Multi-faceted Demographer Heads SADRI
“I am a social demographer,” says Associate Professor Jennifer Lundquist (sociology), who has taken over the helm of the Social and Demographic Research Institute (SADRI). “My research is unified by a predominant interest in inequality, with several, often overlapping, themes: families; race; ethnic and gender disparities; and intimate interracial relationships. Read more...

Haitian Paradox
Mark A. Lange, associate dean for undergraduate education and executive director of the SBS Advising Center, spent a November week in Haiti with 400 Habitat for Humanity volunteers, including President Jimmy Carter and country singer Garth Brooks. The goal: to build 100 homes for Haitians, most of whom live in tents--or more decrepit conditions—since the earthquake nearly two years ago. Back at home, Lange has given considerable thought his experience that included constant, dramatic contrasts and gratifying personal enrichment. Read more...

Ndikumana Named First Glyn Professor
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences is pleased to announce the inauguration of the Andrew Glyn Professorship in the Department of Economics and the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), as well as the appointment of Léonce Ndikumana to it. On November 7, at 4:00 p.m. in Gordon Hall, a lecture and reception will honor both. Read more...

Archaeologist Focuses on African Diaspora through Race, Gender and Class
“Archaeology is often thought of as ‘exotic’—far away from the everyday, in Egypt or Israel, Greece or Europe,” says assistant professor Whitney Battle-Baptiste (anthropology). “I see African Diaspora archaeology as a vehicle for social justice, a way to make the discipline relevant to those we have traditionally talked about instead of talked to. It’s about interpretation, about how different communities and stakeholders see a given site.”  Read more...

Straight Talk About Teen Sex
“For American parents, teenage sex is something to be feared and forbidden, and sex is often a source of family conflict,” says Assistant Professor Amy Schalet (sociology), an expert, author, and media commentator on adolescent sexuality. “In the Netherlands, where teenage pregnancies are far less frequent than in the United States, parents aim above all for family cohesiveness, often permitting couples in their late teens to sleep together and providing them with contraceptives.” Read more...