Sociology Newsletter
Winter 09
(L. Clark)
Student-Faculty Research Project
Soc Grad in the Peace Corps in Cameroon
Internships Provide Valuable Work Experience!
Sociology Honors Society: Applications due February 20
Student-Faculty Research Project
Amanda Turner (Spring 2008) is co-authoring an article entitled "Theories of Family and Domestic Violence" with Kristin Anderson for the Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. This is Amanda's second scholarly publication. Her article "'Because It's Wrong': Limitations of Female Empowerment in Buffy"was published last year in the on-line journal Watcher Junior: The Undergraduate Journal of Buffy Studies.
Students Traveling to Ghana
Eleven Sociology majors and four Fairhaven students will be leaving December. 9th for a one-month travel experience in Ghana. The students are participating in a National Science Foundation-funded interdisciplinary research project with scholars from Western's Sociology Department, Fairhaven College, Florida Gulf Coast University, and the University of Ghana, Legon. While abroad, the students will conduct two research projects at a field site where cultural practices prevent the slaughter of nesting leatherback sea turtles. Specifically, students will engage in a long-term sea turtle monitoring program where they will tag and measure endangered leatherback and olive ridley sea turtles, while simultaneously working in teams with Ghanaian undergraduate colleagues conducting social survey research in the surrounding communities. Let's wish them good luck on their trip!
Soc Grad in the Peace Corps in Cameroon
Former student Joanna Browning is in the Peace Corps in Cameroon. She participated in the 2006 Ghana program. From Joanna:
Well this week has probably been the most exciting week so far! I found out my post for the next 2 years. i will be living in a village named Mozogo. It is in the extreme north province of cameroon near Nigerias border. For my travel here I took a bus for 5 hours and then 2 differnent motorcycles through the mountains on roads that are very less than par. Im not sure you can actually call them roads, more like ditches! But I met my counterpart and got to see my house and meet all the people i will be working with! Since Mozogo is next to a national park(across the street from me) i will be doing tons of conservation work! The group im involved in wants to create an ecotourism hot spot. It is a long way from being completed but the future is very promising for the group and the park. I got to hike around in there and i saw a lot of cool birds, reptiles, and baboons! Very exciting. I also will be working with a summer camp, soy project, and a bike tour through cameroon teaching about aids. Woa a lot of stuff happening and I feel a little overwhelmed but I know that with some good brainstorming and patience it will all happen. I am near some of the other volunteers also so we are all going to be using each other as resources.
I am currently in the major city of my province called Maroua. It is about 2 hours via moto and bus from village but it has internet and the peace corp has a house here where all the volunteers can stay for free! This week has definetly been a nice change of pace however I have to go back to school on Monday for more tech and language training. Im really excited about it all and cant wait to tell you all how things are progressing.
Oh and I almost forgot, Congrats to Obama!! How exciting! I heard him speak on the radio and called my parents bright and early to make sure nothing was lost in translation! Everytime I walk down the street now people are yelling Obama's name and giving me a thumbs up! Everyone is so happy here, it is great!
Internships Provide Valuable Work Experience!
Trisha Perrin is interning with The Sean Humphrey House (SHH). She says that she is beyond thrilled to be given this internship opportunity, and she highly recommends that all students take on an internship as an effective way to gain hands-on experience regarding various work opportunities and to help guide your future career endeavors. Here is more about what Trisha is doing:
- SHH is a non-profit housing facility for low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS whose mission is to increase the quality of life for its residents. My position is centered around community outreach, to inform the Bellingham community of the services offered at the house and to recruit volunteers for specific SHH events. I table at various events, explaining who we are and how others can become involved. I work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator for the house and help plan and organize events involving SHH such as Make A Difference Day and World Aids Day.
Sociology Honors Society: Applications Due February 20
The sociology department here at Western houses a chapter of the International Sociology Honors Society. We initiate juniors and seniors who apply and meet the qualifications every May during scholars’ week. It’s a lifetime membership for a one-time fee of $40, but no annual dues. (The soc department has set aside some limited funds to defray the cost for a few students.) The deadline for applying this year is February 20, 2009. Check out our Application and the National AKD website to find out more about it!
Faculty Updates
Mick Cunningham recently published an article in Social Forces, an international journal of social research.
- Cunningham, Mick. 2008. "Attitudes toward Gender Specialization in Marriage." Social Forces 87:299-324.
Ron Helms attended the WPACJE Annual conference in October where he presented two papers. One is co-authored with a super star student (Brian Harris) and will be under review at Journal of Criminal Justice Education, shortly. The other paper is currently under review at Criminal Justice Policy Review. Dr. Helms recently published or had accepted for publication three journal articles and a book chapter:
- Locally Elected Sheriffs and Money Compensation: A Quantitative Analysis of Organizational and Environmental Contingency Explanations, Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 33, No. 1, 5-28 (2008)
- Race, Politics, and Drug Law Enforcement: An Analysis of Civil Asset Forfeiture Patterns Across US Counties Policing and Society, Forthcoming
- Modeling The Politics of Punishment: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis of ‘law in action’ in Criminal Sentencing, Journal of Criminal Justice, Forthcoming
- Book Chapter, A Brief History of Counterterrorism in the edited book Terrorism in America, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2008.
J. Teachman has begun duties as a Deputy Editor of Journal of Marriage and Family. He is responsible for making editorial decisions on papers submitted to the journal in his areas of expertise. Recent publications include:
- J. Teachman. 2008. “The Living Arrangements of Children and their Educational Well-being.” Journal of Family Issues 29:734-761.
- J. Teachman. 2008. “Complex Life Course Patterns and the Risk of Divorce in Second Marriages.” Journal of Marriage and Family 70:294-305.
J. Teachman and L. Tedrow have published the following:
- J. Teachman and L. Tedrow. 2008. “Divorce, Race, and Military Service: More than Equal Pay and Equal Opportunity.” Journal of Marriage and Family 70:1030-1044.
Graduation Procedures
Deadlines for graduation applications:
- Spring 2009 graduation - December 5, 2008
- Summer 2009 graduation - March 13, 2009
To apply for graduation, make an appointment with Linda Clark for a Major Evaluation. Stop by Arntzen Hall 513 to sign up--an appointment schedule is posted outside the door; or email to set up a time (provide your open days and times).
Get a Degree Application from the Registrar's Office, OM 230. You'll submit your Degree Application to the Registrar's Office, along with your major/minor evaluation.
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