About
Dr. Beggan is a professor of sociology. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He attended the State University of New York at Buffalo for his undergraduate work and earned a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Over the years, he has taught courses on a wide range of topics including consumer behavior, industrial psychology, gender, human sexuality, quantitative research methods, statistics, and the self and society.
Dr. Beggan has a variety of research interests. He has published research on the psychology of ownership and the sexual self-concept, including how people overestimate their abilities to resist temptation. He has written two books on psychological and sociological processes involved in polyamory and consensual nonmonogamy. He has written a book about the way unique aspects of human-dog relationships can promote social conflict. He has edited and written books about heroism, leadership, sexual harassment, and the unexpected negative consequences of exceptional leadership. He has published articles about body image, deviance, gender in mass media, and the social construction of pornography.
He has performed open mic stand-up comedy. He enjoys various types of ballroom dances, especially foxtrot and cha cha. He especially enjoys vintage swing dancing, such as Lindy Hop, and often teaches classes on Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing.
Research Areas
Leadership and sexuality, the representation and social construction of gender and sexuality in sexually explicit material, decision-making about polyamory and other forms of consensual nonmonogamy, heroism, human-animal interactions.
Teaching Areas
SOC 202 Social Problems
SOC 203 Introduction to Social Psychology
SOC 301 Introduction to Social Statistics
SOC 323 Diversity and Inequality
SOC 325 Sociology of Human Sexuality