The Department is very pleased to welcome Dr. Reginald Byron to our department. Dr. Byron, who received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University this summer, joins us as an Assistant Professsor Sociology. He specializes in race, gender, and age stratification, institutional and community processes, and is in the midst  of a long term research project to explain employment discrimination. Dr. Byron will be teaching Social Problems, Globalization, and Social Theory, among other courses.

Dr. Reggie Byron had his co-authored article, “Revisiting the Criminal Consequences of Commercial and Residential Density:  Land Use Patterns and Violence in Neighborhood Context” accepted for publication in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.

Dr. Maria Lowe had her paper “Sowing the Seeds of Discontent:  Tougaloo College’s Social Science Forums as a Prefigurative Movement Free Space, 1952-1964” published in the July 2009 issue of The Journal of Black Studies. 39: 865-887.

Nicole Powell (‘09, Sociology) presented her paper “Little Gay Gandhi’s:  Providing a Safe Space and Empowering Sexual Minorities” at the 2009 American Sociological Association (ASA) meetings in San Francisco as part of the ASA’s Honors Program.  She also received her award as third place winner of the 2009 Alpha Kappa Delta Undergraduate Student Paper Competition.

Tristine Baccam (‘09, sociology) had her paper, “‘That Synergy of People’:  The Significance of Collective Identity and Framing in a Gay-Straight Coalition” accepted for publication in the undergraduate sociology journal, Sociological Insight.

Eryn Snyder (‘09 anthropology) was selected as the 2009 female Pirate Anchor Award winner.

Nicole Powell (‘09, sociology) was awarded the 2009 Odum Award for Best Undergraduate Paper at the Southern Sociological Society.

Dr. Maria Lowe won the 2009 SU Teaching Award.

Noah Bickford (‘09, anthropology) received the 2009 Gwen Kennedy Neville Award in anthropology.  Nicole Powell (‘09, sociology) received the 2009 Frank E. Luksa award in sociology.

At the 2009 meetings of the Southern Sociological Society, Dr. Edward L. Kain was selected as the recipient of the 2010 Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award.