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Welcome! » Graduate Student » Sarah Whiteford


Sarah Whiteford

I believe that it is my responsibility as an instructor of sociology to provide students with a new way of looking at an already familiar social world. It is my hope that through my instruction students are made more aware of the social issues that plague both our society and the world over.  I ask them to question how various social issues came to be, what strides our society has made to overcome them, and what they can do as an individual in an attempt to work towards the solution of various social problems.  For it is not merely enough to understand such problems, but we must work towards the betterment of our society by striving to overcome issues of social inequality and injustice.
I feel that my students should take away from my classes more than a simple education of the subject matter.  Rather, it is my personal goal that they learn more about themselves, the world they live in, and the role they play in that world. I ask that my students critically examine the various topics we cover and how those topics have impacted their lives, the statuses they hold in society, and both the constraints and opportunities that such statuses have provided for them.  If students leave my classroom with a greater understanding of these things, then I feel that I have achieved my goal as an instructor.

Education

  • BA in Sociology from Lambuth University, Jackson, TN (2003)
  • Minor in Political Science
  • BA in Psychology from Lambuth University, Jackson, TN (2003)
  • Minor in International Studies
  • MS in Social Science Research from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (2004)
  • Expected graduation for Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee (August 2009)

Teach Experience

  • Social Justice and Social Change, The University of Tennessee, Fall 2006-Present
    Problems of deviance, crime, and victimization, inequalities in exposure to environmental risks, and inequalities on power and participatory democracy within the context of social change. Assessment of control strategies and redress of injustices.

  • Introductory Sociology, Maryville College, Spring 2006, Spring 2007
    Study of the fundamental structure and dynamics of human societies and the basic principles and concepts used in sociology.

  • Introduction to Sociology, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Fall 2005-Present
    Concepts and theoretical approaches to sociology with emphasis on culture, socialization, and social organization.

  • Social Problems and Social Change, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Fall 2005-Spring 2006
    Increasingly acute problems such as alcoholism, violence, drugs, crime, inequality, lifestyle preferences, and environmental abuse within the context of social change.  Assessment of control strategies.

Additional Teaching Interest

  • Sociology
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Social Problems
  • Research Methods and Data Analysis
  • Race, Class, and Gender
  • Criminology
  • Criminological Theory
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Race, Class, Gender, and Crime
  • Social Psychology

Dissertation Topic

Most of my personal research conducted during my graduate studies has focused on intertwining two distinct areas of interest: juvenile delinquency and social networks.  This particular research focus allows me to combine my interests in the fields of criminology and social psychology.  My dissertation research stems from this ongoing interest and examines the influence of one’s social network on the likelihood of engaging in crime or delinquency.  More specifically, I focus on how the characteristics of the social network itself are related to crime and delinquency involvement. 

I use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the effects that network characteristics such as size, gender composition, density, reciprocity, etc. impact the likelihood that adolescents have engaged in various forms of delinquency such as illegal substance use, violence, and property crimes.  In addition to determining how various network characteristics influence delinquency involvement, I am also interested in examining the structure of the adolescent social network.  I am particularly interested in the extent of gender, racial, ethnic, class, and age homogeneity within the adolescent network. 

Additional Research Interests

Criminology

  • Peer Influence on Crime and Delinquency
  • The interplay of race, ethnicity, gender, and social class in relation to crime and delinquency
  • How characteristics of the social network itself influence crime and delinquency involvement
  • The effects of extracurricular activity involvement on delinquency
  • How individuals obtain illegal substances through network connections

Social Psychology

  • Mapping the social networks of adolescents
  • The characteristics of social networks (i.e. density, reciprocity, centrality, popularity, etc.)
  • The extent to which social networks are homogenous with regards to characteristics such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, and age
  • The process by which network ties are created and maintained (particularly through the use of organization membership and mediated forms of communication)
  • How individuals use network ties to gain access to elitist organizations (i.e. fraternities, sororities, etc.)

Selected Presentations

2008 - Whiteford, Sarah.  “Gender, Race, & Age in Adolescent Peer Groups: Effects on Substance Use” Paper Presented in the Youth, Drugs, and Alcohol Use session of the Society for the Study of Social Problems Annual Meeting, Boston, MA

2007 - Whiteford, Sarah.  “Delinquent Peers: Exploring the Operation of
Homophily through Social Network Analysis” Paper Presented in the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency: Families, Peers, and Communities session of the American Society of Criminologists Conference, Atlanta, GA

2007 - Benedict, Regina, Sarah Whiteford, and Hoan Bui.  “Female Adolescent Sexual Activity: A Network Analysis of the Influence of Males in Female Friendship Networks” Paper presentation in Girls and Delinquency: Understanding High Risk Behaviors and Youth Court Processing session of the American Society of Criminologists Conference, Atlanta, GA

2006 - Whiteford, Sarah.  “Mechanisms for the Effects of Involvement on Delinquency”  Paper presented in the Understanding Juvenile Offending session of the American Society of Criminologists Conference, Los Angeles, CA

Organization Membership

    •  American Sociological Association
    • American Society of Criminologists
    • Society for the Study of Social Problems
    • Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society

Contact Information

Sarah Whiteford
Department of Sociology
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0490

Email: swhitefo@utk.edu