University of Tennessee Department of Sociology

04/07/2026

Today at 12pm!!!

Make plans to join our undergrads for pizza, cookies, and conversation in McClung Tower 1215/1216 on April 7th from 12p-1:30p. This is a space for undergraduate students to get to know their professors.

04/06/2026

The AJRC is thrilled to host a groundbreaking conversation about the changing social and economic conditions of rural America. This public discussion will offer important insights into the growing inequalities in rural America, the changing nature of politics and citizen participation, and the possibilities of just transitions to new economies in the face of the decline of fossil fuels and climate change.

We can't wait to welcome back to East Tennessee Dr. John Gaventa, who has written widely over the last fifty years on issues of power, citizen action, and social justice in Appalachia and beyond. Joining Gaventa will be Dr. Gabe Schwartzman, UT faculty member and co-author of their new book, “Power and Just Transitions: Struggles for a Post-Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley;” fellow MacArthur Fellow and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Loka Ashwood; and UT faculty member and environmental sociologist, Dr. Lindsay Shade.

Join us in-person or via live webcast on April 22nd at 6:00PM. The in-person event will be followed by a reception with light food and the opportunity to purchase “Power and Just Transitions” and other works from the panelists.

RSVP here: tiny.utk.edu/JustTransitions2026

Supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, as part of Defying Boundaries: MacArthur Fellows at 45 at macfound.org.

utk_winstonlaw University of Tennessee College of Arts & Sciences

03/27/2026

Make plans to join our undergrads for pizza, cookies, and conversation in McClung Tower 1215/1216 on April 7th from 12p-1:30p. This is a space for undergraduate students to get to know their professors.

03/20/2026

Interdisciplinary UT researchers work directly with communities to tackle issues facing families and children.
https://artsci.utk.edu/center-for-the-study-of-family-health-and-well-being/

03/20/2026

Meet University of Tennessee Department of Sociology Assistant Professor Andrew Taeho Kim!

Kim studies how labor markets create inequality and what social forces shape people’s economic opportunities.

He believes that labor markets became a natural focus for his work because they sit at the intersection of many of social forces and provide a clear window into how social inequality is produced and reproduced.

Kim was originally drawn to study sociology because it connects individual experiences to larger social structures.


Office of the Provost, UT Knoxville

03/13/2026

For the second year in a row, the Department of Sociology was able to send three students to the Southeastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium (SEUSS) at Emory University. While there, they presented their research alongside their peers in a professional setting. Between sharing their work, meeting new people, and sharpening their skills, these students came back with experience that better prepares them for their future careers!

11/21/2025

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Bill McClanahan for being named the Critical Criminologist of the year at the American Society of Criminology Conference!

Bill McClanahan has been recognized as Critical Criminologist of the Year for his published research and teaching. Assistant Professor Bill McClanahan, Department of Sociology, is a co-recipient of the American Society of Criminology’s Division on Critical Criminology & Social Justice (DCCSJ), 202...

11/20/2025

Michelle Christian, Harry Dahms, Asafa Jalata, AJ Knowles, and Lois Presser were a few of the faculty members recognized at this event! Congratulations to you all!

10/30/2025

Some of our grad students had their very own VOLoween celebration with pumpkin painting & a screening of Friday the 13th! Pictured left to right: Katarina McGuire, Sarah Cooper (GSS programming and events co-chair) and Chasidy Harris (GSS VP).
Happy Halloween!

10/14/2025

Dr. Regina (Gina) Benedict has received the 2025 Division on Feminist Criminology (DFC)/American Society of Criminology (ASC) Book Award, for Incarceration and Older Women: Giving Back Not Giving Up (Bristol University Press, 2023). Gina earned her PhD at UTK Sociology in 2009. The book comes out of Gina's dissertation, supervised by our own Dr. Lo Presser. The other committee members were Dr. Allison Anders, Dr. Damayanti Banerjee, Dr. Michael Braswell, and Dr. Ben Feldmeyer. Alumna Dr. Beth Easterling (PhD 2012) and Dr. Lo Presser prepared the book for publication after Gina's passing in March 2021.

The Award Committee explained, "The Committee was very impressed with Dr. Benedict’s work, especially its rich methods and intersectional focus, and we see it as an outstanding contribution to feminist scholarship."

If you are attending the ASC meeting in Washington this year, we hope you can join us at the 2025 DFC Awards Ceremony at this year’s ASC Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Benedict’s work will be honored - Dr. Presser will accept the award on her behalf, Friday, November 14th at 7:30 am (Marriott Marquis Washington DC, Room: Georgetown - M1).

10/09/2025

Chris and Watty Hall are lifelong champions of education, philanthropy, and community engagement whose shared commitment to UT has left a legacy across the state.