Welcome to the Department of Sociology

Welcome to the Department of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Ours is a research and teaching environment that emphasizes the theme of SOCIAL JUSTICE. We conduct research and teach in the interest areas of:

Students develop an understanding of both everyday social behavior and the structural factors that contribute to social injustices. In the seminar room and in the field, students also acquire the intellectual tools to identify and critically analyze social phenomena and trends, along with the methodological tools to conduct rigorous research, with a particular focus on evaluating the successes and failures of social policies.

Jon Shefner
Professor and Department Head

Study Abroad in Vietnam and Cambodia

Sociology News

Former UT and NFL football player David Martin, returned to UT to complete a degree in Sociology. His graduation on December, 15, 2012, was featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel.
First year MA student Douglas Oeser is featured in a UT News article. He is president of Veterans at UTK, a campus organization led by student veterans that helps incoming veterans ease into their new role as students. See From Afghanistan to the UT Campus, Student Veteran Continues to Serve.
PhD candidate Beth Easterling was awarded a 2012 Chancellor's Honor Award for Extraordinary Professional Promise. These honors are awarded to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate professional promise in teaching, research or other contributions. See 2012 Extraordinary Professional Promise
Liam Hysjulien, a Masters student in Sociology, has published an analysis of sustainable development and the United Nations Agenda 21 in Salon (the award-winning online news and entertainment Web site). See: Is Agenda 21 a U.N. plot to kill the suburbs?
Sociology PhD student Meghan Conley’s article,“Nativism is Big Business,” was published in the March issue of Z Magazine, a print and online periodical “dedicated to resisting injustice, eliminating repression, and creating liberty.” See Z Magazine
Tennessee's Latino Population by the Numbers WUOT story with interviews with Sociology Ph.D. student Meghan Conley and Law Professor Fran Ansley
Social Justice and the University, conference information now available.
See the stories on Higher Ground, the online magazine of UT's College of Arts and Sciences, about Stephanie Bohon and Ben Feldmeyer.
Science & Technology Priorities and Policies in the Obama Administration