNYMDZEJC/full.
Twitter: @maria_scaptura
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1oP2QQkAAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=1
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation:
Email: faikatahir@vt.edu
Previous Education: Master in Sociology. University of Sindh, Jamshoro. Pakistan
Research Interests: Education, Intersectionality, Juvenile Delinquency, Social Justice
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 3rd year PhD student
Email: znicole@vt.edu
Previous Education: George Washington University, MA International Development Studies 2003; University of Maryland College Park BA Anthropology and BS Environmental Studies, 1997
Research and Interests: Human dimensions of climate change, sustainability, resilience, and disaster vulnerability
Presentations: Zdrojewski., N., Nguyen, H., Fallon, J. Poster: “Managing operational and fundamental research to create synergies in public and military health efforts addressing malaria” American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, November 2019, Washington, DC
Zdrojewski. N. Measuring the Quality and Effectiveness of Learning Interventions for Youth in Conflict- and Crisis-affected Areas. Part of panel presentation: Assessing and Measuring Quality in Context: Case Studies from Education Program Evaluation Comparative International Education Society, March 2013, New Orleans, LA
Twitter: @nicolezoomzoom
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolezdrojewski/
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 1st Year
Email: calleahy@vt.edu
Previous Education: Graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from Virginia Tech in 2021. Double major in Criminology and Sociology. Double minor in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies.
Research and Interests: My research interests include the Prison Industrial Complex, women's health and reproductive rights, and hate crimes against minority groups, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals.
Bio: I grew up in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and have loved attending Virginia Tech the past four years. The Sociology program at this university is incredible, from the courses offered to the professors that teach them. I have been working within Virginia Tech Publications and Virginia Tech's Digital Humanities Center within the Athenaeum for the past two years, researching for professor's to provide a strong base for their projects and working with different Virginia Tech group's to provide research for their academic podcasts and projects. Research is something that I truly love because it can take many forms and contribute towards many impressive projects shaped by many great individuals. I look forward to continuing my research within Virginia Tech's Sociology graduate program. (Feel free to include this).
Awards/Honors: Graduated Cum laude in 2021
Dean's List 2018, 2019, 2020
Presentations: Presented an analysis paper at the WGS Student Conference in 2018 (select).
Publications: Contribution to the journal article, "You Should Major in Zines: Unconventional Pedagogies in Higher Education." Authors Lyla Byers and Anthony Kwame Harrison
Quote: "Decide what to be and go be it."
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 1st Year PhD
Email: taylormcelwain@vt.edu
Previous Education: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology- Franklin College 2019; Master of Arts in Education- Baldwin Wallace University 2021
Research and Interests: Intersectionality, Lack of access to education.
Bio: Taylor is an activist, public speaker, and consultant. Her work centers around Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in both education and the workplace. She is passionate about dismantling systems of oppression in which perpetuate social inequality and uses her voice and podcast as a platform to do so.
Awards/Honors: Obie Bender Multicultural Award- 2021
Senior Service Award- 2019
Women of Distinction Award- 2019
Arthur Wilson Champion of Diversity Award- 2019
LinkedIn: Taylor McElwain
Personal Website: https://anchor.fm/prayerwallpodcast
Quote: "Always bring the sunshine."
Degree: Masters
Expected Graduation: First Year Masters
Email: thomas22@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech, BS, 2021
Research and Interests: Inequalities of Sexualities, Gender, Race; Urban Studies & Cultural Studies; Qualitative Methods.
Bio: Entering as a graduate student, Thomas seeks to expand upon his work in studying the ways sexualities intersect with oppressive social structures and social geographies. Thomas will also be continuing their work with Virginia Tech Student Affairs in the VPSA office helping to build their DEI programming and addressing the experiences of men and masculinities in our community.
Twitter: @tmills107
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 1st Year PhD
Email: tjballard@vt.edu
Previous Education: Vassar College, BA in Urban Studies, 2019
Research and Interests: Race and racism, culture, storytelling.
Bio: Tamar (pronounced Tammer) is a first-year first-generation PhD student from Morrow, Georgia. Her research interests, rooted in her love of music and holistic narratives, lie in the intersections between race, culture, and storytelling. While at Vassar - both as a student and post-graduate fellow - she participated in several research projects including participatory-action team research on Vassar’s first-generation/low-income student population, an exploration into bolstering health and wellness resources for Vassar’s campus community with a group of campus partners, as well as her own research for her Urban Studies thesis on the connection between hip-hop and counter-narrative relating to Chicago’s Black population.
Presentations: Presented: Research Paper for American Educational Research Association, "Struggling to Connect: First Generation Student Experiences in STEM Courses" (April 2018)
Quote: "Let us give each other the courage to see beyond the stories we were born into." (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, 2019)
Degree: Ph.D
Expected Graduation: 1st year PhD
Email: ebr@vt.edu
Previous Education: University of Louisville, M.A. in Sociology (2017); College of Charleston, B.S. in Sociology (2014)
Research and Interests: Race and ethnicity, immigration, higher education, social justice.
Bio: Prior to pursuing a PhD, Elizabeth spent several years working as an admissions counselor for the College of Charleston Honors College and used her research experience to develop admissions practices that promote racial equity and justice. She received her master's degree from the University of Louisville, where she studied the non-profit organizations serving immigrants and refugees and served as a graduate teaching assistant for a course on race relations in the United States. Elizabeth is particularly interested in interdisciplinary and community-engaged study as well as developing as a scholar-practitioner.
Presentations: Roberts, Elizabeth B. 2021. “The Racialization of ‘Fit’ in the Honors College Admissions
Process.” Paper presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Sociological Society.
Roberts, John R. and Elizabeth B. Roberts. 2020. “Cultivating Inclusive Leadership: Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum in Community Engagement.” Poster presentation at the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Conference.
Roberts, Elizabeth B. 2019. “Stretched and Limited: The Role of Organizational Partnerships
on Somali Refugees’ Integration Experiences.” Paper presentation at the International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Conference.
Roberts, Elizabeth B. 2017. “Organizational Collaboration and Its Impact on Immigrant and
Refugee Experiences.” Paper presentation at the North Central Sociological Association Conference.
Twitter: @ebethrayroberts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-burdette-roberts-7123038a/
Quote:"Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone."
Degree: Masters
Expected Graduation: 1st Year Masters
Email: myersf@vt.edu
Previous Education: Jacksonville State University, BS in Sociology, 2021
Research and Interests: Education, Gender, Work, Family, Intersectionality
Bio: I am a first generation student from Alabama. My research interests developed through the different projects I worked on throughout my undergrad degree. I worked on two different projects examining gender inequality. One looked at student perceptions of gender inequality in the family and workplace, and the other engaged with materials for gender-based violence prevention on campus. My research interests stem from my desire to promote progressive social change through sociology. My goal is to approach all research endeavors with an intersectional lens to ensure marginalized groups' voices and concerns are expressed, and so that I may contribute to inclusive solutions.
Awards and Honors: Undergraduate Paper Competition Winner, Mid-South Sociological Association, October
2020
Wai-Man Siu Endowment Scholarship, Jacksonville State University, October 2020
Presentations: Shadoan, Katelynn and Faith Myers. “Ladies, Do Not Pass Go: Changing Cultural
Gender Beliefs Through a Gender Monopoly Simulation.” Mid-South Sociological
Association, Virtual Conference. October 2020
Shadoan, Katelynn and Faith Myers. “Ladies, Do Not Pass Go: Changing Cultural
Gender Beliefs Through a Gender Monopoly Simulation.” Alabama-Mississippi
Sociological Association, Alabama State University, AL. February 2020
Degree: Masters
Expected Graduation: 1st Year Masters
Email: j-rob@vt.edu
Previous Education: Virginia Tech, BS in Sociology, 2020 Virginia Tech, BA in Political Science, 2020
Research and Interests: Multiracial identity, Political Sociology, and Criminology.
Bio: Jacob is a graduate student in the Sociology Department at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on identities, criminology, and politics. Current projects include research on the formation of political ideology among Multiracial individuals in Appalachia and white allyship identity.
Twitter: @jrob185
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-robinson-970159130/
Quote: "Much of the Insensibility and hardness of the world is due to the lack of imagination which prevents a realization of the experiences of other people." -Jane Addams