Sociology 2016 Newslette

SOCIOLOGY NEWSLETTER | Issue #1 2 The OSU Sociology Department’s history is long and proud. The first courses in Soci- ology were offered at OSU in 1894, four years after the institution was founded as a land grant school and thirteen years before Oklahoma Territory was admitted to state- hood. The Department of Sociology was formally organized in 1936 and the mas- ter’s degree was first offered in 1952. In 1964, the state’s first Ph.D. program in Sociology was established at OSU and since that time has been the premier Soci- ology Ph.D. program in Oklahoma. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Okla- homa State University as a Higher Re- search Activity Doctoral University, and our faculty contribute to this ranking. The faculty take great pride in teaching and research and are dedicated to serving the students and communities of the state of Oklahoma. They are nationally and inter- nationally known for their research in the areas of environmental sociology, commu- nities, disaster relief, criminology, social inequality and social psychology. Our mas- ters and doctoral programs have for dec- ades provided advanced training in socio- logical theory, quantitative and qualitative research methods, and in multiple sub- stantive areas of research for decades. Graduates have gone on to careers in aca- demia, government, non-profits, and other fields. articles and books, like the many local, regional, national and international conference presentations given by our faculty and students, highlight the important work of the department. Our faculty this year have been espe- cially busy this publishing books, many of which are already receiving high praise. These include books in environ- mental sociology (Dr. Caniglia, Dr. Dunlap), research methods and statis- tics (Dr. Fullerton), criminology (Dr. Liang) and indigenous adolescent de- velopment (Dr. Sittner). Continued from page 1 Welcome to the Department of Sociology As another academic year draws to a close, we look back on these outstand- ing accomplishments while also look- ing forward to an exciting future. Our graduates, like our faculty, continue to address some of the most pressing social, environmental, economic, edu- cational and community issues facing the world today—from understanding how people develop trust, acquire knowledge and understanding climate change and political economies to enhancing approaches to disaster re- lief and understanding health dispari- ties, access to food, and criminal jus- tice systems around the world. I invite you to take time to learn more about the recent happenings in Sociology in the following pages and on our De- partmental website ( http:// sociology.okstate.edu/ ) where you will find a wealth of information about our faculty, students, alumni and pro- grams! Sharon R. Bird, Ph.D. Professor and Head Classroom Building. Photo courtesy of OSU Archives. Dairy Building. Photo courtesy of OSU Archives. Murray. Photo courstesy of University Marketing. Business Building. Photo courtesy of OSU Archives.