Readings for SOC 402

Sociology, the science of social interaction and the resulting social order is exciting and important to me. The field of sociology is like a good Sherlock Holmes mystery.  You look for the clues (i.e., data) and solve the who done it (i.e., try to understand the social world we inhabit).  Beyond being a science, sociology is a mechanism to improve the world.  A better understanding of the social world allows you to function better, and enhances the world around you.  Hopefully, you will find sociology class as exciting as I do.

My undergraduate work was done at Valparaiso University, a predominately liberal arts school only slightly larger than UNCA.  So as a fresh Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1980, I was excited to have a chance to teach at a small liberal arts college.  While I enjoy all my classes, I feel I work better with students on a one to one basis.  Hence, one of my favorite activities is working with students on research projects. 

My specialization in sociology is Gerontology, particularly in the area of retirement, and Medical Sociology.  I have also taught courses in Demography and Family.  Regularly, I teach Introduction to Sociology and Survey and Social Research Methods course.  I tend to be a survey researcher and quantitative by nature.   Yet, I use and appreciate the depth of validity qualitative research measures offer. Over the past several years I have been reading in the area of the African American experience in the United States, especially in the area of structural inequality

To know me is to know my family.  Marilyn, my wife, and my sons, William and Kenneth and I, enjoy the outdoors, camping, hiking and canoeing. For several years the family has gone out west to roam through the National Parks.  Summer of 2004 we rafted the length of the Grand Canyon and hike down to the Havasupai Falls.  William, Kenneth, and I were active in scouts for several years.  Together the boys and I have hiked on the Appalachian Trail and canoed the Boundary Waters in Canada.  I can be obnoxiously proud of William and Kenneth, who became Eagle Scouts at an early age and ran at state championships in the 2 mile and cross country.  William has graduated from Davidson College and is in medical school, and Kenneth has graduated from Furman University.  He is now employed at IBM.  Equally, I am very proud of my partner of 30 years. While working full time, Marilyn has earned four graduate degrees, including her Ph.D. in nursing and became a Nurse Practitioner and is the author of numerous scientific papers and has edited several books..

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