Welcome to UB's Department of Sociology

Since 1924 undergraduate students from across New York State and beyond have come to the University at Buffalo in pursuit of a degree in sociology. Beginning in the 1940’s the UB sociology department began offering graduate degrees at both the MA and PhD levels. Over these many years thousands of undergraduate and graduate students have attended UB and through their investigations in sociology explored pressing questions related to contemporary social life, the processes of social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. More than 3000 undergraduate students have graduated from UB with a major in sociology since 1975. The department currently consists of 17 faculty members, 50 graduate students, and 250 undergraduate students. Our distinguished faculty have received national and international recognition for their scholarship, have published their research with top publishers including the University of Chicago Press, Oxford University Press, New York University Press, University of Minnesota Press, Routledge, and Blackwell as well as in highly ranked scholarly journals such as the American Sociological Review, Law and Society Review, Journal of Marriage and the Family, Social Forces, and Social Problems, have been awarded research grants from prestigious public and private organizations, and have won prizes for excellence in the classroom. The department provides solid foundation in sociological theory and research methods and concentrates in the substantive areas of Family and the Life Course, Law and Society, Race and Ethnicity, and Urban and Community. This is an exciting and growing department and I encourage you to take a closer look at the opportunities available in the department of sociology at the University at Buffalo. Please contact me directly (rgranfie@buffalo.edu) if you desire any additional information.

Robert Granfield, Professor & Chair

Recent Department Accomplishments

Professor Ellen Berrey has published an article, “Sociology Finds Discrimination in the Law,” in the May 2009 issue of Contexts. This an award-winning magazine, published by the American Sociological Association, shares sociological findings with a broad audience.

The Sociology Department congratulates Professor Michael Farrell for receiving the 2008-09 Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching. He will receive the award at the next Celebration of Academic Excellence ceremony, to be held at UB's Center for the Arts next April..

Professor Debra Street was the principle investigator for the Florida Assisted Living Study, an original research project designed to document and analyze the circumstances of individuals who receive long term care in assisted living facilties. A second peer-reviewed original research article in a series to come out of that unique dataset was published this month. The article is titled “The Effect of Licensure Type on the Policies, Practices, and Resident Composition of Florida Assisted Living Facilities” in The Gerontologist 49(2): 211-223..

Professor Kristen Schultz Lee's article, "Competition for Resources: A Reexamination of Sibship Composition Models of Parental Investment," will appear in the May issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Professor Sampson Lee Blair received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Celebration of Academic Excellence, held at UB's Center for the Arts on April 7. This SUNY award is granted to scholars who have demonstrated outstanding teaching ability through superb classroom performance, rigorous and innovative teaching methodology, and a superior commitment to mentorship and helping students develop their creative abilities and attain academic excellence.

Professor Steve Hoffman's article (with M. Prasad, A. Perrin, K. Bezila, K. Kindleberger, K. Manturuk, and A. Powers), "There Must be a Reason: Osama, Saddam, and Inferred Justification," will appear in the May issue of Sociological Inquiry.

Professor Steve Hoffman's article (with M. Prasad, A. Perrin, K. Bezila, K. Kindleberger, K. Manturuk, A. Powers, and A. Payton), “The Undeserving Rich: Moral Values and the White Working Class,” will appear in the June issue of Sociological Forum.

Professor Robert Adelman's article (with Charles Jaret, Ravi Ghadge, and Lesley Reid), "The Measurement of Suburban Sprawl: An Evaluation," will appear in the March issue of City and Community.

On February 20, 2008, Professor Ellen Berrey gave a talk at the University of Minnesota Department of Sociology, presenting her research about diversity ideology and diversity initiatives.

Please click here to read our archived accomplishments.

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