 |
THE BULLETIN |
| A Publication of the North Carolina Sociological
Association Volume 29, Number 2 Spring 2003 |
Students from Catawba attended the NCSA Convention with their advisor, Dr. Maria Vandergriff-Avery.
The hall was nearly filled for Beth Davison's keynote address, "In Search of the Null."
Angela Lewellyn Jones presents the Himes Award to Duke graduate student, Amelie Quesnel-Valle, for her paper entitled "Social Inequalities in Health Insurance Coverage and Health: Social Reproduction of Inequality, or Mitigating Effects of Achieved Status?" THE BULLETIN is a publication of the North Carolina Sociological Association. The NCSA is open to any person engaged in teaching or research in sociology, or in a field of applied sociology, as well as to any student whose major interest is sociology. Members receive SOCIATION TODAY and are invited to attend the annual meeting of the association in late winter or early spring. Dues for one calendar year are $11 (professional) and $3 (student). For more information about the NCSA, please visit its main page. Click here to return to THE BULLETIN home page. Mentoring Future FacultyThe Preparing Future Faculty (PPF) program focuses on preparing doctoral students for the full range of roles and responsibilities they will face as future faculty members. In addition to their coursework, graduate students are given several opportunities to ‘shadow’ a faculty member at one of the many partnering colleges and universities. Barbara Risman, Graduate Director at NCSU, discussed how the PPF program advantages both graduate students and schools who hire PPF participants. Angela Lewellyn Jones (Elon University) and Jammie Price (UNC-W) discussed their experiences hosting graduate students from the PFF program while a current NCSU graduate student shared her experiences of shadowing a faculty member at Meredith College. Student observations go beyond the classroom, they also join the professors at departmental meetings, assisted during scheduled office hours, and have opportunities to speak with the professors one-on-one about their experiences. All the presenters stressed that completion of the PFF program gives graduates an edge in the academic job market, as well as the experience required to succeed in academia. UNCG Sociology Club Plans Career Symposium The UNCG Sociology Department and
Sociology Club are cosponsoring a "Career Symposium for Sociology
Undergraduates," which will be held on April 16th
between 10 am and 2 pm in the Chestnut and Holly Rooms of the Atrium/Dining Hall on the
UNCG campus. A specific schedule of speakers will be provided as soon as it is finalized. NCSA Journal Will Go On-Line SOCIATION TODAY will become the
first web-based journal sponsored by a professional society as a result of a vote by the
NCSA membership at its annual meeting. |
Sociologists Gather in Boone to Discuss Issues of Stratification Sociologists and their students from across North Carolina braved the
possibility of winter weather to attend the 2003 Annual Meeting of the NCSA in Boone. The
inches of mud they found on the the road to the Thursday reception and the intermittent
drizzle during the day Friday did nothing to deter either their enthusiasm or their
numbers. More than 120 attended the Friday sessions; more than forty showed up for the
Thursday evening reception at the home of ASU Sociology Department Chair Lorin Baumhover. Students Review the 2003 Meeting "In Search of the Null" by Vivian Selles, Alex Johnston, Meg Garner and
Carrie Soubra The meeting began with the keynote address,
"In Search of the Null," given by Beth Davison, the incoming president. In her
speech she laid the groundwork for the ensuing sessions on stratification. Her speech
focused on the myriad of stratification issues within institutions of higher education.
She discussed how only a quarter of the nation’s population ever achieves a college
education and elaborated on the types of students and instructors who are missing from the
post-secondary classrooms. In addition to documenting the many faces of stratification,
she also spoke on sociological advances in understanding the underlying causal mechanisms
that produce and reproduce stratification as well as highlighted the discipline’s
successful efforts to reverse a culture of stratification. The session on "Crossing Borders"
discussed programs where students work and study firsthand marginalized communities of
people. Presenters Teresa Scheid (UNC-Charlotte), Jammie Price (UNC-Wilmington), and
Giselle Santiago (UNC-Charlotte) presented several research projects by faculty and
students that specifically focused on stratification. This presentation by Jan Rienerth, Sharon Jenson, Stephanie Dalton, Jennifer Hayes and Ed Rosenberg, all from Appalachian State University, discussed ways undergraduate sociology students can prepare for careers in sociology. Several topics within this presentation were covered: resume preparation, finding an internship, marketing yourself to future employers, and possible career paths with a sociology degree. Sharon Jenson of ASU’s Career Development Center provided undergraduate students with a packet of information, including the names and telephone numbers of career counselors from every North Carolina college and university, as well as sample resumes. Dr. Jan Rienerth, who teaches Applied Sociological Seminar at ASU, discussed the value of an internship, different sectors of work a person with sociology major might consider, and information interviews. She also passed out a packet of information entitled, "Applying Sociology." Jennifer Hayes and Stephanie Dalton, both seniors at ASU, reflected on their experiences as interns in the areas of human resources and non-profit. Dr. Ed Rosenberg also reflected on his applied work experiences and highlighted seven traits of new hires that employers most desire: experience (this could include internship or volunteering experiences), communication skills, numerical skills (quantitative analysis), computer literacy, problem solving/critical thinking skills, a broad base of knowledge, and leadership experiences. The presentation was very informative and helpful for sociology undergraduate or graduate students planning to go on the job market. "Being involved is one of the best ways to grasp sociological concepts first hand." by Stacy Thompson The 2002 NCSA Conference was an excellent way to become more excited about Sociology. The session on Student Activism and Service Learning really made me think. The session explained the need for students to get out into the field to learn the fundamentals of Sociology. Dr. Angela Hattery, of Wake Forest University, intrigued my classmates and me especially when she told us about various service learning opportunities she requires her students to take part in. During the session, she talked about a trip that she was taking her students on through the Deep South exploring issues like racism and poverty. Hattery’s students will study the way that the underprivileged are treated while staying in the towns where segregation is still apparent. Other panel members also gave us some ideas about how service learning could be used. Examples include Habitat for Humanity, working in homeless shelters, in nursing homes or with the Red Cross. The session was good because it made me realize that it is easier than I thought to be involved in the community, and that being involved is one of the best ways to grasp sociological concepts first hand. The panel made it clear that there are many places throughout the community that need volunteers. I was interested in learning what others are doing to make their experiences as sociologist the best they can. Student Activism and Service Learning will get students excited about what they are studying, because it is getting the students involved. I know that everyone that attended the session from Lees McRae College felt the same way; we were ready to go get involved and learn after that session. I hope that with planning we will be able to become more involved in some of the learning trips and programs in cooperation with other North Carolina Colleges and Universities. NOTE: Lees-McRae is a four-year, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U. S. A, located in the town of Banner Elk, NC. The college is dedicated to service learning and offers majors in twenty-four fields. The Himes Awards And the Winners Are... Thomas Giedgowd, Duke University, won the
award for best paper by a first or second year student for his paper entitled "The
Home Court Advantage in Contemporary College Basketball (1998-2001)."
New Officers and Council Members Catherine Zimmer will serve as NCSA president-elect and program chair for the 2004 meeting. Beth Davison takes on the role of NCSA president after serving as program chair for 2003. Cheryl Brown, Ida Harper Simpson, and Leslie Hossfield (not pictured) will serve a members of the NCSA Executive Council. Let Us Know! Members of the NCSA are encouraged to contact any member of the NCSA Executive Council to suggest state sociological issues they would like the organization to address. Contact Beth Davison, NCSA president. |
Students from Lees-McRae College came to the convention with their advisor, Dr. Graham Spann.
Tom Plaut (center front) and his student colleagues, Alex Ashton and Deborah Whisler, from Mars Hill College presented a workshop on the Richard L. Hoffman Center for Assessment and Research Alliances.
Ken Spenner, chair of the Duke University Sociology Department, accepts the Contributions Award for Ken Land (in absentia) from Rebecca Bach. Contact Information: The editor of THE BULLETIN is Lee Dodson, Professor of Humanities
and Social Sciences at Rockingham Community College, P.O. Box 38, Wentworth, NC 27375-0038 The secretary/treasurer of the NCSA is Sue Pauley, Professor of Sociology at Wingate University, Campus Box 5007, Wingate, NC 28174. Questions about membership should be directed to Dr. Pauley. Student Activism and Service Learning"...social involvement converts us from detached spectators into active participants." Paul Rogat Loeb, Soul of a Citizen, 1999. Caroline Whitehead from Craven Community
College in New Bern, Angela Hattery from Wake Forest University, and Judith Blau from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill led the discussion on Student Activism and
Service Learning. Since very few professors implement Service Learning into the
curriculum, the focus of the discussion was to explain how to initiate the program, how to
choose an organization that will benefit from students volunteering, and how to integrate
the student’s volunteering experience into the classroom and learning process. Angela
Hattery detailed several projects her students have been involved with, including being
"homeless" from sunset to sunrise in a cardboard box. She also described her
current project of touring the deep south by bus and visiting historical sites relevant to
the Civil Rights Movement, with the objective of exposing her students to extreme poverty
and racism that is still evident in the southern portion of the country. They also
discussed problems that arose through their Service Learning experiences such as how to
start Service Learning programs, type of agencies that are receptive to untrained student
volunteers, and how students can be active without causing controversy on campus. CARA at Mars Hill The Center for Assessment and
Research Alliances at Mars Hill College (CARA) was established in 1995 as an outgrowth of
20 years of community research. Research conducted by Ken Wilson and Christa
Reiser has revealed evidence of a "Digital Divide" in North Carolina. |
