Jessica Abbott, Doctoral Candidate

Email: ab1227@siu.edu, on the job market

My major research interests are criminology, with an emphasis on macro-level theory and fear of crime; gender emphasizing inequality.

Jeanie Akamanti, Doctoral Candidate

Research Interests: Constructs of Disability, Social Control of Marginal Populations

Mallary Allen, MA Student

I grew up in South Dakota and Iowa and completed my BA in Sociology at the University of Montana in Missoula (07).  I have been living in Southern Illinois for the past two years with my family (husband and 3 year old son) and working in foster care. 

Nadia Amin, Doctoral Candidate

Email: namin@siu.edu

Currently teaches Soc 223: Women & Men in Contemporary Society.

Peer Teaching Mentor for 2009/2010.

Muhammed Asadi, Ph.D. Student

Email: Masadi@siu.edu

I am a second year PhD student at SIUC. I got my Master’s degree in Sociology from the University of Toledo in Ohio and my BS in Economics from Southwest Missouri State University (later renamed Missouri State University) in Springfield Missouri. I have done some work on a contemporary analysis of C. Wright Mills' Power Elite, and for my PhD want to extend the model internationally. The effects of a rationalized/bureaucratized society on the nature of contemporary men and women also interests me as does its relationship to human freedom and individuality. Those who are interested in these issues can visit my website linked through this short flash video clip http://robots.asadi.org (The Age of the Cheerful Robots).

Lubna Asif, Ph.D. Student

Email: lubnaasi@gmail.com

My name is Ms. Lubna Ayub Asif and I am a third year Ph.D. student at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the Sociology department. I'm a Fulbright doctoral scholar from Pakistan, and hold a M.A.in Economics from University of Karachi and a M.Sc. in Development Studies from London School of Economics, U.K. My research interests are globalization and the political economy of outsourcing and off-shoring trends.

Elaina Behounek, MA Student

Elaina Behounek is a Makanda native, born and raised in Southern Illinois. She started her academic career at John A. Logan college where she received her Associate in Arts. She went on to receive her Bachelor in Arts degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She has come home to pursue her Masters degree in Sociology at SIUC. She enjoys listening to music, especially live concerts, mountain biking, hiking, and jogging with her loyal companion, Kuma her dog. She lives with her fiancé, two cats, and the before mentioned dog.

Kristi Brownfield, PhD Student

Email: kabrownf@siu.edu

Kristi's research interests include criminology, deviance (especially positive deviance), stratification, media and popular culture, and technology's effects on society. Her thesis research is on adult female video game players. She has Bachelor degrees in English and Sociology. Kristi is a Graduate Assistant Union steward.

Margaret Cooper, Ph.D. Student

Email: macooper@siu.edu

From Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green. Third year PhD student. Currently teaching Soc 215: Race and Ethnic Relations in the US.

SJ Creek, Doctoral Candidate

Email: creek.s.j@gmail.com, on the job market

I’m a doctoral candidate focusing upon religion, social movements, gender and sexuality.  I’m particularly interested in how individuals do identity work in relation to religious movements. My dissertation considers the lived experiences of individuals who have sought help from an ex-gay ministry in the United States.  My other current research projects consider evangelical Halloween alternatives, the ethics of internet research, and conceal-carry movements on campuses in the US.  I have independently created and taught the following courses: Introduction to Sociology, Women and Men in Contemporary Society and Sociology of Religion. This year, I am a graduate assistant for Dr. Miller, the director of the University Women’s Professional Advancement—an organization devoted to advocacy for women staff and faculty on campus.  With this position, I am helping a number of faculty and administrators create a proposal for an NSF ADVANCE grant –an initiative aimed at increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. I also hold a strong commitment to service and social justice, something I enjoy sharing with my campus community.  With one of my efforts this year, I am co-organizing with Student Development and a number of faculty the Social Justice Leadership Institute at SIUC, a semester long experience intended to educate fifty undergraduates about social justice and anti-oppression work.  In my spare time, I sew high-fashion garments, play the accordion, organize demonstrations, and hang out with my three dogs and two cats.

Email: kylan33@siu.edu, on the job market

I completed my MA and Women’s Studies Certificate at SIUC. I am now a doctoral candidate interested in the areas of intersectionality and social psychology; particularly, the experience and enactment of multiple social locational identities by transgender individuals, and the broader implications for social theory. My research also spans to the study of religion, sexual identity, and race. Although I am predominately a qualitative scholar, I occassionaly engage in quantitative analysis, and have taught Statistics for the Social Sciences. I also designed and taught the new introductory course for the Sexual Diversity Studies emphasis in Women's Studies, and designed and taught Race and Ethnic Relations in the US. In my spare time I work on the Sociology website, and return to Canada to visit my family.

Danielle Estes, Ph.D. Student

Email: destes@siu.edu

 I am a second year PhD student. My primary research interests are social psychology (identity, social construction, and symbolic interaction in particular), education, and oppression.  In my master’s thesis, which extends upon my undergraduate thesis, I look at the ways in which culture and identity both shape and are shaped by parents’ childcare choices.  I am also interested in exploring the factors that shape students’ educational aspirations and future goals and how these change over time. 

Cathy Field, Ph.D. Student

Email: catherine@fieldhughes.net

Email: cmgould@siu.edu

Currently teaching Soc 223.

Email: atgustavson@hotmail.com

Michelle Henton, MA Student

Email: mdhenton@siu.edu

I am a second year MA student. My interests are social movements, religion, and popular culture.

Melissa Hicks, Doctoral Candidate

Email: mjhicks@siu.edu, cv

Hello!  I am a 5th year PhD student in the Department of Sociology.  I received my master’s degree from the Department of Kinesiology with a focus in sport studies also here at SIUC.  Before that, I was at Gannon University in Erie, PA earning my B.S. in Sport and Exercise Science.  In addition to completing my PhD in Sociology, I am also nearing completion of a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies.  My research interests include care giving for former boxers with a mental illness, gender, sociology of emotions, and the subculture of boxing in general. 

Wanda Hunter, Ph.D. Student

Email: wanda5@siu.edu, cv

Wanda Hunter is a PhD student in the Sociology department seeking a concentration in Administration of Justice.  She received her BBA in Business with a minor in Marketing from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and received a Masters in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Her areas of interest include Race and Crime, specializing in Delinquency, African American male experiences and corrections.  She currently has two encyclopedia articles published in Mary Bosworth’s Encyclopedia of Prison and Correctional Facilities.

Duretta Johnson, MA Student

Email: djohns73@siu.edu

Second year MA student.

Melencia Johnson, Doctoral Candidate

Email: johnsonm@siu.edu, on the job market

Melencia completed her MA at SIUC and is now a 3rd year PhD student in Sociology with an emphasis in Administration of Justice and Women’s Studies. Her research interests area in the area of gender and crime, more specifically women’s perpetration of crime.

Current Research: Using the NIBRS data to compare women’s and men’s perpetration of non-violent crime.

Current Position: Graduate Teaching Instructor - SOC 303: Sociology of Deviance.

Email: ljones22 @sic.edu

Matthew Lees, MA Student

Email: matt.lees@sic.edu

MA student

Email: misskristie24@hotmail.com

Kristie Lipford is a 4th year Graduate Student in the Department of Sociology at Southern Illinois University. Her research focuses on the attitudinal implications of the contemporary Black Nationalist ideology and its effect on African American political behavior. In addition to political sociology, her other research interests include social epidemiology, research methods, teaching sociology, and culture studies.

Email: mmzero80@siu.edu

TA for Soc 108 Fall 2009.

Kate Niman, PhD Student

Email: kateniman@siu.edu

Kate's main areas of interest are feminism, gender, sexuality, technology, and qualitative research methods.  She also enjoys astrology, hanging out with her cat, folk music, and playing guitar.  For Fall 2009, she is a TA in Introduction to Sociology.

Email: lukes76@siu.edu

Email: kristieyp@yahoo.com

Teaching Soc 304: Global Perspectives on the Family

Email: jdschrim@siu.edu

Email: marciej@siu.edu

Marcie earned her M.A. degree in Sociology from The New School for Social Research. She is in her fourth year as a Doctoral student at SIUC. Marcie’s Dissertation is entitled: Resilient Women: How Women Reconceptualize Meaning through Overcoming Challenges.  Her research interests include social psychology, gender, and sociological theory. She is particularly interested in how female trauma victims redefine self and identity when overcoming challenging life circumstances. In the last three years at SIUC, she has taught sociological theory (Soc 301), introduction to sociology (Soc 108), and sociology of gender (Soc 223) independently. Her teaching interests include introductory sociology, sociological theory, gender, and qualitative research methods.

Jessica Sippy , PhD Student

Jessica Sippy is a doctoral student interested in the areas of gender, identity, the environment, spirituality, and race/class/gender. A current research project she is working on is a qualitative content analysis of three popular childhood conduct books titled The Dangerous Book for Boys, The Daring Book for Girls, and The Double-Daring Book for Girls. She received her B.A. in sociology from Saint Louis University and a M.A. from San Diego State University. She has also obtained an M.A. in American Culture Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.

Email: tadashi@siu.edu

Nishanth Visagaratnam, Ph.D. Student

Email: nvisagar@siu.edu

Kevin Winstead, Undeclared

Mohammed Zanoun, Ph.D. Student

Email: hamhis4@siu.edu

From University of Arkansas. Third year PhD student. Currently teaching Soc 108: Introduction to Sociology