Sociology Colloquium, Spring 2024

Refashioning Race: How Global Cosmetic Surgery Crafts New Beauty Standards

Dr. Alka V. Menon, Texas A&M University

Abstract

As cosmetic surgery has become more accessible worldwide, changing beauty trends have led to a proliferation of beauty standards for members of different racial groups. Drawing on fieldwork in the U.S. and Malaysia, this talk shows how cosmetic surgeons generate and apply knowledge using racial categories and how this process is affected by transnational clinical and economic exchanges. Acting as gatekeepers and producers of desired appearances, cosmetic surgeons reshape race—both on patients’ bodies and at the broader level of culture.

Bio

Alka V. Menon is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Yale University, where she is also affiliated with the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the Program in the History of Science and History of Medicine, and the Macmillan Center for International and Area Studies. Her research examines the relationship between medicine, technology, and society, with a focus on race and racism and globalization. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and Social Science Research Council. She received her PhD in sociology from Northwestern University.

April 17, 2024
Wednesday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 146

The Burmese Python Invasion: The Sexual Politics of Invasive Snakes in the Florida Everglades

Dr. Meg Perret, Texas A&M University

Abstract

This talk analyzes how cultural discourses of race, nation, and sexuality influence representations of Burmese pythons in conservation biology and popular science. The analysis focuses on how the History Channel documentary series, Python Hunters, about a group of white men who hunt Burmese pythons, depicts the pythons as hypersexual and a threat to the family and home. Using frameworks from queer theory, the talk argues that cultural anxieties over the future of humanity influence discussions surrounding emerging multispecies communities.

Bio

Dr. Meg Perret is an Assistant Professor of Global Studies at Texas A&M University in the Department of Global Languages and Cultures and the Women's and Gender Studies Program. She completed her Ph.D. in History of Science with a secondary field in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Harvard University. Her areas of expertise are: environmental humanities; science and technology studies; and feminist and queer theory. She researchers narratives about the future of nature. Her research is supported by the ACES fellowship, which supports research on diversity and inclusion.

April 1, 2024
Monday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 146

Research Design, Data Stewardship, and You

Dr. Karin Johnson, U.S. Census Bureau

Abstract

What does an Administrator of one of the US Census Bureau’s Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDCs) do? How can having access to an FSRDC Administrator benefit you? While graduate faculty are the go-to for giving guidance, an FSRDC Administrator is another resource to offer insight into research preparation and professionalization. In this talk, Dr. Karin Johnson discusses her role as a research facilitator, data steward, and mentor as the Texas FSRDC Administrator. Dr. Johnson highlights her contributions to providing research feedback, developing researchers’ approaches to data need and use, and extending practical and professional expertise.

Bio

Dr. Karin Johnson joined the US Census Bureau in July 2020 as the Texas Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) Administrator at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Previously, Karin taught undergraduate and graduate courses, ran university-level mentorship programming, conducted personal and team research, and worked in higher education and international emergency response. At the Census, she spends much of her time on research support. When not managing research, she enjoys eating good food, attempting to keep one orchid alive, and hiking, camping, paddleboarding, and Olympic Weightlifting.

March 20, 2024
Wednesday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 144

Housing the Community or Tourists: Processes of Gentrification in Galveston, TX Post-Hurricane Ike

Dr. Jenna A. Lamphere, Texas A&M University at Galveston

Abstract

On September 13^th, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston Island as a strong Category 2, bringing 110-mile-per-hour winds, a 17-foot storm surge, and an estimated $27 billion in damages, making it the third costly hurricane in U.S. history. Ike greatly changed the island’s housing landscape, causing damage to all of the city’s operational infrastructure, 80% of homes, and 100% of public housing. As Galveston rebuilt, it lost large swaths of its low-income and minority populations, causing many to claim that it gentrified. In this case-study analysis, we examined over two decades of demographic and housing data from the U.S. Census Bureau to determine that gentrification has indeed occurred on the island. To better understand the processes that led to gentrification, we also conducted a document analysis of over 1,000 newspaper articles and 23 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the housing industry. We identified three underlying processes: disaster gentrification, whereby city policy and decisionmakers seized post-disaster recovery as a window of opportunity to reengineer communities; tourism gentrification, whereby rapid growth of the short-term rental industry helped boost extra-local tourist interest, creating market pressure and increasing housing costs; and historic-led gentrification, whereby a mix of land-use policies, design standards, and tax incentives for the rehabilitation of important historical and cultural assets promoted economic redevelopment but also raised housing costs. Overall, our research demonstrates the complex and interrelated processes of gentrification post-disaster, showcasing the conflicts over and consequences of recovery strategies that ultimately prioritized consumption-led growth, particularly within the tourism industry.

Bio

Jenna A. Lamphere is an assistant professor of environmental sociology, coordinator for the Tourism and Coastal Community Development program, and PI of NSF REU: OCEANUS at Texas A&M University, Galveston. Her research examines governance of urban transformations towards sustainability. Her expertise emphasizes mixed-methods approaches and multi-stakeholder solutions to socio-environmental problems. Lamphere is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and a member of the Future Earth System of Sustainable Production and Consumption Knowledge-Action Network. She is also a member of the United Nations U.S. World Ocean Assessment Pool of Experts and was a contributing author on the effects of maritime industries on coastal communities in the U.N. World Ocean Assessment II.

March 4, 2024
Monday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 144

Soaking the Middle Class: Suburban Inequality and Recovery from Disaster

Dr. Anna Rhodes, Rice University

Abstract

Extreme weather is increasing in scale and severity as global warming worsens. While poorer communities are typically most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change, even well-resourced communities will increasingly be affected as climate-related storms intensify. Yet less is known about how middle-class communities are responding to these storms and the resulting damage. The book, Soaking the Middle Class, follows 59 households in the middle-class suburb of Friendswood, TX for over two years after Hurricane Harvey to understand their recovery process. Through their narratives, the book highlights how disaster recovery fosters inequality, even in middle-class places.

Bio

Anna Rhodes is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Rice University and is a faculty affiliate at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. She studies how social contexts matter for household residential decisionmaking, and the ways that housing, neighborhoods, and schools shape opportunities and outcomes for children and families. Her most recent work examines the residential decisions in the wake of disaster, and highlights how climate-related disasters increase economic vulnerability and inequality among residents in affected communities. Her book “Soaking the Middle Class: Suburban Inequality and Disaster Recovery” with Max Besbris was recently published by the Russell Sage Foundation.

February 19, 2024
Monday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 146

Getting to Know the NSF

Dr. Laurie Garton and Dr. Mary Campbell, Texas A&M University

Abstract

An overview of the National Science Foundation (NSF) covering the organization, proposal types, proposal review, and review criteria (Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts), as well as discussion about what's new at the NSF. Useful to researchers when deciding whether to submit a proposal to NSF and to which program to submit.

Bios

Dr. Laurie Garton is an Associate Director of Research Development Services in the Division of Research at Texas A&M University. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M. With over 20 years of experience in research development she currently focuses on early career faculty professional and proposal development, including extensive work with the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Program. She has also reviewed for NSF and has expertise with the NSF Fellows Program.

Dr. Mary Campbell is a Professor of Sociology. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging and the National Science Foundation. Her research focuses on racial and ethnic inequality and measurement, and her funded work includes initiatives to expand equitable access to research and higher education.

February 12, 2024
Monday, 1:30-3:30pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 146

Prison Education Programs in Texas: What Works?

Dr. Tony Love, The University of Texas at Dallas

Abstract

The goal of prison education programs is to improve prisoners’ life chances upon reentry into society. Presumably, this benefits both the individual and society by reducing the social and economic costs associated with crime. Windham School District (WSD) is the provider of educational programming for adult prisons operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). WSD offers academic, vocational, and life skills programs across 83 facilities. We assess the effectiveness of WSD’s programs on recidivism and employment by analyzing data for all TDCJ releasees during the 2017-2018 school years (N =124,946). Interesting findings emerge regarding employment outcomes.

Bio

Dr. Tony Love is an Associate Professor of Criminology in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas. He is a criminologist and a social psychologist in the symbolic interactionist tradition. His criminology research examines the criminal justice system through partnerships with state and local organizations. His social psychological work focuses on role-taking and its relation to status and other social characteristics. These research activities represent a general tendency toward synthesizing research in inequality, criminal justice systems, and structural social psychology. Tony earned his PhD in Sociology from Texas A&M University in
2012.

February 5, 2024
Monday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 146

Return to Rigor: Who has the Opportunity to Major in STEM?

Vansa Shewakramani Hanson, Texas A&M University

Abstract

STEM majors see the highest returns in the labor market, regardless of institutional selectivity, but women and underrepresented minorities are less likely to enter and remain in STEM. Historically popular explanations include gender differences in ability and individual choice, and racial differences in academic  ability and school resources. In this paper, I focus on who has the opportunity to select into STEM. By examining variation in both the supply- and demand-side for STEM courses for a census of public high school graduates in Texas, net of academic achievement, I estimate the role of various selection mechanisms for the odds of attaining a STEM major at a 4-year college and the implications for maintaining structural inequality.

Bio

Vansa Shewakramani Hanson is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Texas A&M. Her dissertation focuses on various dimensions of access to opportunity such as peers, school resources, and shifts in education policy. Her broader research interests lie at the nexus of education inequality, the role of segregation in shaping opportunity, and going beyond racial categories in measuring race. She does her best sociological thinking while woodworking and aspires to be more mindful of shop safety.

January 29, 2024
Monday, 1:50-3pm
Location: Liberal Arts Social Sciences Building (LASB) 146