Sociology Collective
By graduate students, for graduate students.
By graduate students, for graduate students.
Within the Sociology Collective we represent students from all areas in the department. Read more below on our areas and what our members and faculty do under each!
In recent decades, sociologists have come to systematically investigate human environment
intersections, examining how humans (individually, in organizations, or in larger social
groups) affect the biophysical environment and how the biophysical environment influences social
phenomena. MSU has the largest group of U.S. sociologists studying human-environment interactions. MSU sociologists engaged in scholarship on the environment focus on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, climate change, agriculture and food systems, animal studies,and water resources. We also examine the social psychology of environmental concern, public opinion, political economy, and the role of institutions in shaping human-environment interactions. A core group of MSU faculty studies how science and technology mediate the relationship between humans and the environment. In addition, many MSU faculty regularly engage in interdisciplinary research projects. In recent years, research projects of affiliated faculty have been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, and United States Department of Agriculture.
In the department graduate students specialize in a variety of areas creating interdisciplinary cohorts. In addition, many faculty in the environment area also participate in our Animal Studies specialization (featured below!) and in the newly transformed Environmental Science and Policy Program.
Popular specializations that environmental students pursue in addition to their regular coursework are:
Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change (GJEC)
International Development
Animal Studies
Women's and Gender Studies
Ecological Food and Farming Systems
The Animal Studies specialization is housed in and administrated by the Sociology Department at MSU. As a result, it is centered on human-animal relationships, perceptions and constructions of these relationships, ethics, as well as special topics such as animal welfare, autonomy, education, and much more!
The ESP program has existed at MSU for more than 10 years and recently transitioned from a specialization to a formal program to double major in. Many graduate students participate in and are partially funded by ESP, either through their 1st year fellowship or summer research grants. ESP is extremely interdisciplinary and allows students to engage with disciplinary experts in social and natural science areas. In ESP you will meet graduate students across the campus, from Economics, Civil Engineering, Community Sustainability, and more!
Faculty in the department are often cross-listed in other areas as well. The faculty listed here primarily work in the environment area or consider themselves environmental sociologists. Most have multiple research interests including science and technology studies, water rights and conservation, agricultural labor and sustainability practices, best management practices, and more! Check out the main department website for each faculty's biography and current research projects!
Dr. Stephen Gasteyer
Dr. Thomas (Tom) Dietz
Dr. Linda Kalof
Dr. Jennifer Carrera
Dr. Raymond Jussaume
Dr. Wynne Wright
Dr. Aaron McCright
The MSU Department of Sociology is a recognized center of expertise and excellence in research, teaching and outreach on migration, transnationalism and diaspora. MSU Department of Sociology faculty critically examines not only the forces behind human movement, but also the diversity of the populations involved and the impact that they have in sending and receiving communities. MSU migration scholars apply the full range of sociological methods, from visual sociology and cultural studies, to historical analysis, ethnography, demography, and census analysis and survey research. Many graduate students in migration are also a part of the health & medicine area!
Graduate students in the migration area frequently participate in other specializations and programs. Popular specializations that migration students pursue in addition to their regular coursework are:
Chicano Latino Studies (also a doctoral program!)
Women's and Gender Studies
Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change (GJEC)
Global Urban Studies
International Development
Graduate students in the migration area tend to also pursue a dual degree in CLS or a graduate certificate. At MSU the CLS community includes a vibrant group of graduate students studying interdisciplinary issues on the past, present, and lived experiences of Latino/a, Latinx, Chicano/a and Chicanx individuals, peoples, and organizations in the US, Latin America, the Caribbean, and internationally. CLS students also focus on issues of racism and education, history, labor, culture, diaspora and issues of indigeneity. The CLS program is also strongly supported by key migration scholars in our department!
Faculty in the migration area are often cross-listed in other areas as well. The faculty listed here primarily work in the migration area. Most have multiple research interests including transnationalism, diaspora, indigenous rights, education, racialization, social movements and more! Check out the main department website for each faculty's biography and current research projects!
Dr. Rubén Martinez
Dr. Steven Gold
Dr. Stephanie Nawyn
Dr. Brendan Mullan
Dr. Soma Chaudhuri
Dr. Isabel Ayala
Dr. Cliff Broman
Dr. Carl Taylor
Dr. Xuefei Ren
Faculty and students active in the Health and Medicine study the social context of health, illness, and health care, with a central focus on health disparities by race/ethnicity, social class, gender, and marital status; political, economic, and environmental circumstances that threaten health; and societal forces that impact the health care system. Faculty members often collaborate with scholars across MSU’s College of Human Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, and College of Communication Arts and Sciences. In recent years, research projects of affiliated faculty have been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Medicaid/Medicare, and United States Department of Agriculture.
As a more distinct area of sociology, graduate students in the health and medicine have diverse interests, from sex and gender, elderly wellness, identity, and more! Popular specializations that health and medicine students pursue in addition to their regular coursework are:
Women's and Gender Studies
Faculty in the health and medicine area are often cross-listed in other areas as well. Most have multiple research interests including LGBTQ+ identities and lived experiences, gender, health and well-being, healthcare inequality, wellness perceptions, happiness, aging and more! Check out the main department website for each faculty's biography and current research projects!
Dr. Ning Hsieh
Dr. Hui (Cathy) Liu
Dr. Daniel Menchik
Dr. stef shuster
Dr. Zhenmei Zhang