Imagine. sociology news volume 7 . issue 2. Spring 2013 department of sociology university of maryland
“BEFORE YOU ARE THROUGH WITH ANY PIECE OF WORK, NO MATTER HOW INDIRECTLY ON OCCASION, ORIENT IT TO THE CENTRAL & CONTINUING TASK OF UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE AND THE DRIFT, THE SHAPING & THE MEANINGS, OF YOUR OWN PERIOD, THE TERRIBLE & MAGNIFICENT WORLD OF HUMAN SOCIETY.” - from THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION by C.W. MILLS
KENDRA BARBER
TUESDAY BARNES JENELLE CLARK PHILLIP COHEN PAUL DEAN
JAVIER GARCIA-MANGLANO JONATHAN JACKSON DENAE JOHNSON
PATRICO KORZENIEWICZ ANN HORWITZ ANYA GALLI
TYLER MYRONIUK JOANNA PEPIN
BEVERLY PRATT LORI REEDER MISTEAD SAI
MICHELLE SMIRNOVA JOSEPH WAGGLE
MAEGAN ZIELINSKI
Contributors Contribut
As the 2012-2013 academic year comes to a close, I’m struck by how quickly the past two semesters have gone by. Cliché as this is—we all say it each time finals week hits us with its piles of blue books and lurking deadlines—this year seems to have flown by with particularly intense speed. Perhaps that’s because our department has been bustling with exciting new projects like the Culture Lab and the Critical Race Initiative, and events and lectures such as Tim Moran’s talk for the William Form Alumni Lecture. Look for coverage of these topics, and more, in this semester’s newsletter. This semester, look for advice on attending conferences, navigating the job market, and baking to relieve stress. Rather than our traditional graduate student and alumni spotlights, we hear from three SOCY grad students who have recently accepted teaching and/or postdoc positions after jumping into the job market. Our undergraduate spotlight features two outstanding sociology majors, and another piece highlights the experiences of a class of 2012 sociology major after graduation. The staff spotlight focuses on Elizabeth Maldonado, one of our favorite faces in Art/Socy. In addition, we hear from our Chair, Graduate Director, and GSF presidents.
just imagine.
Anya M. Galli
letter from the editress As always, I’m proud to be part of such a vibrant and productive department community. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, given advice, and helped out during my first year as Newsletter Editress. Next year, fellow grad student Joe Waggle will be joining me as co-editor.
Wishing everyone a lovely summer, Anya M. Galli, galli@umd.edu
As we bring the 2012-3 academic year to a close, our department is experiencing an exciting combination of changes and achievements! Over the past year, we have received many wonderful additions to our faculty, such as Assistant Professor Rashawn Ray, Associate Professor Liana Sayer, and Research Professor Chris Bachrach. In addition, we spent the year conducting several exciting new searches, and over the summer we will officially announce the very fruitful outcome of our efforts. Together, all these recruitments are simultaneously deepening some of the traditional strengths of our department, while opening up new areas of collaborative work and study. Our graduate students continue to show great success. To take but two examples, Shanna Brewton-Tiayon was selected as a winner in the 2013 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), and Kathleen Denny received a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship. Congratulations to both, and all other graduate students in our program, for their achievements. Also, over the month of April, many of our graduate students shared their second year papers with the department. These presentations encompassed a wide variety of topics and research methods, and the feedback received from the audience has been invaluable to their work and professionalization. Moreover, the presentations and the discussions help our more recent graduate students identify and begin pursuing their own areas of future research.
Patricio Korzeniewicz, PhD
Letter from the chair Our main office is undergoing some changes. After many years of valuable service, Patty Bernales has retired as our Director of Administrative Services: we wish her well! We now are in the process of concluding her replacement. For any administrative units such as ours, such transitions can generate some disruptions and uncertainty, but we expect our Finance Office to be back in full operation by the middle of June. Change is also coming to our teaching. Higher education is facing important challenges –almost not a day goes by without an article in the New York Times or the Washington Post assessing the promise and dangers of MOOCs and/or hybrid courses. These challenges will require us to rethink both our graduate and undergraduate programs, so that all our students are taught effectively and helped to acquire the professional skills that will best equip them for their own futures. We will have a great year ahead! In the meantime, I hope you have a productive summer (come see me, I’ll be around)! Patricio Korzeniewicz korzen@umd.edu
In the Graduate Director’s office I see a little bit of everything. Fortunately, it is more good than bad: students winning awards, publishing their work, getting grants and fellowships, and finishing their degrees. Of course, I also see some of the downsides, such as students having a hard time with their coursework or funding, or struggling to attain a foothold in the long climb that is a dissertation. In the process of receiving all of this news and making the small decisions of the day, I look for opportunities to give advice on more general topics as well. (Stop by and let me bore you with some today!) Here’s one piece of advice I have felt the need to deliver lately: broaden yourself. From the first classical theory course and survey methods seminar to the completion of a dissertation, graduate school seems like a journey into extreme specialization. And there is something to that. Developing an expertise sufficient to make a unique scholarly contribution does require concentration in a particular area of the field, always to the exclusion of other things. But this is not a linear trend. In fact, our program is designed to encourage broad exploration as well, requiring three courses in each of two specialty areas before the comprehensive exams. It seems obvious, but bears repeating, that the best specialists are those who see their specialization as part of the bigger picture. The very act of identifying a narrow interest, and placing it in the proper context – if it is to be successful, and useful – requires broad
Phillip Cohen, PhD
letter from the graduate director understanding of the social context surrounding the substantive subject of the work. So breadth itself is an important value. Beyond breath, knowledge diversity is vital as well. That is, it is valuable not just to know about your own subject and the surrounding research, but also to dive deeply into other more narrow areas as well. To choose an analogy, athletes who specialize in tennis benefit from broadly conditioning their entire bodies. But they may also benefit – in tennis and in their other pursuits – from developing a high level of skill in a specific other sport, such as swimming or ping-pong. The insights gained from gaining deep understanding in an area removed from one’s own primary research are not easy to identify in advance, but when such understanding is pursued with an open mind they are inevitable. So, yes, I am suggesting that you do more work, beyond what is required for today’s project, this year’s comprehensive exam, or even your dissertation. Easier said than done! But that doesn’t mean it’s not good advice. I hope it will serve you well. Best wishes to all of our students for an enjoyable and productive summer. Philip Cohen pnc@umd.edu
First of all, let us say how proud we are to have served the GSF as co-presidents this past year. We are humbled to have served as the GSF’s first Black woman/ gay man leadership team. Probably. We don’t know, that’s not really something the GSF keeps track of. Regardless, we’re currently in talks with the Bravo network to parlay our administration into a reality show. While we wait to hear back from the network, though, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the things the GSF has accomplished this year. Despite our failure to enact legislation that would mete our swift punishment for people who misuse the word “literally” (our now-infamous Lohan’s Law), we have nonetheless made some great strides during our short tenure leading the GSF. Our first and most important job this year was to welcome the incoming graduate student cohort. They are a group as talented as they are numerous, and they brought with them a diversity of experiences, personalities, and research interests. Despite being one of the largest cohorts the department has ever accepted (at a robust seventeen students), they have nonetheless transitioned smoothly into the program and into the graduate student community. We are proud and excited for their progress, and we expect big things from this latest batch of scholars. We also continued the GSF’s effort to implement and reinforce a mentorship model among graduate students and between grads and faculty. Most notably, we have been working with Kendra Barber, who spearheaded the administration of a survey this year that gives the graduate student body a chance to offer their opinions (and air their grievances) regarding faculty mentorship. We intend to use this information to
Denae Johnson and Joseph Waggle
letter from the gsf presidents make recommendations to the department about the state of our mentorship model, continuing the parts that are working well and strengthening the parts that aren’t. We are pleased with the progress that we have made in this endeavor, and we hope it will help to optimize the mentorship potential of our excellent faculty. And we also hope to improve upon our graduate student mentorship model, easing the transition into the department for upcoming cohorts. Finally, we have worked diligently to connect the issues of the sociology department to the larger graduate community here at the University of Maryland. We have been working with the Graduate Student Government (GSG) to make sure that the voice of sociology grads is being heard in the discussion of issues affecting the University at large, including the ongoing debate about graduate student unionization and a continued focus on highlighting important graduate research. At the college level, we have been working with the Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Committee (DGSAC) to ensure that sociology grads are able to give input into issues facing the Behavioral and Social Sciences, as well as making our grads have access to important college resources. Overall, this has been a year of transition. Both the student body and the faculty have grown, the research interests of our department have evolved in new and exciting directions, and the structure of our program has begun to respond to both internal changes as well as changes at the University level. It has been a good year. We have been proud to serve, but we could not have done it without the support of the graduate students, faculty, and staff. You’ve all helped make this year both painless and productive for us. It was truly wonderful working with all of you, and we enjoyed every moment of it. We could literally do this job forever. Your benevolent leaders, Denae Johnson and Joe Waggle Joe and Denae are 4th and 3rd year graduate students, respectively
Many graduate students know that sound. The elevator ding at 4 a.m. on a weekday morning. An alarm clock-of-sorts welcoming us into a straight 25th hour of sleeplessness. Within minutes we hear the rustling of keys, giving us enough time to wipe any drool from our imprinted chins and slumber from our tired eyes. Then our office door is opened, entering in Elizabeth. A bit (un)surprised, Elizabeth smiles her famous smile, ever so bright, waves her finger with one hand and the other on her hip, allowing her the perfect pose for the motherly words, “Go home right now and get some rest, young lady!” Elizabeth has always reminded me of my mother, up before the birds to provide for her family. And a picturesque mother (and grandmother) Elizabeth is! After immigrating to the U.S. from Colombia 28 years ago, Elizabeth soon after met and married her husband, who had also immigrated to Maryland from Guatemala. Together they started a family, now three sons, two daughters-in-law, and one scrumptious grandbaby (see photo). Elizabeth’s two oldest sons are University of Maryland alumni. One is a Maryland state trooper and the other is vigorously studying for his LSAT exams. Elizabeth’s youngest son is a current undergraduate in UMD’s criminology program and was once a kicker for UMD’s football team before venturing on missions in south Texas. When Elizabeth is not on campus, she can be found spending precious quality time with her grandson, Christian, a six month old love muffin. (And she made it quite clear to me that she’s ready for more little love muffins, aka grandchildren!) It is entirely evident that Elizabeth is a proud matriarch of her family, providing for their stabilities and happiness from her Art/Sociology gig. And it’s a gig that she cherishes, filled with appreciated stories about beloved people within these M.C. Escher-esque walls.
Beverly Pratt
Staff spotlight: elizabeth maldonado Elizabeth chuckles when she remembers the mornings she’s discovered graduate students at their desks at 4 a.m. She’s a true fan of us students as she appreciates our daily greetings and, deeply so, the gift cards that the Graduate Student Forum gives the custodial staff each December. Such greetings and appreciation-tokens make this job, for Elizabeth, “special.” Also dear to Elizabeth are the professors and faculty, as she’s gotten to know quite a few over her 13 years on staff at the University. Dr. Linda Moghadam, especially, is quite important to her, as Elizabeth refers to her as “beautiful” and “very, very special.” Also adored by Elizabeth are Gerry Todd, Nicole DeLoatch, and Patty Bernales. Of course Elizabeth values her fellow colleagues, as she’s been able to work with many persons throughout her time on campus. Between a treasured job and a gorgeously tight family, Elizabeth emphasizes how happy she is. So, next time my Mac displays 8:30 p.m., as I’m about to embark on an allnight-on-campus-work-frenzy, I’ll remember that this is the time that Elizabeth (and my mother) goes to sleep in order to wake up way too early to sustain the people that she loves while working among people that she enjoys. And at 4 a.m., after I hear that elevator ding, I’ll wipe the drool from my chin and the slumber from my eyes, ready to greet Elizabeth and will send a text to my mama saying, “I love you, too.”
I have been fortunate to solicit feedback on a few papers in the past year and a half from individuals at several conferences. The range of conference venues includes: the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) meetings, a research colloquium among four universities, an ASA conference for the Development Sociology subdivision, and the Population Association of America (PAA) meetings. At each of them, it was important to be a professional through and through. This means dressing the part (collared shirt, dress pants, polished shoes, etc.), having business cards (which you can easily get through Printing Services on campus), making new connections with professors, and most importantly, being prepared for your presentation. But each venue provides unique challenges.
For example, PAA is an enormous event and your panel session (or poster session for that matter) will likely be attended by some of the top names in the business. So you will want to have your presentation and timing nailed down, which come through a few practice runs. With many different rooms in which one could present, it is important to figure out which room you are in ahead of time, so that you are not intimidated or surprised at the setting on the day of. At a big conference like PAA, you may receive some harsh criticism of your work, but it is more likely that people attending your session will be really interested in your topic and willing to help you. Look forward to receiving comments—since they will likely come from some very brilliant people—and do not be scared to hear them (keep a notepad on you at all times)!
Tyler Myroniuk
Advice on professional conferences A smaller venue, like the Development Sociology conference, can have sessions in intimate settings that felt quite welcoming (but this should not equate to relaxed standards in your presentation). The crowds may not be as large, so you may not get as many comments as at a bigger venue or be able to network as much, but the select group of scholars at these conferences will be able to provide some really useful comments that are very specific to your work. I would recommend trying to get into one or two of these if you have not yet presented work on a major stage, since it will serve as a serious, yet hospitable practice run for larger venues. Each conference has its own style and it is important to “play the game within the game� at these things. Participants at PAA really like seeing your findings, so spend less time presenting on the theoretical development. Participants at smaller venues probably want to see exactly how your contribution is unique within a smaller body of literature, and therefore spending a bit longer on the theoretical development is important! So find out ahead of time from your advisor, or someone who knows the expectations at these conferences, so that you can plan your presentation accordingly. All in all, it is important to be a professional, enjoy presenting your work, and welcome feedback from conference participants. Throw yourself out there with your research and be open to meeting some new people. Conferences are great opportunities for professional development. Presenting at them will only increase the confidence you have in your research, while simultaneously improving it. They really are win-win situations. Tyler is a 2nd year graduate student
Spearheaded by Professor Melissa Milkie, the Culture Lab is a training and research lab for the systematic study of culture, with a particular focus on social issues related to gender, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Professor Milkie, graduate student Kathleen Denny, and I spent last fall creating a website (http://www.theculturelab.umd. edu/) for this new venture. We interviewed several faculty and grad students working on these types of projects for input into the lab. Aiming to create a dynamic site for scholars seeking to study culture, we sought to create a resource with practical tools on how to systematically analyze cultural texts, such as newspapers, magazines, social media, videos, websites, and television broadcasts. With a particular emphasis on content analysis, we envision the site as a repository for information and supporting materials for those undertaking this method. In addition to the website, a group of graduate students is participating in an innovative methods class on content analysis. Although some graduate methods courses spend a couple of class sessions focusing on content analysis, there are few (if any) courses available that exclusively focus on this approach. However, this methodology is uniquely suitable for the study of culture. Professor Milkie is training students in the foundations of content analysis and teaching these students best-practices that increase the quality of their research projects. Graduate students in the course are all working on individual projects with a diverse range of interests and mediums including video blogs on YouTube, advertisements in China, and national newspapers and magazine articles. Each student will finish the class with the tools to continue their research and to turn their projects into publishable papers.
Joanna Pepin
The Culture lab at the university of Maryland Another component to the Culture Lab is a speaker series. Last week, the Culture Lab was excited to welcome Assistant Professor Neal Caren, from the University of North Carolina. Caren’s research focuses on social movements and of particular interest to the Culture Lab, he has expertise in the use of big data (data large in volume such as tweets from Twitter). According to Caren, many researchers are now trying to answer some questions that sociologists typically ask with the use of big data. Specifically, these data sources seem useful in generating frequencies of events and occurrences of particular outcomes and for looking at trends over time. For instance, Caren explained how he used big data to look at the amount of coverage of social movements and political figures in national newspapers. By conducting a quantitative text analysis, Caren illustrated how to turn words into numbers for statistical analysis and provided an example of how a topic modeling process can be useful in understanding how subjects or words co-occur. After the lecture, Caren visited the Content Analysis class and shared an example of creating a big dataset. He showed how he was able to (relatively easily) examine which words were more common in ASA presented papers that became published versus those that did not. Each student in the class also had the chance to ask him questions about their research projects. At the end of the day, we were excited about what we had learned from Caren’s research methodologies and had gained new resources to add and share on the Culture Lab’s website. Research data librarians at UMD are also interested in helping researcher obtain the texts they need and dealing with any copyright issues. Stop by the Culture Lab in 4127 to talk with us about your ideas! Joanna is a 1st year graduate student
We’ve all experienced them: those moments when the stresses of grad school seem too overwhelming, and we find ourselves questioning whether we’ll ever make it out of this place alive and with our dignity relatively intact. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic. But every grad student knows that the road can sometimes seem very long and arduous. For that reason, it’s nice to hear the success stories of recent PhD recipients. Here are three outstanding UMD sociologists for us to look up to—and envy. MICHELLE SMIRNOVA AH: Where are you right now? MS: Right now I am working at the U.S. Census Bureau, but this fall I will be an Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (UMKC). AH: What was the process of applying for the UMKC position like? What about the decision to accept; how did you navigate that choice? MS: I believe that it was my experience in the Census Bureau’s Center for Survey Measurement (a unit in the Research & Methodology Directorate that is involved in qualitative research) that helped me land the tenuretrack position at UMKC. I will be teaching Classical and Contemporary Theory as well as a graduate level course in Qualitative Methods.
Ann Horwitz
graduate student spotlights: michelle smirnova, paul dean, and javier garcia-Manglano I applied to over 60 positions across the country and internationally. I tried to market myself as broadly as possible since I really wanted to land an academic position. The three positions that invited me to interview each wanted me to teach theory and qualitative methods. Although I knew these were areas of expertise, I’m not sure I would have recognized these areas as my selling points before the job market process had begun since I had studied so many different things during my time at UMD. The schools were all primarily interested in what I could teach—even at “research oriented” schools. I received some really great advice from professors at Maryland to think strategically—I was also told to develop the skills and expertise for my dream job. Although my CV can appear a bit all over the place, it turns out that UMKC was particularly interested in me for each of the (seemingly unrelated) components of my research agenda. Based on my experience, I would encourage students to apply broadly; it can be difficult to discern what exactly hiring departments are looking for. The application process involves strategy, but also quite a bit of luck. Departments are looking for the best fit, and each year and pool of candidates are very different. Read up about each particular school and the department and try to highlight how your past research and teaching experiences suit their needs. In preliminary interviews (e.g., phone or ASA), ask where they see the department in the future. How does the department fit into the University’s strategic plan? Who would be the ideal candidate for this position? Ask as much as you can about what they are looking for, assess whether you would be happy being that person (or if you are that person), and then convince them. I chose my position because it was the first one that contacted me, and once they offered it, I couldn’t imagine passing it up. They wanted me to teach the classes I wanted to teach, it was in a location I was excited about, and it was (continued on next page)
(continued from previous page) an all-around great fit for me. I was incredibly lucky. Only after I accepted, was I invited to interview at the University of Amsterdam. I’m sure the chocolate in Kansas City is much better. AH: Do you feel that Maryland prepared you well for the job market? MS: I do. As difficult as the job market continues to be, Maryland students seem to land jobs. Our faculty are committed to helping us land jobs, and they push us in different ways to get there. Reach out to them, tell them your goals, and they will try to help you get there. My coursework in the sociology department as well as in the communications and political science departments prepared me to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue and research. I also completed the University Teaching and Learning Certificate program which helped verify my credentials for teaching. I would highly recommend the program for anyone—regardless of whether you want to go to a teaching- or research-oriented institution. UMKC identifies as a research-oriented institution, but many of my one-onone interviews focused on my teaching website, “My Sociological Activation” (www. mysociologicalactivation.com), which focuses on experiential learning activities to be used inside and outside of the classroom. They saw the project as evidence of my commitment to effective and meaningful teaching; I believe it had a major impact on my success on the market. Lastly, living in (or near) D.C. gives Maryland students many opportunities to get involved in other non-profit or government organizations to help with research, development or other valuable experiences. I would encourage all students to try and take advantage of such opportunities while you’re in the area. I think these experiences also bolster your CV. AH: Anything else you’d like to share? MS: I like chocolate. And unicorns. I’ll miss UMD.
PAUL DEAN AH: Where are you right now? PD: I’m an Assistant Professor at Ohio Wesleyan University. AH: What was the process of applying for the Ohio Wesleyan position like? What about the decision to accept; how did you navigate that choice? PD: I applied to 40 jobs and had 4 job offers, including 2 at liberal arts colleges and 2 at teaching-intensive public universities. I wanted to be at a liberal arts college for the type of learning environment it offers students, and its heavy emphasis on teaching. OWU was my top choice for its curricular programming, my great interviewing experience with the department faculty, its proximity to a metropolitan area, and proximity to family. My first year experience here has made me feel like I made the right choice! AH: Do you feel that Maryland prepared you well for the job market? PD: Yes, I had excellent mentoring from George Ritzer and Patricia Hill Collins, and I received excellent teaching preparation by working with Linda Moghadam and the Center for Teaching Excellence’s Program for grad students. I also knew early in my studies I wanted to be at a teaching-intensive institution so that helped me to start preparing myself early. AH: Anything else you’d like to share? PD: Happy hours with my fellow grad students were a vital part of surviving grad school (thanks guys!). Never underestimate the value of a good pint.
JAVIER GARCIA-MANGLANO AH: What are you up to? JGM: In September, I will be joining Nuffield College, University of Oxford, as a Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow. Nuffield is a graduate college specialized in the Social Sciences, particularly Economics, Political Science, and Sociology. I’ll be a member of the Sociology Department, too. This is a three-year position.
AH: What was the process of applying for that postdoc like? What about the decision to accept; how did you navigate that choice? JGM: The application process had two stages, one relatively easy, and the other one extremely competitive. The application itself (submitted in early October), was relatively straightforward, consisting only of a one-page summary of current research, a onepage research plan, a CV, and two or more writing samples. Every year, Nuffield gets more than 400 applications for this position; they interview 12 candidates, and extend only 4 job offers. With those ratios, I was quite surprised when I was notified (in midJanuary) that I had been shortlisted for an interview. This took place in Oxford in early February, and consisted of a 25-minute presentation of one of my papers in the morning, and a 25-minute interview with the selection committee (two economists, two political scientists, two sociologists) in the afternoon. It was pretty intense... and even secretive! We were not allowed to attend the other candidates’ talks, so I met only one other guy being interviewed that day, because we happened to eat breakfast at the same time... and we recognized the same expression of pre-interview anguish in each other’s faces. Honestly, I left Nuffield not feeling too good about my performance, and not too hopeful. So I was stunned two days later (already back in the US) when I received an email with a job offer. This postdoc was at the top of my list in terms of preference, so my job hunt ended right there.
AH: Do you feel that Maryland prepared you well for the job market? JGM: As a quantitative nerd, I guess I can best answer this question with an equation: I’m getting my degree from Maryland + I got an offer for my favorite postdoc at a great university = we can say that Maryland prepared me well for the job market. But equations are too cold and impersonal, so I’ll just add a word of gratitude to my advisors, who helped me (in so many ways) navigate the ups and downs of getting a PhD and successfully transitioning to the job market: Thanks Joan! Thanks Suzanne!
Congratulations to these fellow Terps! Your successes inspire us to keep on truckin’, even when the going gets tough. Ann is a 2nd year graduate student
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The 2013 William Form Alumni Lecture on April 26, 2013 featured Dr. Timothy Moran Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Stony Brook University, SUNY. Moran received his PhD from the University of Maryland Department of Sociology in 2000. Moran’s talk, titled “Studying Social Stratification: From Art/Soc to the World as a Whole,” covered his work in stratification and social mobility which has led to a research partnership with Dr. Patricio Korzeniewicz, the current Chair of our department. Jonathan Jackson, a 3rd year graduate student, wrote this reflection on Moran’s talk. I enjoyed Dr. Moran’s talk in part because it was nice to put a face to one of the many papers I had to read for comps. Moran’s research with Dr. Patricio Korzeniewicz on global inequality helped ground my overview of the topic. And as I found out, the amount of reading I had to do for my exams paled in comparison to what graduate students had to cover in the 1990s. One of the things I appreciated most about Dr. Moran’s talk was the summary he gave of the main issues in stratification. I have brought up many of these issues in the class I am currently teaching on inequality in the U.S. For example, inequality in the U.S. has dramatically increased since the 1970s, but it is quite small compared to inequality between nations. A look at how many countries have a lower per-capita income than what most Americans spend on their dog is truly profound. Luckily, between-country inequality has started to decline with the rising prominence of China. Yet, I still was
Jonathan Jackson Margaret Austin Smith
the 4th annual lecture: tim moran staff form spotlight: Orienta Huger left wondering whether this represents progress or if the poor are simply becoming increasingly similar around the world. Some of the most exciting issues stratification scholars will uncover over the coming decades relate to the implications of this trend and how it will change the world we inhabit.
Another point that stuck out to me in Dr. Moran’s talk was his notion that the most significant path to social mobility for the world’s poor is international migration. Such a fact is no doubt troublesome considering the trend toward stricter regulation on migration. Yet I remain skeptical as to how much tightening the flow of people exacerbates global inequality. As Dr. Moran rightly points out, people were largely free to move around 200 years ago. At the same time, passports, immigration quotas, and visas did not become a common fixture for most countries until the 20th century, meaning other forces were driving the rise in between-country inequality in the 19th century and probably now as well. While Moran may be right in arguing that restrictive borders will continue to perpetuate the status quo, stratification scholars still need to bring attention to other sources behind massive levels of global inequality.
Jonathan is a 3rd year graduate student.
Critical Race Theory is no longer only three words UMD’s sociology graduate students read about in social theory textbooks and discuss around graduate seminar tables. It’s now something that we’ve breathed alive, birthing a tangible sociological practice Nathan and – as two rogue scientists – sociologically within our department andLes broader college andsocial university community. Derrick Bell, describe and analyze their experiences at John Stewart’s Rally to widely known Restore as a forerunner Critical Race Theory, frames critical race theorists as Sanity. of Enjoy! active scholars that
… strive for a specific, more egalitarian, state of affairs. We seek to empower and include traditionally excluded views and see all-inclusive as the ideal because of our belief in collective wisdom (1995:901)**.
It’s our intention, as creators of and participants in our department’s Critical Race Initiative, to sociologically embody Bell’s words. That said, the following summarizes our Initiative’s beginnings, our recent events, and our plans for next academic year. The Critical Race Initiative was conceived with an idea and a desire by Professor Patricia Hill Collins to develop a stronger critical race presence in the sociology department and to institutionalize interests in race and ethnicity studies. To further develop this idea, Collins consulted with Professors Kris Marsh, Julie Park, and Rashawn Ray, as well as senior doctoral students in the department. As a result of these discussions, it became evident to Collins that an institutionalized canal was desired by graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars to sociologically explore, discuss, and live Critical Race Theory. Graduate students eagerly embraced the opportunity, as many students over several cohorts have anxiously sought for a palpable way to sociologically investigate race and racism, a way that would be recognized, encouraged, and supported by the department. With this readiness, graduate students have taken the lead on conceptualizing and operationalizing this initiative, for both the current and future department community. A working group, composed mainly of graduate students, was in place by November 2012. By February 2013, the working group had executed plans for an efficacious
Beverly M. Pratt
Embodying Collective Wisdom: Updates From Our ‘Critical Race Initiative’ spring 2013 semester, the inaugural semester of the Critical Race Initiative. And what a successful inaugural semester it’s been! Following are the events that the Critical Race Initiative organized for this semester alone: • On March 8 we held a brown bag presentation from Ana Claudia Pereira, a Fulbright Visiting Researcher at UMD and a PhD Candidate in Political Science at Rio de Janeiro State University in Brazil. Ana presented her work entitled “Objects of Racism, Subjects of Mobilization: Race Relations and Politics in Brazil Through the Eyes of Black Feminist Activists.” • On April 12 we held a scholarly discussion with our own Professor Collins. Collins presented her continuing work entitled “Crossing Over: Black Public Intellectuals in the Marketplace of Ideas.” • On April 26 we hosted a lecture by Professor Adia Harvey-Wingfield entitled No More Invisible Man: Race and Gender in Men’s Work. Harvey-Wingfield is an associate professor of sociology at Georgia State University where she specializes in research that examines the ways intersections of race, gender, and class affect social processes at work. Her research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, she is the author of several books, and has she has won multiple awards from sections of the American Sociological Association including the Early Career Award given by the Section of Racial and Ethnic Minorities. • On May 3, 2013 we held a brown bag panel presentation for sociology graduate students to present their ongoing work on the topic of race and/or ethnicity. Due to the high interest by graduate students, the committee had to narrow down the panel to four scheduled presentations, including work by: first-year Wendy Laybourn, second-years Ann Horowitz and Shanna Brewton-Tiayon, fifth-year Kathryn Buford, and ABD graduate student Michelle Beadle Holder. (continued on next page)
(continued from previous page) Not only were these events well organized, they were also very well attended, with a high volume of participation! Attendees and participants included sociology undergraduate and graduate students, undergraduate and graduate students from various college and university departments, faculty and staff from our department and other departments, including assistant dean Dr. Kim Nickerson, and visiting scholars. Wow! A lot of sociological exploration, discussion, and living of Critical Race Theory has been done in a few short months! While we’ve accomplished a considerable amount in a short period of time, the working group is currently implementing plans for the next academic year, including: brown bags, workshops, presentations, activities, and guest lectures. We will keep our department community updated on all of our goings-on and are enthusiastic to see more of our community participate!
If you have any questions about the Critical Race Initiative and/or would like to begin participating in our meetings and planning, please email Shanna Brewton-Tiayon at sbtiayon@umd.edu. Joining the Critical Race Initiative is a great opportunity to become involved on the front end of what is bound to be a growing and increasingly productive embodiment of active scholarship. After all, as “we seek to empower and include traditionally excluded views and see all-inclusive as the ideal,” we need the “collective wisdom” of each of our department’s community members and areas. Yes, that means you! Beverly is an advanced graduate student.
Congratulations to our 2013-2013 graduates!
Thanks to the gsf!
Fall 2012 PhD Graduates
GSF Presidents: Joe Waggle & Denae Johnson
Manjistha Banerji Elizabeth “Betsy� Thorn Spring 2013 PhD Graduates Nihal Celik Javier Garcia-Manglano Amber Nelson Chang Won Lee J. Michael Ryan Michelle Hannah Smirnova Michelle Sandhoff Gheda Khodr Temsah Ying Wang Spring 2013 MA Graduates Shanna Brewton-Tiayon Ann Horwitz Lucia Lykke Rachel Shattuck Matthias Wasser
Treasurer: Mandi Martinez Social chairs: Jenelle Clark and Lucia Lykke Newsletter Representative: Anya Galli Graduate Student Government Representative: Tyler Crabb
DGSAC Representative: Jonathan Jackson Pre-Candidacy Representative: Ann Horwitz PhD Representative: Kendra Barber Admissions Representatives: Nicole Deloatch and Joanna Kling Policy Committee: Joe Waggle Awards Committee Representative: Rachel Guo General Representative: Crosby Hipes C. Wright Mills Representative: Mandi Martinez
Mistead Sai is a 2012 Sociology Major and former undergrad program rockstar. Kendra Barber, an advanced Sociology graduate student, had Mistead in two of her classes. She caught up with Mistead this semester to see what he’s up to. What made you decide to be sociology major? I decided to be a Sociology major because I wanted to examine and address the social inequalities in our society. During my sophomore year at the University of Maryland, I was debating on what I wanted to major in. When I was discussing the issue with a couple of my friends, they suggested I look into sociology, therefore I decided to take a couple courses during my Spring semester, which I fell in love with. I took a course on contemporary social problems instructed by Professor Kendra Barber and it opened my eyes to social inequalities. Professor Barber encouraged me to look and think critically about social problems. I left the class questioning, how I can help to alleviate social inequalities and seek out justice for folks in my personal, interpersonal, and professional life. It is been those two objectives that have been the vehicles for transforming my college experience and my future pursuits. What did you learn most from your time as Sociology major? I learnt that sociology offers the language to talk about your lived experience. Some people ask, why would you major in this social science, they say it’s obvious, but it’s the nature of this science that offers perspective on your social reality. Sociology provides the language that helps your reality feel intrinsically real because you have the aptitude to understand the cultural, social, and historical-context into the societal mechanisms in which one lives in. Additionally, serving to be a discipline that is comparative, by nature, your lived experience is one of shared experiences and crucial in discovering socialphenomena. Moreover, sociology is interdisciplinary and thereby offers the language in which you can engage in other disciplinary sciences.
Kendra Barber
Catching up with a recent SOCY (under)graduate: Mistead Sai, class of 2012 What does the sociological imagination mean to you? It means constantly engaging in self-reflexive experiences where I can make sense of my experience in respect to society. I would say it’s what classical Greek philosopher Socrates would say as “know thyself.” If I am able to grapple with the external processes that make up my social reality, then I can delve into deeper matters of the self and strategies into how I combat those oppressive images for myself and others. Postgraduation, I am continually being socially mindful and using my sociological imagination to ponder on matters of identity politics, race relations, and the biopolitics of race. Tell me about your life post-graduation. Where have you been working since graduation? I am currently serving as a missionary for the General Board of Global Ministries for the United Methodist Church. Commissioned in last August, I am working with Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) as my placement. IWJ is a non-profit organization based in Chicago that focuses on worker’s rights and worker justice issues. I serve on the staff as their Worker Center Network Assistant. It has allowed me to examine the systems of oppression at the workplace. I hope that by seeking out justice in terms of worker’s rights, I inadvertently will be addressing and alleviating the racism, sexism, classism, and the likes at the workplace. What are your future career goals? My hope is to build on my work experience a little bit more then return back to academia for a Master’s program either in Social Policy, Social Work, Public Policy, Theological Studies or possibly even a Ph.D in Sociology. Ideally at the moment, my future career goal is to work as a full-time staff member for a non-profit or a faith-based initiative that simultaneously addresses the justice and mercy work we need in society.
This semester two outstanding Senior Sociology majors—Maegan Zielinski and Tuesday Barnes— were nominated by their professors for the undergraduate spotlight. Maegan and Tuesday interviewed each other. Maegan Zielinski, Bel Air MD Concentration: Social Psychology Siblings: Step-brother and one biological sister What made you interested in Sociology? Originally was a psychology major and then wanted greater flexibility thus decided to change over to social psychology. Plans for after graduation? Wants to teach social psychology to high school students. Greatest Fear? not seeing the word enough, I want to travel and see things and I feel like if I’m older I don’t want to feel like I never got to travel Favorite Animal? Giraffe (over spring break she went to Texas to see giraffes) First Job? Burger King What do you like to do for fun? I love to shop and do artsy things (like scrapbooking), go to the movies, and travel. Where have you travelled? Paris, Venice, and the Caribbean (Haiti and Jamaica) Favorite Food? Mexican and Sushi Favorite TV shows? Scandal, Breaking Bad, the Walking Dead, Game of Thrones Who gives you your motivation? My parents because I always want to make them proud. My mom is my best friend Favorite Place? Paris Favorite Dance Move? The one that doesn’t embarrass me Mac or PC? Pc Justin Timberlake or Bieber? Timberlake If you could have any super power what would it be? Mind reading If you could be any part of the car what would you be? Steering wheel because I like to know where I’m going, but I could also be the radio because you have to know how to have some fun
Maegan Zeilinski and Tuesday Barnes
Undergraduate spotlights
Tuesday Barnes, Baltimore MD Concentration: Stratification Minor: Spanish Language and Culture Siblings: One older brother What made you interested in Sociology? Took one class in Freshman year and loved the class that she decided to declare it. What will you do after graduation? Going to graduate school in the PdD program for Sociology at UMD- wants to work in theory and research. Greatest fear? Having regrets, especially love. What’s your favorite animal? Worms WHY!? They’re really fascinating they breathe through their skin! First job? Victoria’s Secret What do you do when you’re not doing Sociology? Spoken word poetry, Dancing and Traveling Where have you travelled to? Spain (Madrid), France (Paris), London, Prague, Rome, Marrakesh, Morocco Favorite Food? Seafood and Pasta, but when its together it’s the best. Favorite TV Show? Scandal Who gives you your motivation? Family, and my mom. She’s just a really great person, she’s always been there for me and puts herself second, she’s very selfless. Favorite place? Anywhere around people I love. Favorite Dance Move? Whatever I feel I just do it! MAC or PC? MAC Justin Timberlake or Justin Bieber? Justin Timberlake! If you could have any super power what would it be? I wish I could think things into existence. If you could be any part of the car what would you be? The rearview mirror, it’s essential but it’s not seen as important as other parts, but without it, the car wouldn’t function.
We all know how hungry a long grading session or marathon lit review compilation can make us. To that purpose, four of our graduate students share their favorite recipes for comfort foods. Lori Reeder I have a lot of favorite comfort food recipes depending on the mood, but I decided to go with an old favorite back from my days of working as a full-time volunteer when I learned how to be very creative with few ingredients. It’s a great recipe because it’s cheap, doesn’t use any fancy ingredients, is vegetarian, and it can be adapted to be vegan. It’s simple but definitely not boring. SOUTHWEST BAKED ZITI 8 ounces ziti pasta — uncooked 8 ounces tomato sauce 8 ounces salsa 3/4 cup lowfat ricotta cheese 1 cup shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese 11 ounces canned corn — drained 4 ounces chopped green chiles — drained 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon grated lowfat Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS -Cook pasta according to package directions, using the shorter amount of cooking time given. Drain. -Preheat oven to 375F. -Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray. -Combine tomato sauce and salsa in a small bowl. -In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with half of the mozzarella cheese. -Stir in half the sauce, along with the corn, chiles, oregano, and pepper. Add the cooked ziti and mix well. Spoon into prepared casserole. -Spread remaining sauce over top of casserole, then sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and then Parmesan cheese. -Cover and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake 15 more minutes. Recipe found at http://whatsinlaurenstummy.blogspot.com/2008/04/bakedziti-goes-southwest.html
Stress baking with socy grad students Denae Johnson My great grandfather was an amazing cook, but never wrote recipes. I remember being a teenager, watching him cook, trying to take mental notes of what he did. This is as close as I have been able to get to his baked mac and cheese with my own spin (the additions of an additional cheese and an onion). This recipe is very rich, but so very worth it. MACARONI AND CHEESE 1 pound elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons butter/ 1 tablespoon butter 3 tablespoons flour 3 cups milk (any % but skim) 1 small yellow onion, finely diced 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 large egg 24 ounces extra sharp cheddar, shredded 12 ounces white cheddar, shredded 6-12 ounces of any other cheese (I like gruyere and smoked gouda) 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder Fresh black pepper A splash of Frank’s Redhot Hot sauce A pinch of dried chili flakes
DIRECTIONS -Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. -Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. -In a separate pan, sautee the onion in one tablespoon of butter until translucent. Set aside. -In another large pot, melt the 3 TBSP butter over medium heat. Turn heat to low, whisk in the flour and keep stirring, getting rid of any lumps until it is the color of peanut butter (about 5 minutes)-- DO NOT walk away from the roux (it will burn very quickly if you stop stirring!). -Gently stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes (stirring often) and remove the bay leaf. Add seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, hot sauce and chili flakes. -Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of each cheese. Gently fold the macaroni into the cheese mix and pour into a large casserole dish (or two smaller dishes). Top with remaining cheese. (continued on next page)
(continued from previous page) TOPPING: 3 tablespoons butter 1 cup panko bread crumbs Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy! Variations: I have had friends try this recipe with the additions of bacon/turkey bacon, smoked turkey, broccoli, green onions, shallots, garlic, parmesan cheese and even liquid smoke, as well as omitting the onions, all with reported success. You can also bake it in ramekins instead of a large casserole dishjust keep an eye on the ramekins while they’re in the oven.
CRANBERRY STREUSEL PIE (adapted from the Southern Living Cookbook) Crust: 1 cup flour ½ tsp salt 1/3 cup shortening 1 Tbsp unsalted butter Pie: 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup packed light brown sugar ½ cup chopped pecans (walnuts can be substituted) ½ tsp cinnamon 1 egg 1/3 cup sugar ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted 3 Tbsp flour DIRECTIONS
To make the pie crust: blend crust ingreJenelle Clark dients with pastry blender or fork and add ½ to 2 ½ Tbsp water. (I find I only need While this is perhaps not the right season about ½ Tbsp here, but in drier climates for this recipe (assuming no one else froze I’ve needed the full 2 ½ Tbsp.) Form into fresh cranberries in the fall), I just had to a ball and roll out or pat into pan. Fit share it because it is That Good. Fall is piecrust into 9 inch pie plate. always a good time of year to find comfort Stir together cranberries and next 4 ingrefood, and this one is especially comfortdients, and spoon into pie crust. ing to a stressed soul when served warm Whisk together egg and remaining ingrebecause of its flaky crust and the wonder- dients, and pour over cranberry mixture. ful flavor explosion of cranberry, cinnaBake at 400° for 20 minutes. Reduce mon, and pecan. FYI, I have absolutely no oven temperature to 350° and bake 30 qualms about making this year-round and more minutes or until streusel is golden. neither should you. This pie is best served hot and it reheats well in the microwave too.
Anya Galli These lemon bars are sugary and satisfying without being too sweet. The lemon flavor is a nice pick-me-up for long writing sessions. I love how simple they are and that they don’t waste a single bit of the lemon. WHOLE LEMON BARS (Recipe adapted from the Smitten Kitchen) Crust: 1 cup flour ¼ cup sugar ¼ tsp salt 8 tbl unsalted butter cut into cubes ½ tsp vanilla extract Lemon custard: 1 lemon (organic or unsprayed because you are using all of the peel!) 1 cup sugar 3 tbl lemon juice 3 large eggs 4 tsp corn starch ¼ tsp salt 3 tbl melted unsalted butter Powdered sugar for dusting DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Crust: Overturn an 8-inch square pan on the counter and wrap the outside snugly with foil, shiny side up. Remove the foil, turn the pan over, and fit the foil into the pan, pressing to nudge the foil into the corners. Then smooth it as best you can.
Lightly butter or spray the surface of the foil with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cubed butter and vanilla. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands. Press crust into the bottom of the pan, using your hands or a small offset spatula to get it as level as possible. Bake the crust for 25 minutes, or until it’s deepgolden brown. Lemon custard: While the crust is cooking, cut the lemon in half, remove the seeds, and cut the lemon into chunks. Put the chunks of lemon in a food processor or blender along with the sugar and lemon juice, and let it run until the lemon is completely broken up. Add the eggs, corn starch, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter, and blend until almost smooth. (A few tiny bits of lemon pieces are normal and encouraged.) When the crust comes out of the oven, reduce the heat of the oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust and bake for 25 minutes or just until the filling stops jiggling and is barely set. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cool, carefully lift out the bars grasping the foil. Cut the bars into squares or rectangles. Sift powdered sugar over the top just before serving, if desired.
sociology news . volume 7 . issue 2 . Spring 2013 department of sociology . university of maryland