Welcome to the Department of Sociology at The University of Memphis.

This is a very exciting time for the Sociology Department for several reasons. First, we offer a broad range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Sociology is the study of social relations in groups, institutions and organizations, communities, and entire societies. Our courses cover each of these areas and also teach students the theories and methodological techniques needed to understand and interpret events occurring around them. We have also initiated an Honors Program that began in the fall, 2001.

In addition to classroom teaching, our faculty provides individualized instruction as students write papers, complete data analyses, work on their senior theses, engage in graduate study, and collaborate with faculty on publications. A number of our faculty has won prestigious teaching, research, and service awards at both The University of Memphis and other institutions.

Second, our faculty and students, both undergraduate and graduate, are doing research on an extraordinary range of topics. There is an atmosphere of support and respect for this wonderful array of sociological research. Let me name just a few specific areas of study: globalization and economic development in the South, urbanization and political economy, political-economic transition and organizational change in China, the gambling industry, globalization and place, regional disparities in cause-specific mortality in the US, health and society, temporal patterns of adolescent suicide, the life history of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, social and particularly racial inequality, religion and society, and the effect of physical attractiveness or the lack thereof on the socio-emotional development of adolescents.

In support of their research over the last several years, our faculty have been awarded grants from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute for Child Health and Development (NICHD/NIH), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH/NIH), Health and Human Services, the Exxon Education Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Information Agency, the Hooks Institute, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Third, our department draws on the unique resources offered by The University of Memphis and the city of Memphis. The University has many outstanding departments, programs, libraries, museums, performances, and archives that enrich our teaching, scholarship, and learning. The city of Memphis is not only a dynamic and interesting place to study, it is also a wonderful place to live and visit. Located in the heart of the Mid-South, Memphis is the home of the National Civil Rights Museum, has a vibrant arts community, boasts outstanding resources and activities for children, is the birth place of rock and roll and home of the blues, features Graceland, the second most visited house in the country behind the White House, and has excellent restaurants.

I hope you will explore our website and learn more about our department, university, and city. If I can be of any help to you, please feel free to contact me.

With warm regards,

Dr. Martin Levin

Professor and Chair