University of Tennessee Department of Sociology

10/05/2026

🎉 Faculty Spotlight 🎉
Meet Grady Lowery, Teaching Associate Professor of Sociology! Dr. Lowery’s passion for sociology is rooted in a belief that sociology should do more than help us interpret the world, but it should also help us change it. He believes educators have an important role to play in making that possible.

One of his favorite courses to teach is Sociological Theory, where he takes a historical approach to help students develop a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of contemporary social issues. For Dr. Lowery, connecting sociological ideas from the past to the challenges of today is an essential part of preparing students to think critically about the world around them.

His commitment to applied sociology extends beyond the classroom. As a proponent of using sociology to address real-world social problems, Dr. Lowery serves as advisor to the Platypus Affiliated Society, where he has organized and moderated campus panel discussions on issues ranging from organized labor to Black Lives Matter. He also engages with the broader public by helping clarify what democratic socialism is and who the Democratic Socialists of America are—topics that were central to his doctoral dissertation.

There is also a creative side to Dr. Lowery that students and colleagues may not know: he is a Blues musician who continues to perform live, with performances in Chicago, Memphis, and Knoxville.

Through his teaching, scholarship, service, and music, Dr. Lowery brings a distinctive perspective to the Department of Sociology—one grounded in critical inquiry, public engagement, and a belief in sociology’s ability to make a difference.

09/18/2026

🎉 Faculty Spotlight 🎉

Lois Presser is Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, where she has taught since 2002. Her interdisciplinary background includes a Bachelor’s from Cornell, an MBA from Yale, and a PhD in Criminal Justice/Criminology from the University of Cincinnati. Before earning her doctorate, she spent 10 years working in various areas of the criminal justice system in New York City.

Presser’s research explores how language and narratives shape social arrangements and action, including criminal and harmful behavior, as well as the promises and challenges of restorative justice. Her work has helped shape the field of narrative criminology, and she is the author of multiple books including, including Been a Heavy Life: Stories of Violent Men, Why We Harm, Inside Story: How Narratives Drive Mass Violence, and The Emerald Handbook of Narrative Criminology. Her research has appeared in leading journals including Social Problems, Theoretical Criminology, Justice Quarterly, and Signs.

For Presser, teaching is about encouraging students to question assumptions and imagine new possibilities. Her passion for restorative justice comes from its reminder that “we don't have to think the way we do.” Through her teaching and public talks, she hopes to help people recognize how we may unintentionally reproduce problems in the world, and consider how we might change them.

Outside the classroom, Presser serves on the Board of her synagogue, where she is inspired by her fellow board members’ commitment to building community.

09/09/2026

Sociology Professors Jon Shefner and Stephanie Bohon tour the Northland Workforce Training Center in Buffalo, NY. Shefner and Bohon have an award from Jobs for the Future to assist East Tennessee residents get jobs in advanced manufacturing and construction.

09/08/2026

👏 Student Spotlight - Patrick Clemens, M.A. 👏

Patrick Clemens is an M.A. student in Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, whose research interests center on environmental sociology, sustainability, and renewable energy. His research examines how renewable energy supply chains affect social and ecological systems and how lessons from previous eras of extractive development can help communities navigate today’s energy transition. He is particularly interested in how community values, existing power structures, and community engagement can contribute to a more just and sustainable future.

Patrick’s interest in environmental sociology began during his undergraduate studies, where he became the first student at his university to combine a sociology degree with a minor in environmental sciences. A lifelong lover of the outdoors and environmental stewardship, he has also worked in conservation and the renewable energy sector, experiences that deepened his interest in understanding both the promise and unintended consequences of environmental solutions.

Patrick especially values the people and sense of community he has found at UT and throughout East Tennessee. After graduate school, he hopes to continue teaching while also pursuing community-based research that helps communities and governments respond creatively to a changing climate.

Advice to prospective students: Build community. Find people who support you, cherish those relationships, and offer that same support in return. Having a strong community can make all the difference in graduate school.

08/31/2026

Did you know that you might be eligible to get a Sociology degree fully online? Our online degree in Sociology is designed to fit your life and offer the same great education, community, student support, and faculty as our on-campus experience. Learn more about our online program:

Prepare for diverse career path opportunities with a fully online bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

08/24/2026

BridgesUTK is hosting this great discussion on Flock cameras.

08/21/2026

🎉 Faculty Spotlight 🎉

Stephanie Bohon joined the Department of Sociology in fall 2006 as an associate professor with a focus on research methods. She is currently professor and department head. She comes to UT from the University of Georgia, where she served on the sociology faculty beginning in 1999. Prior to that, she earned her PhD in Sociology and Demography from Penn State University. She teaches courses in methods, statistics, and population.

Bohon’s recent work is focused on solving a historical mystery. Specifically, in the winter of 1763-1764, a disease erupted on Nantucket that killed 2/3 of the Indigenous Wampanoag population on the island within a few days of displaying symptoms. Leading a team of eight scholars associated with the National Science Foundation’s Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Pandemic Expansion (APPEX), Bohon has been haunting the historical archives in Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Boston and conferring with members of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe as well as plant scientists and zoologists on Nantucket to try to understand what led to the tragic events of that winter. Solving the mystery provides a variety of benefits. First, it provides insight into how seemingly innocuous events and processes may result in deadly outcomes. Second, it allows researchers to test new ways of analyzing historical documents. Third, it provides new theoretical insights into settler colonialism.

Earlier this year, Bohon presented her team’s research at an international conference and is scheduled to present again at a conference this fall. Beyond this project, Bohon has funding from Jobs for the Future and the National Science Foundation to collaborate with Jon Shefner on creating and maintaining a labor market intermediary, East Tennessee Works, which brings together industry, labor, education, and community-based organizations to create better jobs.

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.