Biography
Education
Ph.D. Sociology, University of California Riverside
M.A. Sociology, University of California Riverside
B.A. Anthropology, Psychology & Sociology, University of California Irvine
Specialty Areas: Sociological Theory, Social Psychology, Sociology of Emotions, Sociology of Education, Community-Engaged Sociology, Cultural Sociology, Media Studies, and Evaluation Research.
Research and Interests
My work and training in emphasizes the development of general theoretical development of sociological ideas. Toward this end, I have published several papers on theories of agency and structure, terrorism, the sociology of the self, and emotions. These works have sought to increase theoretical knowledge in the discipline of sociology and have generally been founded on the theory of rituals by classical sociologist Emile Durkheim and the contemporary work on interaction rituals by Randall Collins. A second line of work has extended this theoretical work in the examination of community formation in online communities. Studying Massively Multiplayer Online Games as a foundation for this work, I have investigated the experience of trust, self-formation, emotions, and community in different online, social environments. More recently, I have focused on publicly and community-engaged research and evaluation. Toward this end, I have worked on evaluation research activities in a number of community contexts. This evaluation work includes topics related to autism intervention, domestic violence, teacher professional development, and unrepresented university students. This work has been supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, the California Department of Education, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
I am the current Director of the CSUN Institute for Community Health and Well-being, a collaborative of campus and community members committed to enhancing the health and well-being of individuals, families, organizations and communities in the San Fernando Valley. I have a background and expertise in evaluation research and community engaged partnerships and research, and have worked in this area for almost 20 years. I have conducted and supervised community-based research on the topics of community supported agriculture, domestic violence, lactation education, teacher professional development, and inclusive theatre experiences for youth on the autism spectrum. I have worked closely with non-profit organizations that provide services for underrepresented individuals and families (primarily Latino), including the Family Justice Center (in Van Nuys, CA), Grandparents as Parents (in Canoga Park, CA), the North Los Angeles County Regional Center (in Chatsworth, CA), and the Child Development Institute (in Canoga Park, CA). I am also the chair of the CSUN Standing Committee for the Protection Subjects and have almost 20 years of experience serving on human subjects committees. I am also a founding member of the CSUN Center for Assessment, Research and Evaluation.
Courses Taught
Undergraduate Courses
- SOC 150: Introductory Sociology
- SOC 345: Social Psychology
- SOC 468/S: Theory II Contemporary Sociological Theory Lecture/Seminar
- SOC 498AEE: The Sociological Experience
Graduate Courses
- SOC 572: Social Policy Research and Evaluation
- SOC 585: Social Change
- SOC 601: Classical Sociological Theory
- SOC 640: Teaching Practicum
- SOC 670: Contemporary Sociological Theory
- SOC 691A: Qualitative Research Methods
- SOC 695C: Graduate Proseminar
- SOC 696A: Directed Graduate Research
Publications
Journal Articles
Saetermoe, C. L., Chavira, G., Khachikian, C. S., Boyns, D., & Cabello, B. 2017. “Critical race theory as a bridge in science training: The California State University,
Northridge BUILD PODER program.” In BMC Proceedings (Vol. 11, No. 12, p. 21). BioMed Central.
Wonser, Robert and David Boyns. 2016. “Between the Living and Undead: How Zombie Cinema Reflects the Social Construction of Risk, the Anxious Self, and
Disease Pandemic.” Sociological Quarterly 57(4): 628-653.
Kim, A. J., Stembridge, S., Lawrence, C., Torres, V., Miodrag, N., Lee, J. W., & Boyns, D. 2015. “Neurodiversity on the Stage: The Effects of Inclusive Theatre on
Youth with Autism.” International Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2(9), 27-39.
Boyns, David and Sarah Luery. 2015. “Negative Emotional Energy: A Theory of the “Dark-Side” of Interaction Ritual Chains.” Social Sciences 4(1): 148-170.
Boyns, David and Desiree Stephenson. 2011. “Rozumienie telewizji bez telewizji: studium na temat zawieszonego oglądania telewizji” (Understanding Television
without Television: A Study of Suspended Television Viewing). Panoptikum 10(17): 21-36. (Revised for Polish Translation).
Boyns, David and Scott Appelrouth. 2011. “Studies in the Suspension of the “Flow” of Social Life.” Sociological Spectrum 31(2): 193-223.
Boyns, David and Jesse Fletcher. 2005. “Reflections on Public Sociology: Public Relations, Disciplinary Identity and the Strong Program in Professional Sociology.”
The American Sociologist 36(3-4): 5-26.
Boyns, David and James David Ballard. 2004. “Developing a Sociological Theory for the Empirical Understanding of Terrorism.” The American Sociologist
35(2):5-25.
Boyns, David and Desiree Stephenson. 2003. “Understanding Television without Television: A Study of Suspended Television Viewing.” The Journal of Mundane
Behavior 4(1): 9-28.
Book Chapters
Boyns, David and Daniele Loprieno. 2014. “Feeling Through Presence: Toward a Theory of Interaction Rituals and Parasociality in Online Social Worlds.” Pp. 33-47
in Internet and Emotions, edited by T. Benski and E. Fisher. Taylor & Francis eBooks.
Wonser, Robert and David Boyns. 2012. “The Caped Crusader: What Batman Films Tell Us About Crime and Deviance.” Pp. 213-227 in Cinematic Sociology: Social
Life in Film, 2nd edition, edited by J.A. Sutherland and K.M. Feltey. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Boyns, David, Amy Denissen, and Alexandra Gerbasi. 2011. “Economic Crisis and the California State Public University: The Institutional, Professional and Personal
Effects on Faculty and Students.” Pp. 145-170 in The CSU Crisis and California’s Future, edited by G. Orfield. Los Angeles, CA: The Civil Rights
Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA.
Boyns, David. 2011. “Culture, Agency and the Means of Simulation.” Pp. 69-88 in New Directions in Sociology: Essays on Theory and Methodology in the 21st
Century, edited by I. Zake and M. DeCesare.
Boyns, David. 2010. “The Savory Deviant Delight: A Study of Trust & Normative Order in the Online World.” Pp. 71-90 in in Trust and Technology in a Ubiquitous
Modern Environment: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives, edited by D. Latusek and A. Gerbasi. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Boyns, David, Elena Sosnovskya, and Sima Forghani. 2009. “MMORPG Worlds: On the Construction of Social Reality in World of Warcraft.” Pp. 67-92, in Living
Virtually: Researching New Worlds, edited by D. Heider. New York, Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
Boyns, David and Jesse Fletcher. 2007. “Reflections on Public Sociology.” Pp. 119-148 in Public Sociology: The Contemporary Debate, edited by L. T. Nichols.
New York: Routledge.
Boyns, David. 2007. “Poststructural and Postmodern Theories” Pp. 379-397 in Sociological Theory in the Contemporary Era: Text and Readings, edited by S.
Appelrouth and L. Desfor Edles. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Boyns, David. 2007. “Jurgen Habermas” Pp. 486-496 in Sociological Theory in the Contemporary Era: Text and Readings, edited by S. Appelrouth and L.
Desfor Edles. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Boyns, David. 2006. “Emotion-Based Self Theory.” Pp. 254-275 in Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions, edited by J. E. Stets and J. H. Turner.
New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishing.
Boyns, David and Michael DeCesare. 2006. “Assessing Student Learning in Service-Learning Internships” Pp. 78-81 in Quick Hits for Educating Citizens,
edited by J. L. Perry and S. Jones. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Boyns, David and Eileen Ie. 2005. “Mass Media ‘Fast’ for a Fast Media.” In Instructional Resources Kit for Teaching About the Mass Media, edited by H.
Laube and S. Sobieraj. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
Boyns, David and Eileen Ie. 2005. “Mass Media ‘Fast’ for a Fast Media.” In Instructional Resources Kit for Teaching About the Mass Media, edited by H. Laube
and S. Sobieraj. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
Boyns, David. 2005. “Explorations in Un-Tv.” In Instructional Resources Kit for Teaching About the Mass Media, edited by H. Laube and S. Sobieraj.
Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
Turner, Jonathan and David Boyns. 2002. “Expectations, Need-States, and Emotional Arousal in Encounters.” Pp. 97-112 in The Growth of Social Knowledge:
Theory, Simulation, and Empirical Research in Group Processes, edited by J. Szmatka, M. Lovaglia, and K. Wysienska. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Turner, Jonathan H. and David Boyns. 2001. “The Return of Grand Theory.” Pp. 353-378 in Handbook of Sociological Theory, edited by J. H. Turner. New York:
Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Encyclopedia Entries
Boyns, David. 2013. Entries on: Sociological Theory; Postmodernism; Mass Media Research; Ethnomethodology; Role Theory; Ritual; Role; Looking-glass Self;
Institute of Social Research (Frankfurt School); Generalized Other; Sui Generis. In World of Sociology, edited by J.M. Palmisano. Farmington Hills,
Michigan: Gale Cengage Publishers.
Technical Reports and Program Evaluations
Kim, A.J. and David Boyns. 2015. Joining the spectrum: An interdisciplinary inquiry into theatre as an intervention for autism diagnosed teens. National
Endowment for the Arts. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Boyns, David, et al. 2015. JumpStart four week evaluation, Technical report. Funded by the National Institute of Health, BUILD grant.
Boyns, David, Aleksey Reshetnikov, and Abigail Franco. 2015. RGS Database Study. For CSUN Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, awarded to CARE
(Center for Assessment, Research, and Evaluation).
Boyns, David. 2013. The Nexus Project: Student Professional Development through Service-Learning and Evaluation Research. For CSUN Center for
Innovative and Engage Learning Opportunities. Funded by the CIELO Interdisciplinary Community Engagement Grant.
Boyns, David. 2013. CSUN Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, Student Evaluation Research Summary Report. For the CSUN Institute for Community
Health and Wellbeing.
Boyns, David. 2012. Valley CARES Family Justice Center Evaluation. For Valley Trauma Center, Northridge, CA. Funded by CSUN Research Infrastructure
in Minority Institutions (RIMI).
Boyns, David, Nereida Alonso, Mayra Lugo, and DeAndre Rowles. 2011. CSUN Sociology Alumni Study. For the CSUN Department of Sociology.
Boyns, David. 2011. Copernicus Project Comprehensive Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project.
Funded by the United States Department of Education.
Boyns, David, Herman DeBose, and Esther Villegas. 2010. Community Peacebuilder and Conflict Resolution Evaluation Report. For Western Justice Center.
Funded by the Western Justice Center.
Boyns, David. 2010. Copernicus Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the
United States Department of Education.
Boyns, David. 2009. Copernicus Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the United
States Department of Education.
Boyns, David. 2008. Copernicus Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the
United States Department of Education.
Boyns, David, Douglas Mitchell, et al. 2007. California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment and Intern Alternative Certification Evaluation Study:
Technical Report. Funded by the California Department of Education.
Boyns, David. 2007. Copernicus Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the
United States Department of Education.
Boyns, David. 2006 Copernicus Evaluation Report - Science Summer Institute Evaluation Report: An Analysis of the Impact of an Intensive, Five-Day Institute for
Science Teachers. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the United States Department
of Education.
Boyns, David. 2006. Copernicus Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the
United States Department of Education.
Boyns, David. 2005. Copernicus Evaluation Report – Science Summer Institute Evaluation Report: An Analysis of the Impact of an Intensive, Five-Day Institute
for Science Teachers. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by the United States
Department of Education.
Boyns, David. 2005. Copernicus Evaluation Report. For University of California, Riverside’s Department of Education, Copernicus Project. Funded by
the United States Department of Education.
Boyns, David and Douglas Mitchell 2000. California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Statewide Quantitative Evaluation Study, Local Program Reports,
2000-2001. California Educational Research Cooperative.
Boyns, David, Douglas Mitchell, and Lori Turk-Bicakci. 2000. California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Statewide Quantitative Evaluation Study,
1999-2000. School Improvement Research Group.
Boyns, David, Douglas Mitchell, and Linda Scott. 2000. California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Statewide Quantitative Evaluation Study, Local
Program Reports, 1999-2000. California Educational Research Cooperative.
Boyns, David and Linda Scott. 2000. The Effectiveness of Part-time and Full-time Mentor Support in New Teacher Induction Programs. California Educational
Research Cooperative.
Boyns, David and Douglas Mitchell 2000. How Beginning Teachers Cope With Complexity and Uncertainty. California Educational Research Cooperative.
Boyns, David, Douglas Mitchell, and Linda Scott. 1999. California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Statewide Quantitative Evaluation Study,
1998-1999. California Educational Research Cooperative.
Boyns, David, Douglas Mitchell, Linda Scott, and Irving Hendrick. 1998. California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Statewide Quantitative
Evaluation Study, 1997-1998. California Educational Research Cooperative.