Sociology

My research and teaching interests are in the sociology sub-specialty areas of social stratification and inequality, gender studies, military sociology, and animals and society. At Gettysburg College, I teach in the Sociology Department and in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS) program. I received my BA with a double major in sociology and psychology from Keuka College in New York, and my MS in sociology (with concentrations in social psychology and social stratification) and my Ph.D. in sociology from Purdue University. After I received my first doctorate, I was a post-doctoral fellow in sociology at Yale University. I also earned my MA in religion (with concentrations in systematic theology and social ethics) from the United Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg and my D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry) from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. I am a military veteran, having served in both the U.S. Army and in the Air Guard and am a licensed lay preacher in the Episcopal Dioceses of Maryland. My research and teaching interests have focused on a variety of subjects with an interdisciplinary focus, especially the topics of women and other marginalized groups in the armed forces, and a new interest of mine: animals and society. My latest research looks at how assistance animals can be used in college settings, in pastoral care work, and in the military – and especially how therapy dogs can be trained and matched with veterans who are experiencing PTSD and traumatic brain injuries as a result of their military service. I have published a number of articles in professional journals and am the author of Women and Military Service: A History, Analysis, and Overview of Key Issues. Stay tuned for another book  (about assistance animals) that is in progress.