Congratulations to James Baldwin for successfully defending his dissertation proposal! James' advisor is Dr. Joe Feagin, and the committee members are Dr. Mary Campbell, Dr. Heili Pals, and Dr. Robert Greer (Department of Public Service and Administration, The Bush School of Government and Public Service).
James' dissertation deals with understanding the shifts in racism and residential segregation in the United States. He does so using the example of Houston, TX and, more specifically, focusing on the role of HOA's in reinforcing residential segregation. James has collected a comprehensive database of HOAs in Houston, TX that allows him to relate the different types of HOAs to residential segregation and also see how general trends of HOA incorporations relates to population changes. Analyzing the local policies enacted by HOAs allows one to see how the reinforcement of residential segregation has moved from a wider community level to a local level.
Congratulations, James, for passing this important milestone!