Department Research

The Department of Sociology is an active research unit with projects involving faculty, staff, and students. To learn more about our research activities, read some of our faculty's latest research and a few of our current department projects, which includes those projects seeking participants for a particular study and those providing opportunities for undergraduate and/or graduate student involvement (e.g., assisting with the development of a literature review, collecting and/or analyzing data, etc.). For more about individual faculty's research, visit their individual webpage on our faculty page, and see below for more information about the benefits of working with faculty on a research project.

Gaining more experience in “research” can be invaluable, as it provides an opportunity to watch the actual process of preparing/submitting a manuscript unfold, learn (and/or use) a statistical technique or methodological approach, and, perhaps, enjoy co-authorship (although the latter cannot be assumed and should be discussed with the faculty at the onset).

While we do not have a formal process by which students connect with a specific faculty member and participate in their research (or work in their labs as students might in the hard sciences), all of our faculty have, in addition to teaching and service, a component of their job that is focused on research, and, for some, the nature of their research project provides opportunities for students to be involved. Depending on the student’s level of experience, they may be asked to help with the development of the literature review, a survey or interview questions, collecting and/or analyzing data, etc.

Sociology Research Projects Seeking Participants

The following projects are seeking participants (not research assistance from students): None ongoing this summer.

Sociology Research Projects with Opportunities for Student Involvement

All sociology faculty have ongoing research projects, and, for some, the nature of their research provides opportunities for student involvement providing research assistance. Depending on their level of education and experience, students may be asked to help with the development of a literature review or survey or interview questions, collect and/or analyze data, etc. To learn about our faculty's areas of research, visit our faculty webpage, and see below for current projects which are potentially open to student involvement.

For undergraduate and graduate students (posted 2/13/24): Dr. James Beggan's recent research applies game theoretic ideas involving cooperation, competition, and limitations in rational choice to the analysis of social problems and phenomenon like sexual harassment and polyamory and other forms of consensual nonmonogamy. He uses concepts from behavioral economics to understand how people’s choices deviate from what would be predicted by prescriptive models that optimize personal benefit. His work applies an evolutionary lens to understanding these problems--what has been termed "evolutionary sociology"--in stark contrast to most of the dominant paradigms in sociology, which display what could be termed "biophobia," i.e., a reluctance to consider the role of biological factors in affecting social behavior. He is also interested in heroic behavior and the manner in which heroic behavior can result in unexpected negative consequences. Both undergraduate and graduate students interested in working on one his projects should contact Dr. Beggan.

For undergraduate and graduate students (posted 2/14/24): Dr. Melanie Gast is the Co-PI for a qualitative project (with a UofL College of Education & Human Development (CEHD) faculty member) examining the role of peer mentoring in supporting English Language Learner (ELL) and immigrant students and students of color in a local high school. They are continuing their data collection in 2022-23, when they will be observing peer academic mentoring sessions and interviewing bilingual peer mentors (in addition to teachers and “ELL” students). Throughout 2022-23 and 2023-24, they are seeking students to help with and to gain experience in research assistance with qualitative interviews, transcription, coding, and analysis. Any undergraduate or graduate student (particularly any bilingual students) interested in working on this project contact Dr. Gast.

For undergraduate and graduate students (posted 2/20/24): Dr. Gul Marshall's main line of research deals with social movements and sociology of gender. It highlights the significance of transnational feminist activism in influencing gender policies both at national and supranational levels. She has written a book titled Shaping Gender Policy in Turkey (SUNY Press) and published articles in this line of research. Currently, she is working on a project about the history of feminist movement in Turkey. Dr. Marshall has also conducted research on the role of trust in the forms of generalized trust and institutional trust in affecting the human intentions and actions. She has published collaborative articles on the effect of trust on volunteering, charitable giving, environmental protection, and peace building among groups. For more information, contact Dr. Gul Marshall.