The University of Akron
AKRONews
Fall 2009 Issue
Editor: Baffour K. Takyi
Department of Sociology
Akron, OH 44325-1905
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
DR. JOHN F. ZIPP
Later in the newsletter, you’ll discover that we were
fortunate to hire a new assistant professor this fall, Dr.
Emily Asencio. Emily received her doctorate at University
of California-Riverside and then spent four years on two
different post-doctoral fellowships there. She is a
specialist in criminology and social psychology, and will fit
nicely into both of those key areas in our department.
Welcome to the Fall 2009 edition of AKRONews, the
annual newsletter of the Department of Sociology at the
University of Akron.
Each year, Dr. Baffour K. Takyi, our newsletter editor,
does a painstaking job of cataloguing our individual and
collective accomplishments across the past 12 months,
along with coming up with a few people/projects to
highlight. It is a lot of work, but those who know Baffour
know that he attacks it with his usual zeal and good
natured charm, and we are always very pleased with the
outcome. One of his tasks, of course, in this is to make
sure that I write a “Chair’s Column” worthy of the rest of
the newsletter. Given how much you’ve told us that you
like the newsletter, my job is getting harder and harder.
Speaking of my job, although I remain Department Chair,
in July I also moved into the position of Interim Associate
Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. In this I am just
the latest in a long line of sociology faculty – most
recently, Dick Gigliotti, Frank Falk, Brian Pendleton, Kathy
Feltey, and Mark Tausig – who have held important
university leadership positions outside of the
department. We must be doing something right when
we hire faculty.
As you might imagine, the dean’s office has kept me
pretty busy, so that almost all of department’s daily
operations are in the very capable hands of our Associate
Chair, Dr. Kathy Feltey. Kathy has been here for more
than 20 years, and in addition to taking the lead on many
important department functions, Kathy also served as
Director of Women’s Studies.
Enjoy reading the rest of the newsletter and please stay
in touch with us. We love hearing from you. Thanks
again to Dr. Baffour Takyi for putting this together.
In other news, I am still collaborating with Drs. Behrman
and Spickard on the qualitative/multi-methods ARM
(Active Research Methods) Lab. We hosted many
exciting events in the last year (visit our website for
more details: http://www3.uakron.edu/arm/) including a
workshop by the renowned qualitative sociologist, Dr.
Kathy Charmaz on Grounded Theory and a team of fifth
graders who became research partners in a study of
urban children and food insecurity. We are currently
applying for the next stage of National Science
Foundation (NSF) funding to expand the capacity of the
ARM Lab.
A MESSAGE FROM THE
ASSOCIATE CHAIR
DR. KATHRYN FELTEY
Greetings! This year I have taken
on new responsibilities in the
Department of Sociology as our Chair, John Zipp, is
serving as Interim Associate Dean of the Buchtel College
of Arts and Sciences. To fill the void, as associate chair, I
am covering the day-to-day duties of the Chair in the
Department, or as the sign says on my office door I am
Acting (like a) Chair. After many years with the
Department, I am learning a lot about the university
bureaucracy (something I have for the most part
successfully avoided!).
In my spare time I try to catch up on my reading (having
a very long list from the Teaching with Novels Brown
Bag) and enjoy hiking in the beautiful Cuyahoga Falls
National Park. I hope you are enjoying the fall as well!
MEET OUR NEW COLLEAGUE
The most satisfying aspect of my new responsibilities is
that I am daily reminded of the great undergraduate
and graduate students we have in the Sociology
program, and the dedication of our faculty in teaching
and mentoring our students. An important resource for
those of us teaching in the Department is the brown
bag series, coordinated by Dr. Val Callanan. At the first
teaching brown bag of the Fall semester, I led the
discussion on using novels to teach sociology. Many of
us use novels and popular nonfiction to teach different
topics in sociology. Some of our favorites? Your Blues
Ain’t Like Mine, by Bebe Moore Campbell; 8 Ball Chicks,
by Gini Sikes; The Space Between Us, by Thrity Umigar;
Kindred, by Octavia Butler; There are No Children Here,
by Alex Kotlowitz.
Dr. Emily Asencio joined our
On the research front, I am working with Dr. Cheryl
Elman on the Pioneer Women’s Project. We are using a
social historical perspective and multiple methods to
study the pioneer experiences of women in the late 19th
century. Joining us in this work is Dr. Barbara Wittman
(History) and sociology graduate (Dani Jauk, Jennyerin
Steele, and Mary Weaver) and undergraduate (Hannah
Furnas) students. Funded by a University Faculty
Research Grant, I spent part of the summer 2009 in
Arkansas historical societies and library archives reading
diaries, letters, and memoirs of women who were
among the early settlers. To date we have collected
data in North Dakota and Arkansas. Through the
generosity of the UA Friends of the Library we have also
obtained the largest electronic data set of women’s
diaries and letters, the North American Women’s Letters
and Diaries, Colonial-1950s.
married and has 2 ½ year old son named Diego.
Department this Fall after
spending most of her life in
Southern California. She received
her Ph.D. in Sociology
(Criminology/Socio-legal Studies
and Social Psychology) from the University of California,
Riverside. She also completed four years of
postdoctoral research in Southern California at the
Center for Disease Control’s Academic Center for
Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention, and The
Presley Center for Crime and Justice Studies. She is
An Interview with the Editor of SOCNews
Dr Ascencio, could you please tell us about your
research interests:
My research interests include the relationship
between identity and criminal behavior. I am
currently focusing on how identity development
during adolescence leads to delinquency and crime
at different stages of the life course.
Best part about your job:
So far, the best part about my job is my colleagues.
Everyone has been wonderful in helping me
transition both into the Sociology Department and
the Akron area.
2
Flame of Love Project Receives International
Recognition
What drew you to your field:
As an undergraduate, I did volunteer research work
at a criminology research center. The experience I
gained from my work there generated my interest
in pursuing criminology. My interest in social
psychology and identity developed through my
research experiences in graduate school.
The Flame of Love Project, co-directed by Margaret M.
Poloma and Matthew T.
Lee, was the subject of a
feature article in the
Korean publication Church
Growth Journal (Jong
Hyun Jung, 2009, “Godly
Love Project: Can Godly
Love Change the
Society?” Church Growth
Journal 196:136-141).
What drew you to Akron, Ohio:
I have no previous experience with Akron. My
advisor started out here and had good things to say
about Akron. I love the old houses, and the fall
colors are beautiful while they last!
The readership of this journal is primarily church pastors
in Korea and the article is the latest example of how the
scholarship produced by the Flame of Love Project is
being applied in ways that can foster positive social
change both in the U.S. and abroad. In related news,
Margaret Poloma’s work was recently translated into
German in a recent issue of Evangelische Theologie . This
article focuses on Poloma’s research into the
institutional dilemmas facing the Assemblies of God, the
largest Pentecostal denomination in the world.
Thank You and Enjoy your stay in Northeast Ohio.
Baffour K. Takyi, editor
FACULTY NEWS
UNIVERSITY RECOGNITION AND PROMOTIONS
Dr. John Zipp is the new acting
Associate Dean for the College of Arts
and Sciences. Congrats for your
promotion and recognition.
The primary objective of the Flame of Love Project is to
develop a new interdisciplinary science of Godly Love
(defined as the dynamic interaction between perceived
divine and human love that enlivens and expands
benevolence). The project was funded by the
Templeton Foundation for $2.3 million over three years.
The project is funding a three-wave national survey on
Godly Love.
Dr. Kathy Feltey was appointed Associate Chair in
the absence of Dr Zipp . Dr. Feltey was also the
recipient of the 2009 AKD Faculty Mentor Award.
Dr. Stacey Nofziger was promoted to
Associate Professor with tenure this
year.
Lee and Poloma’s analysis of 101 qualitative interviews
with “exemplars” of Godly Love—individuals who have
been recognized by their communities for extraordinary
service to others in a Pentecostal context—has been
released this fall (Matthew T. Lee and Margaret M.
Poloma, 2009, A Sociological Study of the Great
Commandment in Pentecostalism: The Practice of Godly
Love as Benevolent Service, Lewiston, NY: The Edwin
Mellen Press).
Dr. Baffour K. Takyi and Dr. Cheryl
Elman were promoted to Full
Professors.
Cheryl Elman has also been appointed
ASA’s New Chair of Membership
Committee, Section on Aging and the
Life Course.
Sociologist Debunks the Myth of the Criminal
Immigrant
In the lead chapter in Volume 13 of the
series Sociology of Crime, Law, and
Deviance, Matthew T. Lee provides a
synthesis of recent scholarship on the
“Immigration Revitalization
Perspective” . This perspective—
which builds on Lee’s previous work,
We all say: Congratulations!
NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL
RECOGNITION
3
classic criminological theories. Although there are good
reasons to suspect that the arrival of immigrants into a
neighborhood might increase “social disorganization,”
“cultural conflict,” and economic “strain,” Lee’s research
finds just the opposite to be the case. Immigration is
associated with economic revitalization, reduced
disorganization, and lower rates of crime. In fact, some
research in this tradition has suggested that much of the
recent “crime drop” in the U.S. is traceable to increased
immigration.
Department of Sociology, The
University of Akron.
National Hispanic Science Network
Travel Award to present at the NHSN
meetings in Miami, FL October 2009
Institute for Teaching and Learning
Faculty Grant Award ($400).
Publications
Faculty Research, Awards & Grants
We take this opportunity to congratulate our faculty and
students who won grants and awards, published or
presented at professional meetings during the past year.
Below are some selected achievements during the past
year.
DR. KATHY FELTEY
2009. The University of Akron Faculty
Research Grant, $6,000 for “Pioneer
Women: A Multi-Method SocioHistorical Exploration of Gender on
the Frontier.”
DR. EMILY ASCENCIO
Parker, Robert Nash, and Emily K.
Asencio. “ Explaining Intercity Variation
in Youth Homicide 1984-2007.” American
Society of Criminology, Philadelphia,
2009.
The University of Akron Friends of the
Library, $25,000 for the purchase of the North American
Women's Letters and Diaries, a dataset including the
experiences of 1,325 women and 150,000 pages of
diaries and letters spanning 300 years from colonial days
to the mid-20th century. With Cheryl Elman and TJ
Boisseau (Department of History).
Asencio, Emily K. and Robert Nash
Parker: Exploring Trends in Youth
Homicide with Cluster Analysis: New Methodological
Pathways to Policy Tools. American Society of Criminology,
Philadelphia , 2009.
Jamestown, NY Boys and Girls Club, $20,000 for “Tier IV
Asset-based Program Evaluation.” Co-Principal
Investigator with Lynn Metzger (Department of Classical
Studies, Anthropology, and Archeology).
Asencio, Emily K., Tia E. Kim, and Kirk R. Williams: Social
Bonds, Identity, and Violence. American Society of
Criminology, Philadelphia , 2009.
DR. MATTHEW LEE
Murphy, Lisa M., and Emily K. Asencio. “ Violent
Victimization, Self-Esteem, Depression, and the
Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence: A
Developmental Life Course Perspective. “ American Society
of Criminology, Philadelphia , 2009.
Margaret M. Poloma, Stephen G. Post, and Matthew T.
Lee. 2008-2010. “The Flame of Love: Scientific Research
on the Experience and Expression of Godly Love in the
Pentecostal Tradition.” John Templeton Foundation.
$2,326,362 over three years. (Co-Principal Investigator
and Project Director).
DR. VALERIE CALLANAN
Callanan, Valerie J. and Mark S. Davis. (2009). A
Comparison of Suicide Note Writers with Suicides Who Did
Not Leave Notes. Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior 39,:
558-568.
Paul Alexander, Robert Welsh, and Matthew T. Lee.
2009-2010. “Risking Death for the Love of God: A
Theological and Psychological Study of Pentecostal
Engaged in High Risk Social Action.” John Templeton
Foundation. $150,000 over two years. (Co-Investigator).
Davis, Mark S., Valerie J. Callanan,
David Lester and Janet Haines. (2009).
An Inquiry into Relationship Suicides
and Reciprocity. Suicide & LifeThreatening Behavior 39: 82-498.
DR. ROBERT PERALTA
Was nominated for the Faculty Mentoring Award.
Presented by Alpha Kappa Delta chapter of the
4
Callanan, Valerie and Brent Teasdale. (2009). An
Exploration of Gender Differences in Measurement of Fear
of Crime. Feminist Criminology, 4, 2: 359-376.
DR. KATHRYN FELTEY
Jean-Anne Sutherland and
Kathryn Feltey. 2010 (editors).
Cinematic Sociology: Social Life in
Film. CA: Pine Forge Sage/Pine
Forge Press.
Callanan, Valerie J. 2009. “Perceptions of Fairness and
Attitudes about Criminal Punishment.” Pacific Sociological
Association.
Callanan, Valerie J. 2009. “The Effects of Crime-related
Media on Fear of Crime: Exploring Race/ethnic
Differences.” Pacific Sociological Association.
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer and
Kathryn Feltey. “No matter
what has been done wrong can
always be redone right”: Spirituality in the Lives of
Imprisoned Battered Women.” Violence Against Women
15:443-459.
Callanan, Valerie J. 2009. “Crime-related Media, Fear of
Crime and Punitive Attitudes.” Academy of Criminal
Justice Sciences.
DR. CHERYL ELMAN
Kathryn M. Feltey. “Is a Nonkilling Society Possible? A
Sociological Response.” In Towards a Nonkilling Paradigm,
edited by Joám Evans. Center for Global Nonviolence and
the Spark Matsunaga Institute for Peace, University of
Hawaii.
O’Rand, Angela M., Jenifer HamilLuker and Cheryl Elman.. 2009.
“Childhood Adversity, Educational
Trajectories and Self-Reported
Health in Later Life among U.S.
Women and Men at the Turn of the
Century.” Zeitschrift für
Erziehungswissenschaft, Issue on
Aging and Education. 12: 357-384.
DR. RUDY FENWICK
Fenwick, Rudy. 2009. “Flexible Work
Arrangements.” Pp. 144-142 in
Deborah Carr (ed.), Encyclopedia of
the Life Course and Human
Development: Adulthood (Volume 2).
Detroit: Macmillan Reference.
Kroska, Amy and Cheryl Elman. 2009. “Change in
Attitudes about Employed Mothers: Exposure, Interests
and Gender Ideology Discrepancies.” Social Science
Research. 38: 366-382.
Elman, Cheryl, Kathryn Feltey and Barbara Wittman.
2009. “Pioneer and Native American Women in North
Dakota: A Socio-Historical Life Course Exploration.”
Paper presented at the American Sociological Association
meetings, San Francisco
DR. MATTHEW T. LEE
Matthew T. Lee and Margaret M. Poloma. 2009. A
Sociological Study of the Great Commandment in
Pentecostalism: The Practice of Godly Love as Benevolent
Service. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen
Press.
DR. REBECCA ERICKSON
Editorial Boards - Social Psychology Quarterly
Matthew T. Lee and Ramiro Martinez, Jr.
2009. “Immigration Reduces Crime: An
Emerging Scholarly
Consensus.” Pp. 3-16 in William F.
McDonald (ed.) Immigration, Crime and
Justice. Bingley, UK: Emerald.
Rebecca J. Erickson. “The Emotional Demands of
Nursing.” Pp. 155-178 in Nursing Policy
Research: Turning Evidence-based
Research into Health Policy, edited by
Geri L. Dickson and Linda R. Flynn. New
York: Springer.
Matthew T. Lee and Jeannine A. Gailey. 2009. “Human
Experimentation Involving Radiation, Syphilis, and
Scurvy.” Pp. 113-127 in Serge Matulich and David M. Currie
(eds.) Handbook of Frauds, Scams, and Swindles: Ethical
Failures in Leadership. Taylor & Francis (CRC Press).
Rebecca J. Erickson. “The Context of
Care: Reconsidering Culture, Structure,
and the Performance of Emotional
Labor.” Pp. 259-286 in Social Structure and Emotion, edited
by Dawn T.
Jeannine A. Gailey and Matthew T. Lee. 2009 “Attribution
of Responsibility for Wrongdoing in Organizations: A Cross
-Disciplinary Approach with Applications.” Pp. 322-336 in
5
Jeffrey Chin and Cardell K. Jacobson (eds.) Within the
Social World: Essays in Social Psychology. Boston, MA:
Allyn & Bacon.
Consumption during Late Adolescence and Young
Adulthood: Gendered Attitudes and Adult Roles. Journal
of Health and Social Behavior 50 (4): 410-26.
Matthew T. Lee and Margaret M. Poloma. 2009. “Has
Charisma Been Taken from Us? An Empirical
Examination of Rieff’s Theory” at the Society for the
Scientific Study of Religion conference in Denver, CO
(October).
Robert L. Peralta and Jennifer Steele. 2009. “On
Drinking Styles and Race: A Consideration of the SocioStructural Determinants of Alcohol Use Behavior.”
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse 8 (2): 146-162.
Matthew T. Lee. 2009. “Altruism and Godly Love: An
Exploration of Competing Ways to Frame Benevolent
Service” at the Association for the Sociology of Religion
conference in San Francisco (August).
Robert L. Peralta and Jodi Ross. 2009. “Understanding
the Complexity of Alcohol-Related Intimate Partner
Violence in the Lives of Hispanic Men Who Have Sex
with Men: Methodological Issues and Considerations.”
Gender Issues 26: 85-104.
Matthew T. Lee. 2009. “Godly Love and ‘Real’ Altruism:
Implications for Structuring Lives Devoted to
Benevolent Service.” Presentation at an Informal
Discussion Roundtable (Research on Altruism and Social
Solidarity) at the American Sociological Association
conference in San Francisco (August).
Robert L. Peralta and Lia Chervenak. 2009. “Heavy
Episodic Drinking Behavior among Victims of
Violence: An Analysis of Gender Differences.” National
Hispanic Science Network (NHSN) on Drug Abuse
Meetings, October, Miami, Fl.
DR. STACEY NOFZIGER
BRIAN PENDLETON
McCord, G., Pendleton, B.F., Schrop,
S.L., Stockton, L., Weiss, L., Hamrick, L.
2009. Patient-physician interaction
issues: Impact of using a PDA during a
primary care encounter. Jr. of the
American Board of Family Medicine 22
(9):353-359.
Nofziger, Stacey. 2009. “Victimization and the General
Theory of Crime.” Violence and
Victims 24(3): 337-350.
Nofziger, Stacey. 2008. “The ‘Cause’ of
Low Self-Control: The Influence of
Maternal Self-Control.” Journal of
Research in Crime and Delinquency 45(2):
191-224
Schrop S & Pendleton, BF. 2009. Managing chronic
disease: Free to be healthy update. Tenth Annual Ohio
Free Clinic Conference, Columbus, OH. (Oct.)
Stein, Rachel and Stacey Nofziger. 2008. “Adolescent
Sexual Victimization: Choice of Confidant and the
Failure of Authorities.” Youth Violence and Juvenile
Justice 6(2): 158-177
DR. RACHEL SCHNEIDER
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer and
Kathryn Feltey. “No matter what
has been done wrong can always
be redone right”: Spirituality in
the Lives of Imprisoned Battered
Women.” Violence Against
Women 15:443-459.
Nofziger, Stacey. “The relative stability of the impact of
self-control on deviance across adolescence and young
adulthood.” Poster Presentation at annual meetings of
the American Society of Criminology, November 2009,
Philadelphia, PA.
DR. ROBERT PERALTA
Schneider, Rachel Zimmer. “ ‘I had to be cold hearted
to burn him’: Battered Women Who Kill and the
Clemency Decision.” North Central Sociological
Association Annual Meetings. Dearborn, MI. April 17-18,
2009
Robert L. Peralta and Jen Steele. 2009. “Non-Medical
Prescription Drug Use among College
Students at a U.S. Midwest University: A
Partial Test of Social Learning Theory.”
Substance Use and Misuse 44
DR. BAFFOUR TAKYI
Christie-Mizell, A. and Robert L. Peralta.
2009. “The Gender Gap in Alcohol
Mann, Jesse R. and Baffour K. Takyi. 2009. “Autonomy,
Dependence or Culture: The Impact of Resources and
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Socio-Cultural Processes on Attitudes Towards Intimate
Partner Violence in Ghana. Journal of Family Violence
24:323-335.
DR. JOHN ZIPP
“How to Do the Scholarship of
Teaching.” Teaching Sociology 36
(January, 2008): 87-94 (with Liz
Grauerholz).
Takyi, Baffour K. 2009. “Africans
Abroad: Comparative Perspectives
on America’s Postcolonial West
Africans.” Pg. 380-402 in
Okpewho, Isidore and Nkiru
Nzegwu (eds): The New African
Diaspora: Bloomington, IN: Indiana
University Press.
“How to Do the Scholarship of
Teaching” (with Liz Grauerholz and
Jeff Chin), American Sociological Association (San
Francisco, 2009).
Takyi, Baffour K., W. Bediako Lamousé-Smith, Gabriel Fosu
and S. Obeng-Gyimah. 2008. “Migration and HIV/AIDS in
Sub-Saharan Africa.” Pp. 361-384 in Toyin Falola and
Matthew M. Heaton (eds): Health Knowledge and Belief
Systems in Africa. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
Keynote address, Section on Teaching and Learning in
Sociology Pre-Conference, American Sociological
Association (San Francisco, 2009).
GRADUATE STUDENTS NEWS AND
HIGHLIGHTS
Gyimah, Stephen Obeng, Baffour K. Takyi and Eric Yeboah
Tenkorang. 2008. “Denominational affiliation and fertility
behavior in an African context: An Examination of couple
data from Ghana.” Journal of Biosocial Science 40:445–
458.
FALL 2009 GRADUATE STUDENTS
Danielle Bequeath-Shaw, Jamie Chapman, Marci
Cottingham, Daneen Harrison, Monica Oliva, Jenny-Erin
Steele-Staats, Michael Steiner, and Carolyn Sutter.
Stephen Obeng Gyimah, Baffour K.
Takyi and Eric Yeboah Tenkorang. 2008. “Denominational
affiliation and fertility behavior in an African context: An
Examination of couple data from Ghana.” Journal of
Biosocial Science 40:445–458.
AKD NEWS Update
AKD would like to thank everyone who attended the
banquet and for making it a successful event. The ‘09-’10
representatives are:
Takyi, Baffour K. 2009 “Religion and the Public Sphere in
Ghana.” Presented at the Conference of Undergraduate
and Graduate Student Research, University of Akron,
Akron , OH.
President: Daysha R. Lawrence
Vice President: Virgil Russell
Secretary/Treasurer: Justin Oldaker
DR. JUAN XI
AKD STUDENT AWARDS
Curtis, Jeffrey R , Tarun Arora, Juan Xi,
Andrew Silver, Jeroan J. Allison, Lang
Chen, Kenneth G. Saag, Anna Schenck,
Andrew O Westfall, Cathleen ColónEmeric. 2009. “Do Physicians Within The
Same Practice Setting Manage Osteoporosis Patients
Similarly? Implications for Implementation Research.”
Osteoporosis International.
Outstanding Paper – Angela Adkins
Outstanding Student Service Award – Daysha Lawrence
Outstanding Student Award – Dana Williams
Outstanding Student Teaching Award – Liza Grossman
Peer Mentor Award – Daysha Lawrence
Faculty Mentor Award – Kathy Feltey
2009 Outstanding Undergraduate Award – Heather Marsh
Curtis, Jeffrey R , Juan Xi, Andrew O Westfall, Hong Cheng,
Kenneth Lyles, Kenneth G Saag, Elizabeth Delzell. 2009.
“Improving the Prediction of Medication Adherence: The
Example of Bisphosphonates for Osteoprosis.” Medical
Care. 47:334-341.
GRADUATE STUDENT ALUMNI
Congratulations to our recent PhD and MA
recipients
Curtis, Jeffrey R., Amy S Mudano, Daniel H Solomon, Juan
Xi, Mary Elkins Melton, Kenneth G Saag, 2009.
“Identification and Validation of Vertebral Compression
Fractures using Administrative Claims Data.” Medical Care.
47 (1): 69-72.
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SPRING 09
SUMMER 09
Angela Adkins MA
Suzanne Slusser PhD
Dana Williams PhD
Daysha Lawrence MA
Virgil Russell MA
Stayce Blount PhD
Dr. Stacye Blount: “Negative Spillover and Mental Health:
The Moderating Effects of Sociodemographic
Characteristics, Family Characteristics, and Socioeconomic
Resources”
About 50 people stayed for the Q
and A session with Chyng which was
moderated by Marie Bozin who also
brought in her own findings of
qualitative projects on this topic. The
discussion was characterized by the
powerful impressions the
documentary had left in the audience
and brought – among other topics –to light the
contradiction between illegal prostitution and the
flourishing porn industry in this country and the overall
missing critical discussion of porn. Clearly the argument
that it is a good job opportunity for uneducated women is
not as convincing, as only very few women gain wealth
with pornography and can sustain a career in this business.
Dr. Suzanne Slusser: “Gender Empowerment and Gender
Inequality, The Global Economy and the State: Exloring the
Relationship between Economic Dependency, the Political
Order, and Women’s Status.”
Dr. Dana Williams: “Cross-National, Protest Potential for
Labor and Environmental Movements: The Relevance of
Opportunity.”
Dr. Suzanne Slusser
and Dr. Dana Williams
GRADUATE STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
& PRESENTATIONS
PUBLICATIONS
Williams, Dana M. 2009. “An Anarchist-Sociologist
Research Program: Fertile Areas for Theoretical and
Empirical Research”, in New Perspectives on Anarchism.
Editors: Nathan Jun and Shane Wahl. Lanham, MD:
Lexington Books
KUDOS: Graduate Student Highlights and Awards
Dr. Stacye Blount - has accepted a
position in the Department of Sociology
at the University of Cincinnati as a
Visiting Assistant Professor. This is a one
year position, with the possibility of
renewal depending on whether the
department is able to secure a tenuretrack line. Congratulations Stacey!
Williams, Dana M. 2009. “Anarchism in Cuba”. Pp. 120-123
in International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest,
1500-Present. Editor: Immanuel Ness. Blackwell Publishing
Williams, Dana M. 2009. “Red vs. Green: Regional
Variation of Anarchist Ideology in the United States”.
Journal of Political Ideologies, 14 (2), June: 189-210
Daysha Lawrence was elected as student representative
for NCSA. She will be representing students from Eastern
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Western
Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada.
Williams, Dana M. 2009. “Anarchists and Labor Unions: An
Analysis Using New Social Movement Theories”. Working
USA: The Journal of Labor and Society, 12 (3), September
GRADUATE STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Williams, Dana (eds.) 2009. Working USA: The Journal of
Labor & Society 12 (Special Issue on “Anarchism, Labor
Unions, and Working People”).
SOCIOLOGISTS FOR WOMEN IN SOCIETY (SWS)
SWS Akron: The Price of Pleasure by Daniela Jauk
About 100 people came to see the fantastic documentary
The Price of Pleasure by Dr. Chyng Sun on November 12
2009 in the Student Union Theater . The event was
organized by the Akron chapter of Sociologists for Women
and Society and the new local chapter of Campus Coalition
for Sexual Literacy founded by Darlene Forrest. It
revealed some quite shocking facts about the 13 Billion
dollar industry of pornography in the US (the revenues are
bigger than those from NFL, NBA and major baseball
league together). 13,000 porn videos are produced in one
year; 900 million rentals were counted for the year 2003.
PRESENTATIONS
Stein, Rachel and Suzanne Slusser “Female Offending
Constructed on the Silver Screen: An Exploration of
Gender and Deviance in Top Grossing Films” North Central
Sociological Association Annual Meetings. April 2009.
Lawrence, Daysha. “Women, Negative Sexual Experience,
and Coping: An Empirical Test of General Strain Theory.”
North Central Sociological Association Conference.
Dearborn: Mi. April 16-18, 2009
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Lawrence, Daysha. “Thoughts on the Graduate School
Experience: Advise for Undergraduates.” North Central
Sociological Association Conference. Dearborn: Mi. April 16
-18, 2009
(Research Manager, Oriana House, Inc.), Rebecca
Fischbein, Joel Endres, and our own graduate student
Darlene Forrest . Oriana House is a large non-profit
organization that specializes in substance abuse treatment
and reintegration programs for offenders. With more than
500 employees, numerous programs and facilities, the
organization offers a number of possible research projects
for our students as well. They are hoping to build on the
relationship they currently have with UA, and specifically,
with the Department of Sociology.
Huang, Yinmei, “The Health Trajectories among China’s
Lost Generation under Urban Socioeconomic Reform: a
Longitudinal Study.” 2009 American Sociological Annual
Meeting. San Francisco. August 10, 2009
DaNeen Y. Harrison-Coats. Narcoterrorism: Interdiction as
United States Drug Policy" Presented at CUGSR, University
of Akron 2009.
Undergraduate Student News
Sociology Majors: Profiles and Highlights
Peter Barr
Sociology
major and
reservist
Peter Barr
was called to
active duty
and deployed
to the Middle
East,
spending a
year in
Egypt. He returned this past fall and is enrolled full-time
this semester to continue working towards his Sociology
degree. As a soldier, Peter had many duties and
responsibilities, but he also took on the role of sociologistin-the-field. Using the research methods he learned at the
University of Akron, he initially planned on studying
gender in active military duty. However, his focus shifted
to the overall
experience of role
adjustment from
civilian to soldier in an
active duty
setting. Peter is
currently writing up his
findings and making
the transition from
military to civilian
life. Welcome home,
Peter!
Women in Higher Education Luncheon– front:
Bethany Bercheck, Jennifer Schartiger, Dani Jauk;
back: Angela Adkins, John Zipp, Cheryl Elman
Educational Development: Brown Bag
Black Woman’s Burden
On Friday, October 30th, the department had the pleasure
of hosting Dr. Nicole Rousseau, an Assistant Sociology
Professor at our sister department at KSU. She spoke
about her new book, Black Woman’s Burden.
Oriana House
On November 13, 2009, the research team from Oriana
House, Inc. spoke to our department about research
projects they conduct and potential areas for
collaboration. The representers were Dr. Alec Boros,
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ALUMNI BRIEFS
Where Are They Now
Frankie Abruzzino—BA ‘06
Professor Emeritus
Margaret Poloma, has
been collaborating with our
own Matt Lee on Godly
Love. More recently, she
published Blood and Fire:
Godly Love in a Pentecostal
Emerging Church, a book
which has been received
highly in academia. by
Margaret M. Poloma & Ralph W. Hood, Jr.
Frankie is currently working as an Adult Protective
Services worker doing home visits and investigations of abuse, neglect and expoitation allegations
in Wooster, OH.
Jeffrey Breese—MA ‘89, PHD ‘93
Jeffrey is Dean, for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Rockhurst University, Kansas
City, MO.
Janet Cosby—PHD ‘94
Janet is an Associate Professor at Eastern Illinois
University, Department of Sociology.
Professor Emeritus:
Richard C. Stephens, Ph.D.
officially retired from UA in
November 2009.
Jenny Dunn (Swiatek)—BA ‘01
Jenny is a Field Examiner for the National Labor Relations Board in Winston-Salem, NC.
Paul Kim—BA ‘01
Paul is employed with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, MD as a defense contractor and
involved in research investigating PTSD and other
mental illnesses in the army.
Professor Emeritus: Frank Falk published the
following:
Falk, Frank et al. 2009. Measuring Over
excitability: Replication across Five countries. Pp
183-199 in Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive
Disintegration. Mendaglio, Sal (editor), Scottsdale,
AZ: Great Potential Press.
Emilia Lombardi— MA ‘91, PHD ‘97
Emilia is currently an Assistant Professor for the
dept of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the
University of Pittsburgh. She is also a member of
The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research
on Health and Sexual Orientation.
Falk, Frank and Nancy B. Miller. 2008. “Building
Firm Foundations: Research and Assessments. Pp
239-259 in Living with Intensity. Susan Daniels &
Michael Piechowski, (edited), Scottsdale, AZ:
Great Potential Press.
Marianne Noh—PHD ‘08
Marianne is a visiting assistant professor at the University of Victoria, Department of Sociology, Victoria, BC, Canada.
Professor Mark Tausig participated in the 2009
Akron Road Runner Marathon. Mark is
currently an Associate Dean of Graduate School
but continues to participate in our
departmental activities on a regular basis.
Ariane Prohaska—MA ‘01, PHD ‘07
Ariane just recently accepted a position as Assistant
Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, at The
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
Darryl Tukufu—PHD ‘84
Darryl is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Crichton College, Memphis, TN.
Shiela Venkataswamy– MA ‘91
Shiela is an Instructor in Sociology at McHenry
County College, Crystal Lake, IL.
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SCHOLARSHIPS CHANGE LIVES
DONATIONS
Many students today cannot afford the cost of a college
education and rely on the availability of scholarships to
pursue their dream of achieving a college degree in their
field of interest. The University of Akron is proud of it’s
top-notch Department of Sociology, whose alumni and
friends are especially mindful of students’ needs.
A scholarship in your name can be established for
as little as $10,000. For information on contributing your
support or for making a donation of any denomination,
please contact:
Mr. Don Andrews
Dr. Gregg L. Andrews
Mr. and Mrs. George Bachmann, III
Mr. and Mrs. Keary W. Crim
Mr. William Eltrich
Mrs. Maryann T. Kelly
Dr. Sharon Mast
Mrs. Jane M. Miller
Dr. Shubhasree Subedi
Mrs. Olivia M. Yukie
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
Department of Development
The University of Akron
Akron, OH 44325-2603
330/972-8255
[email protected]
MEET OUR OFFICE STAFF
Tammy Dixon
Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
Jodi Ross
Undergraduate Advising
[email protected]
Cynthia Steinel
Computer Support
[email protected]
Our student assistants for this academic year:
Ronnie Bess
Melissa Moss
Denise Phillips
Morgan Warner
AKRONews is a publication of the Department
of Sociology, University of Akron, Akron OH 443251905. Its purpose is to provide news concerning the
activities of the Department, including teaching, research, scholarship, and service.
Contributions and comments are welcomed.
Please direct all correspondence to:
Dr. Baffour K. Takyi [Editor]
[email protected] or 330-972-6887
Graduate Students 2009-2010
We encourage you to visit our website at:
www.uakron.edu/sociology
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