First Annual Public Sociology Graduate Conference

Saturday, October 22, 2011 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM EDT
Research Hall, 163

There is no fee to attend, but we ask that you RSVP at our Facebook page at least two weeks in advance for planning purposes. To RSVP, please click here. If you don’t have a Facebook account, please RSVP by emailing us.

Public sociology is an approach to the discipline that transcends the academy and engages wider audiences. It is not aligned with any particular theory, method, or subject. Rather, it leverages the tools and topics of professional sociology while reaching beyond the audience of professional sociologists, taking into consideration the perspectives, frameworks, and struggles of diverse publics without diluting rigor or content.

This conference will present varied submissions on sociological topics, including but not limited to age, race, gender, class, sexualities, work, communication and media, education, families, organizations, institutions, collective behavior, social justice, human rights, and political, economic, and civil societies. Presenters will also discuss how their research engages with public sociology, including but not limited to any of the following types of engagement:

• How research findings inform public debates, including proposed or implemented policies, media narratives, and social problems.
• How concepts or findings might be used to empower affected groups and promote more equitable social relations.
• How concepts or findings might be made accessible to more diverse publics in a manner that takes into account their languages, cultural practices, and perspectives.
• How papers relate to authors’ personal commitments to one or more subject matters therein, including political or activist causes.

Gregory D. Squires, Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University, will deliver the keynote address. The preliminary title of his address is, “Fox TV, Cybersegregation, and Public Sociology:  Is Neil a More Desirable Tenant than Tyrone or Jorge?” For more about Dr. Squires, click here.

Hosted by Graduate Student Sociological Association.