News and Events
Sociology in the News
Recent press releases from the Office of News and Information.
Cell Phones Let Hachen Dial Into Social Networks
David Hachen’s research on cellular telephone usage and social networks is featured in articles on the College of Arts & Letters website (“Cell Phones Let Hachen Dial Into Social Networks”) and Notre Dame’s News & Information site (“Cell Phone Signals Could Provide Bird’s Eye View of Crises and Emergency Response”). Together with Albert-Laszlo Barabasi (Physics) and Greg Madey (Computer Science & Engineering), David is a co-PI on a 3-year NSF funded project designed to develop an emergency response system which can identify emergency situations by detecting anomalies in cell phone usage and network patterns.
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A Match Made in Heaven
February 21, 2007
In 1997 and 1999, Christian Smith taught three-week summer seminars at Notre Dame, living on campus with his wife and kids.
But fond memories aren’t the only reason he feels at home under the Dome.
“I found Notre Dame attractive insofar as it has a theological, moral identity,” says Smith, a noted sociologist of religion who joined the University’s faculty last fall. “It’s a Catholic institution, and it’s trying to figure out what that means in a serious way.”
Sociologist's work to be featured at Fordham forum
October 18, 2006
A study led by University of Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith will be the focus of a forum to be held at Fordham University in New York City on Nov. 2 (Thursday).
Hosted by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture, “Catholic Teenagers: Faith at Risk?” will be a panel discussion featuring Smith and moderated by Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., president emeritus of Notre Dame. The panel will discuss the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), for which Smith serves as principal investigator and director. The NSYR was recently published in Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, an award-winning book co-authored by Smith.
Julian Samora Legacy Conference dedicated to legendary sociologist
October 11, 2006
Graduates of legendary sociologist Julian Samora's Mexican-American Graduate Studies Program at the University of Notre Dame will reunite on campus Thursday to Sunday (Oct. 12 to 15) to pay tribute to their late mentor and participate in the "Beyond Borders: Samora Legacy Conference 2006."
Samora, a pioneering scholar of Mexican-American studies, paved the way for Latinos to understand and study themselves at the university and policy-making levels, to understand the complex relationships between Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, to begin the study of Mexican immigration, and to ready the United States for the reality of Latinos as the nation's fastest growing minority.
The first Mexican-American to earn a doctorate in sociology, Samora was a co-founder of the National Council of La Raza and served on the Notre Dame faculty from 1959 until his retirement in 1985. He died in 1996 at age 75.
Sociologist edits new book analyzing school sector effects on students
July 13, 2006
"School Sector and Student Outcomes," edited by renowned University of Notre Dame sociologist Maureen T. Hallinan, has been published by Notre Dame Press.
Differences in students' performance across different school sectors - specifically, public, private religious, and private nonreligious schools - has long been an important topic in the sociology of education. In recent years, debate over the merits of each sector has increased between advocates and critics of school choice, as exemplified by current struggles over educational vouchers and their ramifications for public policy and politics.
"The volume presents a set of theoretically grounded research studies that examine the effects of school sector on students' academic and social development," Hallinan said. "It compares public, private and religious schools on the basis of school organization, governance, climate, curriculum and pedagogy. The chapters identify the sources of sector differences, trace the evolution of the dual school system in the U.S., and describe the mechanisms that link school sector to student outcomes."
Sociology professor wins award for book on teens' spirituality
July 6, 2006
"Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers," a book co-authored by University of Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith, has received a 2006 book award from Christianity Today magazine.
Publishers nominated some 240 titles for this year's awards, and judges from the Christianity Today staff chose 22 winners. Top choices were selected for their impact on evangelical life, thought and mission.
Published by Oxford University Press in 2005, "Soul Searching" is based on the findings of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR), the largest and most detailed study ever undertaken on the topic. Smith is the principal investigator and director of NSYR, which is funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Smith and his co-author, Melinda Lundquist Denton, a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina, illustrate the complexity of contemporary teenage religious life, showing that religion is widely practiced and positively valued by teens, but also de-prioritized and poorly understood by them.