Tags: sociology

Facilitating Learning and Optimal Wellness Laboratory
Franklin College Multidisciplinary Seed Projects Program funds six research projects

For the second consecutive year, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Multidisciplinary Seed Grant Program has funded two new tracks of collaborative research projects: Rapid Interdisciplinary Proposals (RIP) and Innovation in Interdisciplinary Instruction (I-Cubed). The seed grant program responds to the need for new paradigms that shape future research, life-long learning, public discourse, service, and dynamic entrepreneurship. $50,…

headshot photo of man
Ron Simons, 1946-2025

Ron Simons, Ph.D., Regents' Professor in the department of sociology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at UGA passed away on Monday, March 31, 2025. Simons had a long and fruitful collaboration with the Center for Family Research (CFR) over the years, and is leaving behind a profound legacy through his contributions to the field and support of other scholars’ work. CFR’s director, Steven Beach, Ph.D., says, Simons “was a…

photo of man in office, with bookshelves, desk
Pridemore named UGA Marienthal Professor

University of Georgia faculty member William Pridemore has been named the inaugural Marienthal Professor in Sociology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The professorship was approved by the Georgia Board of Regents in fall 2024. Pridemore is currently Franklin Professor and head of the UGA department of sociology in the Franklin College. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the…

photo of man, house in background, day
The pesky business of pesticides

Pesticide-resistant crops create prosperous opportunities but spark concern about health for both humans and the environment.    Agricultural biotechnology has created pesticide-resistant crops that are central to many Argentinian farmers. Franklin College faculty member Pablo Lapegna, associate professor of Sociology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies, explores the way these farmers view the pesticides sprayed on their crops and…

photo of woman working in lab with pipette, gloves, safety glasses
Franklin student focused on humanizing community health

Autumn Hampton, a dual major in biomedical physiology and sociology, plans to become an obstetrician-gynecologist, with a focus on oncology. The fourth-year pre-med student see health care advocacy—particularly for marginalized communities—as equally important as her medical research: “It’s really important to me to be an advocate for my community in the health care field,” Hampton says. “A lot of that stems from my mother being diagnosed when I…

graphic with white text on blue field and green continents
Gender & Society named top scholarly journal

According to the most recent impact factor ratings, Gender & Society, co-edited by UGA faculty member Patricia Richards, is ranked #1 among Women’s and Gender Studies journals and — also #1 among sociology journals.   The ranking comes from the Journal Citations Report by Clarivate. The Impact Factor Report provides a measure of how much a given academic journal is cited — the higher the number the better. Gender & Society is 1 of…

map graphic with multicolored states
Election 2024: four million disenfranchised due to felony convictions in the US

A new report published by the Sentencing Project documents the four million people who are disenfranchised due to felony convictions in the United States. Locked Out 2024 reports these Americans will be unable to vote in the upcoming 2024 election due to felony disenfranchisement laws: Laws in 48 U.S. states ban people with felony convictions from voting. In 2024, an estimated 4 million Americans, representing 1.7% of the voting-age population,…

photo of woman, outdoors, day
Franklin triple-major seeks to serve her community through interdisciplinary approaches

Some may say that Rayna Carter has a lot on her plate for a second-year student, but it’s all about service for her. She wants to make her time at college count by using her time and skills to help as many people as possible.  “I've always been passionate, not just about leadership but about service,” she said. “That's really where my drive comes from: that desire to help people however I can.” Carter is triple-majoring in biology,…

photo of six people, stars in background
kudos, January 2024

Prestigious awards, scholarships, fellowships, innovative courses, conference presentations and a Broadway star headline our congratulations to alumni, faculty and students over the previous month. What fantastic company you keep in the Franklin College: Alumnus Peter Schreiner (M.S, chem '91, Ph.D '95) wins 2024 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, one of Germany's most prestigious research awards The Modern Language Association of America…

photo of painting with human figure holding pen, book
Divisional Spotlight: Social & Behavioral Sciences

In his Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas devised five arguments for the existence of God, known as the Five Ways, that subsequently proved highly influential. The Franklin College is comprised of five divisions that are also highly influential in the education of all students at the University of Georgia. We continue to welcome 2024 by highlighting the divisional nature of our organizational structure and the academic units contained in each…

photo with two people, one with award
Sociology faculty, students, honored at ASA conference

Faculty and students in the department of sociology were recognized for career excellence and innovative research at the 118th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association: The Educative Power of Sociology in Philadelphia, PA in mid-August. William Alex Pridemore, professor and head of the department of sociology, received the 2023 Albert J. Reiss Distinguished Scholarship Award. Presented every other year by the…

photo of man leaning against window
Adversity can accelerate brain aging among Black Americans

Longitudinal research studies led by faculty in the UGA Center for Family Research have changed the landscape of developmental, health, and prevention science by demonstrating its potential for narrowing social and racial disparities in health and well-being. By tracking the experiences of individual subjects over decades, prospective investigations of resilience among Black Americans have set a standard for conducting research with…

photo of hands with ring
Who Black women can love: judgments of others affect relationships with white men

New research from the University of Georgia describes how Black women in interracial relationships with white men perceive experiencing varying treatment due to expectations of who Black women should date and marry. Despite examples of high-profile, interracial relationships, perceived reactions to people with double minority status (Black women) and a double majority status partner (white men), can lead the former to have the validity of their…

composite photo five headshots of people
Simons, Ma, Hermanowicz elected as AAAS Fellows

Five University of Georgia faculty – three from the Franklin College – have been named new Fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bringing the university’s total representation on this prestigious list to 42. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council for extraordinary achievements leading to the advancement of science. This year, UGA’s new Fellows, representing four disciplines, are Joseph Hermanowicz, Ping…

photo of UGA arch and north campus, sunny day
2023-24 RED Seed Grant Recipients

The Center for Research and Engagement in Diversity (RED), a program of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has as its mission to engage in diversity research and outreach in order to enhance individual, institutional, and community learning, effectiveness, and well-being.  In support of these goals, RED offers seed grants to graduate students in the Franklin College who are pursuing diversity research. Recipients…

map of United States with color coded states and key
Locked Out: Sentencing Project 2022 report

New research by the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit organization that advocates for restoration of voting rights for people with prior felony convictions, estimates that 2% of the voting age population in the United States will be ineligible to cast ballots during this year's midterm elections due to state laws banning people with felony convictions from voting. The Sentencing Project advocates for effective and humane responses…

photo of woman outdoors, day
Clay-Warner named OIBR director

The UGA Office of Research named Jody Clay-Warner the new director of the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, effective Aug. 1. Clay-Warner, Meigs Professor of Sociology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, received a Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University and has been at UGA since 1998, where she previously served as director of the Criminal Justice Studies Program and as head of the department of sociology. She…

silhouette photo of woman
40 Under 40: Candace Alynn Hill Duvernay

Clayton County Magistrate Court Judge Candace Alynn Hill Duvernay (A.B. '06) majored in English with a minor in Sociology before moving on to the UGA School of Law. The Managing Partner of Hill Duvernay and Associates, Judge Duvernay leads a team of dynamic women attorneys who handle cases throughout the Metropolitan Atlanta Area. With a heart for service and a passion for the community, Judge Duvernay is also a member of the 2022…

photo man, wearing bracelet
The complexity of mixed-race ancestry

Some people see themselves as part of a sole racial group, others identify with multiple groups Mixed-race ancestry, a widespread fact of the human population for centuries, does not uniquely translate to any specific racial identity. A new study authored by a University of Georgia sociologist describes the experiences, beliefs, and personal characteristics such as skin color that play a role in self-identification. While the current era…

photo of woman with garden in background, day
Lewis, Shannon among 2022 Meigs Professors

Five University of Georgia faculty members have been named Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors, the university’s highest recognition for excellence in instruction. “Meigs Professors are an elite group of faculty members at an institution that places a great value on outstanding instruction,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I congratulate the recipients of this significant honor…

photo of container ships in ocean
Noted and Quoted, November 2021

From the "Great Resignation" to cryptocurrency, La Nina, zoom fatigue, and fungal blooms, Franklin College faculty offered expertise, scholarship, and opinion in media platforms across the world. A sample of recent reporting and stories from the month of November and early December: Cameras off can lessen fatigue – Kristen Shockley, associate professor of psychology, quoted by Sales and Marketing Why it’s time for the term “minority” to…

photo of projector and image on screen
Heroic archetypes and the silver screen

Despite the rise of feminism, a new UGA research study describes how romance films persist in stereotyping women’s roles. Based on a sample of 250 romance films—from “The Notebook” to “Up in the Air”—that were released between 2000 and 2014, the study found that many of those movies seem to initially question the gender status quo by positioning the female lead as adventurous and independent. But they typically end essentially the same way: with…

photo of woman, outdoors, day
A history of colorism sheds light on discrimination today

Colorism is a form of discrimination, typically within a racial or ethnic group, favoring people with lighter skin over those with darker skin.This pernicious form of discrimination is often overshadowed in discussions about racism, but it affects a broad swath of people across multiple populations. A new study by a University of Georgia researcher explores the present-day impact of colorism, provides case studies of the effect of skin…

headshot photo of man
Cobb named 2021 Georgia CTSA KL2 Scholar

Ryon Cobb, an assistant professor in Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ sociology department, is the first Franklin College faculty member named a Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance KL2 scholar. The Georgia CTSA KL2-Mentored Clinical and Translational Research Scholars program is designed to support and enhance career development for junior faculty from a wide variety of disciplines at Emory University, Morehouse…

photo of woman with palm fronds in background
Under the skin: How social and environmental factors affect health

Man Kit “Karlo” Lei came from humble beginnings in Macau, China. His mother was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and died five years later when Lei was a teenager. It was a difficult time, but fortunately, he had good support through school and from friends. He thrived despite the challenges, earning degrees in law and sociology at National Taiwan University and then the University of Georgia. Lei’s studies led him to a question: Why do…
Subscribe to sociology

Support Franklin College

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience.

 Click here to learn more about giving

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.