SOCIOLOGY - Dwight and Sylvia Lang married just two years after they began dating and then pursued higher education together as first-generation, low-income students. In 1983, they graduated from the University of Oregon, each earning a PhD in sociology. “We’re Ducks,” Sylvia says. “So this is another way of saying ‘thank you, Oregon.’ What happened in Eugene between 1977 and 1985 was very significant for us. It shaped who we are in many ways.” 

SOCIOLOGY - It’s one thing to rebuild homes after a wildfire. Rebuilding communities is a different matter, discovered sociology graduate student Haisu Huang. Graduate student Haisu Huang spent three years interviewing survivors, establishing relationships with them and conducting check-ins to create holistic snapshots of their experiences of evacuations, recovery and rebuilding home. Those she interviewed ranged from people who lived in houses to those who lived in mobile RV homes.

SOCIOLOGY - The College of Arts and Sciences is investing in its Latinx studies courses by hiring nine new tenure-track faculty members. Meet Isabel García Valdivia, who is researching how immigrants’ experiences change across their life course how does legal status impact families.

SOCIOLOGY - The College of Arts and Sciences is investing in its Latinx studies courses by hiring nine new tenure-track faculty members. Byron Villacis Cruz joins CAS after working as an assistant professor at Bowdoin College, a private liberal arts college in Maine. Before becoming a professor, Villacis worked alongside prominent social scientists and politicians in Ecuador but returned to academia after several years of working there.

SOCIOLOGY - When Burks arrived at the UO in 1992, he had no idea what to study, but an introductory sociology class grabbed his attention. “It appealed to my curiosity about what makes people tick,” he says. Burks would go on to have a career filled with danger and intrigue as a special agent for the US government, protecting international dignitaries and overseeing security at embassies around the world.

GLOBAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - Japan's energy shift after the Fukushima disaster saw a surge in fossil fuel use. How does this impact their long-term sustainability goals? Recent research by Yvonne Braun of global studies and Michael Dreiling of sociology is featured.

SOCIOLOGY - Department of Sociology Professor Claire Herbert and Sociology graduate employee Amanda Ricketts’ collaboration was accepted at Social Problems peer-reviewed journal. This research was funded by a Marquina Award from the Department of Sociology and a research grant from the Center for the Study of Women in Society.

SOCIOLOGY - Jamie Yang (Wenyi), a sociology PhD student, has been recommended for the CSWS Jane Grant Award for "A Queer Quantitative Inquiry: Sexual Injustices and Social Contexts." The prestigious Jane Grant Dissertation Fellowship, honoring Jane Grant—early feminist and wife of CSWS’s benefactor William Harris—is given annually to an outstanding scholar writing a dissertation on women and gender.

SOCIOLOGY - Read about what some of the faculty, graduate students and undergraduates in the Department of Sociology have been working on.

SOCIOLOGY - Professor Ben Johnson, Jr., was an influential figure at the University's Department of Sociology, as well as the field of sociology. His colleagues remember him and the influence he had in their lives and professional careers. Johnson died Jan. 8 in his home. His memorial is 1:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 27, at Cascade Manor Auditorium.

SOCIOLOGY - Don Van Houten is remembered by his colleagues for his time as a sociologist at the UO, and his impactful work. Van Houten previously served as department head and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. His memorial service is 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.

SOCIOLOGY - Doctoral student Amanda Ricketts' research on settler colonialism narratives used by media outlets regarding the Bears Ears National Monument was published in the October issue of the journal Environmental Sociology.

ENGLISH, NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY, SPANISH, THEATRE ARTS - The Distinguished Teaching Awards recognize exceptional teaching that is inclusive, engaged and research-informed. This year’s winners are Jocelyn Hollander, Faith Barter, Alex Zunterstein, Kirby Brown, Robin Hopkins, Tannaz Farsi, Patricia Rodley and Michael Moffitt.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, SOCIOLOGY - Physicist Richard Taylor and environmental sociologist Richard York of the University of Oregon examine the beauty and benefits of fractal patterns in the natural world—and the need to protect that world from an ever-growing built environment.