Sociologists describe the meaning and value of their work. In the testimonials that follow, these scholars provide examples of the real-world impact of sociology and how their teaching, research, and public engagement work has made a positive difference in the world around them.
We are grateful to all the scholars who contributed their stories to the ASA’s Value of Sociology Initiative.
“I provided mental health services in the form of forensic psychotherapy to inmates in both a state prison and two county jails for 26 years, providing alcohol, ADHD, and schizophrenia interventions and using my social-psychological education to better serve these populations. I have also had significant impact as a social-psychologist/psychotherapist in the U.S. government by providing conflict resolution/trauma research that has benefited diverse government populations. …”
—Frank Salvatore Abate, Psychotherapist, Part-Time, Self-Employed
Read Frank’s full testimonial.
“Research I began in 1997 on the number of Native American women housed in prison has led to changes in how racial and ethnic identity data on prisoners are collected by federal agencies. I conducted the first study of how racial and ethnic identity data that are collected by official government agents—and their then-fatally flawed data collection instruments—contributed to an undercounting of individuals…”
—Julie C. Abril, Independent Social Scientist, Julie C. Abril, Research Services
Read Julie’s full testimonial.
“Sociology as a discipline reaches more than just academia. My students have commented on how it is a window to the world they are about to enter. The discipline covers aspects of how students became who they are and how the world around them will impact their future. I often use the phrase, “Your views are your views, but the goal of the course is for…”
—Patrick Asmussen, Sociology Teacher, Ankeny Community Schools
Read Patrick’s full testimonial.
“My February 2023 op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, “Illinois Needs a Different Kind of Assistance for Homeowners: Home Repairs,” was the stimulus for a new campaign in which a coalition of Chicago-based nonprofit organizations drafted the Senior Home Preservation Program Act bill for Illinois (HB 5506). The bill lays out provisions for longtime “legacy” low-income older homeowners (most of whom are owners of color) to receive…”
—Robin Bartram, Assistant Professor, University of Chicago
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“Sociologist Heather Evans and I conducted research on racial inequities in the administration of capital punishment in Washington State. We submitted this research on behalf of defense attorneys representing a death row inmate. In 2018, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the death penalty as administered in the state was racially disproportionate and arbitrary, and therefore unconstitutional. In the ruling, Chief Justice Mary…”
—Katherine Beckett, Professor, University of Washington
Read Katherine’s full testimonial.
Katherine Beckett and Heather Evans’s work was also highlighted by colleague Judith Howard in her testimonial. You can read it here.
“My research and testimony were critical to the Georgia Supreme Court’s decision in Smith v. State of Georgia (571 S.E.2d 740 2002) that recognized Latinx people as a cognizable group for the purpose of jury selection.”
—Stephanie Bohon, Professor and Head of Sociology, University of Tennessee
“The 1970s saw an explosive growth of self-help/mutual aid groups in which persons with a range of disabilities, and those with chronic diseases or other medical conditions, formed groups. People who identified as having similar problems banded together, sharing their lived experiences of frustration and marginalization as well as their constructive coping efforts. They often advocated for political and professional changes. Many based their structure…”
—Thomasina Borkman, Professor of Sociology Emerita, George Mason University
Read Thomasina’s full testimonial.
“In 2019, I published a coauthored book (with Sarah Bowen and Sinikka Elliott) that examined the joys, but also the challenges, of feeding young children. This highly accessible book deepened public and scholarly knowledge about the multiple barriers that families across the class spectrum experience as they try to feed their kids enough healthy food. Our research also shed light on how white, Black, and Latina mothers…”
—Joslyn Brenton, Associate Professor, Ithaca College
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Photo credit: Crystal Smith
“I have worked for 43 years for a Catholic social service agency as the director of evaluation. I have been responsible for evaluating children, family, and services for individuals with developmental disabilities. I have also been a commissioner and peer reviewer for Social Current/Council on Accreditation. I have reviewed 160 for-profit, nonprofit, and military after-school/family readiness programs and government organizations in 37 states and four…”
—Stanley Capela, VP for Quality Management and Corporate Compliance Officer, HeartShare Human Services, Retired
Read Stanley’s full testimonial.
“As a research fellow in Houston, TX, at the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, I had the opportunity to quantitatively study the neighborhood change components across Harris County (the county which includes nearly the entirety of the city of Houston). From there, I created an informative typology of gentrifying neighborhoods and then analyzed the likelihood of neighborhoods gentrifying in the future. …”
—Wendie Choudary, Lecturer of Sociology, Binghamton University
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“I served as the chief of policy and planning under Boston Mayor Kim Janey in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I helped lead Mayor Janey’s equitable recovery for the city as we delivered vaccines, reopened schools, reopened businesses, and brought more than 10,000 city employees back to in-person work across the city.”
—Mary Churchill, Associate Dean and Professor of the Practice, Boston University
“While some research has inherent, clear-cut importance, other scholarship requires explanation. Within the field of sociology, we often have to argue why our research is important, more often than one might in the “hard” sciences. I have found this to be true with regard to my research. While most people agree that rape is a terrible thing, bringing awareness to rape remains a difficult job. …”
—Gemini Creason-Parker, PhD Student, Texas A&M University
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“My 2023 TEDx Talk, “Three Myths of Behavior Change: What You Think You Know That You Don’t,” has been viewed more than 1.3 million times and is being used in universities around the world, in several fields including sociology, business, and environmental science. In the 11 years since the talk was posted, I have been contacted by people from around the world who have applied the knowledge shared in…”
—Jeni Cross, Director of the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology, Colorado State University
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“For more than 25 years, I’ve been working collaboratively with hundreds of nonprofit organizations and foundations, using research as a tool to help them build their capacity and strengthen their programs and policies. These include early childhood policies/programs as well as professional development programs for urban teachers, energy efficiency initiatives, leadership development programs, and more. Some of my larger studies have included a national study…”
—Mindy Fried, Principal, Arbor Consulting Partners
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“I have a large and developing body of methodological work that advances our understanding of how people perceive race/ethnicity and other characteristics about individuals from their names. This work, coupled with my expertise in the correspondence audit method used to study racial/ethnic discrimination, has led to numerous consulting engagements for government agencies and on legal cases related to racial/ethnic discrimination. I help these agencies design…”
—S Michael Gaddis, Senior Research Scientist, NWEA
Read S. Michael’s full testimonial.
“My ethnographic fieldwork within a medium-security U.S. prison revealed an unexpected finding. Imprisoned men were relying on ramen noodles as the primary informal currency in the prison black market as opposed to cigarettes or other tobacco products, which had dominated as the primary informal currency since the inception of the prison as an institution. My work writing and speaking about this transition from cigarettes to ramen…”
—Michael Gibson-Light, Assistant Professor, Sociology and Criminology, University of Denver
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“As a recently graduated sociology major with a minor in gerontology, I am beyond grateful to be applying the sociological lens within my career. As a family self-sufficiency coordinator for a nonprofit housing authority, I operate a program that assists residents with accessing resources, such as obtaining financial coaching, maintaining job retention, achieving homeownership, addressing food insecurity, or just assistance with life in general…”
—Anna Howard, Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator, Affordable Housing Advocates
Read Anna’s full testimonial.
“Katherine Beckett, professor of sociology and chair and professor of law, societies, and justice, and Heather Evans, lecturer in the Department of Sociology and the Department of Law, Societies, and Justice, both at the University of Washington, are doing work that exemplifies how social and behavioral sciences can produce deeply important change in the world. Their research led the Washington State Supreme Court to strike down…”
—Judith A. Howard, Professor Emerita, University of Washington
Read Judith’s full testimonial.
“In recent years, I have been reporting out research findings through the Conversation, which sends articles out to many other outlets. This one was published recently: (coauthored with James L. Perry) “Politicians may rail against the ‘deep state,’ but research shows federal workers are effective and committed, not subversive,” the Conversation: March 26, 2024. It already has more than 27,000 hits and has been republished by…”
—Jaime Kucinskas, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology, Hamilton College
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“As a sociologist and the administrative director at Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago, I have had the honor of contributing to the drafting of Illinois House Bill 4475. This bill aims to strengthen the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) by amending the insurance code. The bill was drafted in collaboration with the Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives coalition. My role in helping to draft the bill…”
—Lisa Lipscomb, Administrative Director, Delve Psychotherapy of Chicago
Read Lisa’s full testimonial.
“Sociology has fundamentally revolutionized the way I view the world. I grew up in a rural, close-knit community where I had little exposure to cultures and people that did not look or sound like me. As a first-generation student, I was hungry to learn on campus. Sociology found me, and I have never looked back. I took my training about inequalities into my decade-long career…”
—Shayna Morrison, PhD Student, Kent State University
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“As the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation grant to find innovative solutions to the opioid crisis from 2020-23, I had the pleasure of building and implementing a field experiment in collaboration with community-based clinics, a community-based behavioral health organization, and courts on the front line of the overdose crisis. The rich engagement from the community—and specifically, from persons reentering society from incarceration and…”
—Meghan O’Neil, Postdoctoral Scholar, The Ohio State University
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“As part of my research on paternity leave within the United States, I have led numerous studies that demonstrate the inequalities in access to paid paternity leave that exist, but also the myriad benefits for families with fathers who take paternity leave. Specifically, when fathers take leave (and especially longer leaves), they are more engaged in their children’s lives, mothers are more satisfied in their…”
—Richard Petts, Professor of Sociology, Ball State University
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“As a sociologist for more than 50 years, I have found the tools I learned in sociology helpful in many ways: 1) in business, dealing with a wide array of colleagues and dealmakers from a variety of socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds; 2) as a teacher; 3) in my study of crime and deviance; 4) and in my studies of genocide, human rights, and freedom. In sociology…”
—Jack Nusan Porter, Research Associate, The Davis Center for Russian Studies, Harvard University
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“Sociology is the only window we have for studying people as they live, work, thrive, and struggle together. It’s such an amazing field that allows us to see things from a non-individualistic perspective, find trends and insights that are hidden within our societies, and better our experiences as humans. I work on a research project that helps first-generation college students, as well as 40+-year-old women in…”
—Claire Reardon, Doctoral Candidate, University of Kentucky
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“As a member of the “new sociology of science” that emerged in the early 1970s, I was involved in the founding of the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). As one of the first ethnographers of science (with Latour and Woolgar, Karin Knorr-Cetina, and others), I contributed to a new narrative of science as practice that empirically corrected the traditional view of science as…”
—Sal Restivo, Professor of Sociology, Science Studies, and Information (retired), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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“By teaching sociology in a Criminal Justice Studies department, I have been able to provide students with a critical analysis of how class and racial inequalities are reproduced by the criminal justice system, all without improving public safety. Furthermore, I’ve been able to share strategies that improve public safety, while improving public health and well-being. As working professionals and engaged citizens, students have used these…”
—César Rodríguez, Associate Professor, San Francisco State University
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“My field is military sociology. For half a century, I have coupled my academic career (at the University of Michigan and University of Maryland) with research impacting military personnel and manpower policy. During the nation’s transition to an all-volunteer Army in 1973, I directed the sociology program at the Army Research Institute (ARI). In the 1980s and 1990s, while at the University of Maryland…”
—David Segal, Professor of Sociology and Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Emeritus, University of Maryland
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“On October 31, 2023, I testified in Norma Anderson et al. v. Jena Griswold and Donald J. Trump about the relationship between far-right extremists and Donald Trump and the role the former president played in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The testimony played an important role in two Colorado court decisions that concluded the former president did, in fact, incite an insurrection and…”
—Peter Simi, Professor of Sociology, Chapman University
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“Drawing on my sociological training in theory, research methods, and statistical analysis, I designed assessment tools that led to a significant and positive shift in state policy regarding juvenile delinquency. One key contribution was developing risk assessment tools used for pretrial detention screening. These tools provided a data-driven approach to juvenile justice, leading local jurisdictions in several states to shift away from detention for low-risk youth. …”
—Claus Tjaden, Co-founder/Consultant, Martinez Tjaden LLC
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“In late 2023, I published an article in Social Media + Society titled “Potholes and Power: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis of ‘Look At This F*ckin’ Street’ on Instagram.” This colorfully named Instagram account documents, in its own words, the “cracked and sinking streets of the Crescent City.” In doing this, it has become extraordinarily popular, especially for such a niche topical focus, and…”
—Alex Turvy, PhD Student, Tulane University
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“Communication is critical for optometrists to elicit the subjective experience of patients during an eye examination. In hearings conducted to assess optometrists’ fitness-to-practice, “poor communication” is often highlighted as a factor leading to complaints. Optometrists, therefore, are aware of the importance of communication to the efficacy of their relationships with patients, and professional organizations, such as the College of Optometrists in the UK, constantly work to enhance practitioners’ communication skills…”
—Dirk vom Lehn, Professor of Organization and Practice, King’s College London
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“At the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab at Stanford University, we routinely conduct sociological research aimed at increasing inclusion and equity, and we create positive impact through webinars, in-person events, broader interest pieces, and toolkits. I was part of a team that conducted a research project observing technology companies’ recruiting sessions. We found numerous ways in which companies alienated women in their recruiting sessions…”
—Alison Wynn, Senior Research Scholar, VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab at Stanford University
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“Equipped with core sociological methods and theoretical frameworks, over the past 25 years I have conducted investigations (often in collaboration with interdisciplinary teams) that bring applied research findings to bear on decisions by community and organizational leaders in hundreds of situations. These projects are for local entities, state-level agencies, and organizations in Kansas and surrounding states. We hear clients’ information needs, tailor-design the data collection approaches…”
—Brett Zollinger, Sociology Professor and Chair and Docking Institute of Public Affairs Director, Fort Hays State University
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