Education

• Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Virginia in the year 2005.
• Masters in Sociology from the University of Virginia in the year 1995.
• B.A., double-majoring in Sociology and Government with a minor in Philosophy, from the University of Virginia in the year 1993.
• Specialty Areas: Statistics, Research Methods, Social Control, Law

Courses Taught

• Introduction to Sociology (SOC150)
• Introduction to Crime and Criminal Justice (SOC250)
• Sociology of Deviance (SOC304-OL, entirely online)
• Sociological Statistics (SOC364, inc. triple-section lectures and double-section hybrids)
• Sociology of Work (SOC340)
• Sociology of Law (SOC434)
• Research Methods (SOC497, inc. triple-section lectures)
• Field Study and Internship Report (SOC498)
• Graduate Research Methods (SOC690)
• Graduate Seminar – Sociologies of Cyberspace (SOC582R)

Selected Publications and Presentations

“Reel Life: The Social Geometry of Reality Shows”. Pages 86-116 in Survivor Lessons: Essays on Communication and Reality Television, edited by Andrew Wood and Matthew Smith (2003: McFarland & Company, Jefferson City, NC).

“The Moral Order of Cyberspace: Social Structure and Conflict Management on the Internet” (2005 Dissertation; Donald Black, Chair; Sarah Corse & Tom Guterbock, Readers; Bryan Pfaffenberger & Bernard Carlson, Outside Readers)

Research and Interests

I am a self-consciously scientific sociologist who employs the epistemological and theoretical strategies developed by Donald Black – pure sociology and social geometry. My theoretical interests concern sociological patterns in how conflicts are handled, particularly between those who have relatively little information about each other. I have studied related empirical behavior in online settings, reality shows, and classrooms. I also serve as a statistical and survey consultant, particularly to non-profits and those serving non-profits, and have extensive experience in evaluations and assessments of a wide range of social settings.