Greetings! I am a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at Duke University (PhD expected May 2010).
My research and teaching interests include:
- Economic Sociology
- Education
- Inequality and Stratification
- Globalization
- Labor and Work
- Social Capital
- Sociological Theory
A uniting theme to my general research interests is a concern with how institutions influence the creation and maintenance of social inequality. My research has included attention to international economic institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, political institutions such as labor unions, and educational institutions, in particular elite colleges and universities.
My dissertation applies French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's theory of social and cultural reproduction to understand how social class background influences college experiences, achievement, and post-graduation plans at elite, private universities in the contemporary United States. This project is related to my work as a research assistant to the Campus Life & Learning project, a detailed panel study of Duke University students. A central focus of this project is to gain a better understanding of the black-white achievement gap that has been shown to persist from the primary through the post-secondary level.
