Dr. Whitehead comments on London's murder rate
Professor Paul Whitehead shared his expertise recently with the London Free Press in their story on Statistics Canada's report that finds London, Ontario has the 10th highest murder rate in Canada. The LFP article can be read at: http://www.lfpress.com/2012/12/04/london-region-has-10th-highest-homicide-rate.
Sociology mourns loss of undergraduate student
The Western community joins us in mourning the death of Nicholas Rene Lafleur, 21, a Sociology student who died Friday, Nov. 30 at University Hospital, London. On Dec. 4, the day of his funeral service, Western lowered the flag on University College in Lafleur’s honour. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Canada. Online condolences, memories and photographs will be shared at the funeral home’s website ... read more
Connidis elected Fellow of Gerontological Society of America
At the annual conference of the Gerontological Society of America, held in November in San Diego, Ingrid Arnet Connidis was elected a Fellow "In recognition of outstanding achievement and exemplary contributions to the field of gerontology."
Avison elected Chair of Council for Canadian Child Health Research
Dr. William Avison has been elected Chair of the Council for Canadian Child Health Research. The CCCHR was created in November, 2004, and represents all 17 Canadian academic health science centres with a focus on child and youth health. The CCCHR and its members support child health research in Canada, helping to ensure that all children and youth enjoy the benefits of improved health through the application of research findings. Dr. Avison’s term begins January 3, 2013.
Avison elected CAHS Fellow
Dr. William Avison has been elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Dr. Avison's election to the CAHS recognizes his international reputation in research in the sociology of mental health, his leadership nationally in support of health research, his commitment to training the next generation of researchers in family and children's health, and his contributions to the promotion of children's health ... (read more)
Sociology welcomes Professor Kate H. Choi
This year the sociology department welcomes a new faculty member, Assistant Professor Kate Choi. Professor Choi will be teaching graduate level statistics courses in the department. She received her PhD from UCLA in 2010, and most recently held a postdoctoral research associate position at Princeton University. Choi is a social demographer who studies ... (read more)
Grad Students Published:
Ph.D students Georgios Fthenos and Danielle Hryniewicz, with Professor Laura Huey, have just published an article on their research in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence: "'If Something Happened, I Will Leave It, Let It Go and Move On': Resiliency and Victimized Homeless Women’s Attitudes Toward Mental Health Counseling"
On workplace absenteeism and the perfect summer day
Associate Professor Wolfgang Lehmann was recently featured in a Globe and Mail front-page article about workplace absenteeism in Canada. Read the article online.
In memoriam
Professor Emeritus Benjamin Singer died on Sunday July 8th of a brain aneurysm, at the age of 81. Singer was an early member of the Department of Sociology who retired in the late 1990s. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters and two grandchildren. In the words of a former colleague Ben was “always interesting, frequently difficult, but never dull as a colleague.” He added a great deal of colour and life to the department for more than three decades. During his retirement, he touched a number of lives, always leaving a memorable impression. He will be missed.
McMullin named to top international post
Award-winning researcher Julie McMullin has been appointed to a five-year term as Western's first-ever vice-provost, international, commencing June 1... (read more)
Paper Award
Tracey L. Adams has won the inaugural Canadian Review of Sociology Best Article Award, for her 2010 paper entitled "Profession: A Useful Concept for Sociological Analysis?" The award is intended to recognize papers that make an outstanding contribution to the advancement of sociological knowledge. The award was presented at the Canadian Sociology Association Conference in Waterloo, Ontario.
In Memorium
Stephen Gyimah (PhD Western 2002) died suddenly on Friday May 11th at his home in Kingston. He is survived by his wife and children, and will be sorely missed by all of his colleagues and students at Queen's University, and those of us here in the Sociology Department at Western. On-line condolences available at http://www.webwoods.com/jrfuneral/obit.cfm?action=obitdetails&obitid=1648
Research by Dr. Rachel Margolis highlighted in papers worldwide
After Dr. Rachel Margolis' co-author, Mikko Myrskylä of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, presented at the Population Association of America’s annual meeting, their study results, showing that parents' happiness changes over time but is generally higher than childless counterparts, has gained widespread attention. Look at the articles... Read their working paper online at The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.
Hot off the presses!
Grad students Georgios Fthenos and Danielle Hryniewicz co-authored with Dr Laura Huey the article "'I Need Help and I Know I Need Help. Why Won't Nobody Listen to Me?': Trauma and Homeless Women's Experiences with Accessing and Consuming Mental Health Services" which has just been published in Society and Mental Health. In their research they reveal trauma experienced by homeless women and their ability to access counseling services. Read this article now at SagePub online.
SSHRC website features research of Dr. Danièle Bélanger
Read about Professor Bélanger's research on Asian women immigrants on the SSHRC website story "Increasing number of Asian women emigrating could impact Canada."
Dr. Corrigall-Brown comments on St. Patrick's Day Riots
An interview with Assistant Professor Catherine Corrigall-Brown about the London riots is featured in the CBC "Connect with Mark Kelley" Watch online (riot story begins at 0:21:40).
Dr. Whitehead comments on St. Patrick's Day Riots
Professor Paul Whitehead shared his expertise recently with the London Free Press and CBC Radio, providing sociological insight into the Fleming Drive riot in London on St. Patrick's Day. The LFP article can be viewed at the following link: http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/03/18/19519171.html. CBC's Ontario Morning Podcast from Tuesday March 20 is now posted, so you can listen online (riot story starts at 0:09:13).
CIHR Grant awarded for Longitudinal Health Research Project
Congratulations to Andrea Willson, Kim Shuey, Rachel Margolis and Laurie Corna! They have received a CIHR Operating Grant for their research project entitled, "Investigating health trajectories over the life course and across generations: A longitudinal analysis of the transmission of health and socioeconomic inequality from parents to their adult children."
Thesis Research Grant awarded to Annaliese Pope
Annaliese Pope (MA student) was awarded a Thesis Research Grant by the School of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies to aid in her fieldwork on La banda, a group of travelling musicians in western Mexico. Annaliese's thesis, supervised by Dr Scott Schaffer, will study the ways in which this group's position in Mexican society is structured by and resists forces of economic and cultural globalization. Congratulations, Annaliese!
Aisha Birani to join workshop in Spain to further dissertation research
Aisha Birani (PhD student) has been accepted on the basis of her dissertation research to a ten-day workshop on "Critical Muslim Studies: Decolonial Struggles, Theology of Liberation, and Islamic Revival," to be held at the Centre of Study for Intercultural Dialogues in Grenada, Spain, this coming June. This international workshop, featuring faculty such as Tariq Ramadan, Santiago Slabodsky, Ramón Grosfóguel, and others, focuses on the examination of Islam as an "epistemic decolonial perspective" offering solutions to problems facing humanity today. Participants include graduate students, post-doctoral students, and junior faculty from all over the world. Aisha's dissertation research, supervised by Dr Scott Schaffer, is an examination of traditions of Arabic social thought in light of the revolutions of the Arab Spring and will be greatly aided by her participation in this workshop. Congratulations, Aisha!
Watch RDC Brown Bag talk online
Katherine StCyr from Parkwood Hospital, Operational Stress Injury Clinic at St. Joseph’s Health Care London gave a presentation on her research paper "Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation among Canadian Forces personnel in a National Canadian Military Health Survey" for Western's Research Data Centre. If you missed this event, watch the recording of this talk at the RDC Brown Bag series page.
Hot of the Presses!
Danielle Hryniewicz, a PhD Candidate in Sociology, just had her article "Civilian oversight as a public good: democratic policing, civilian oversight, and the social" republished as a book chapter in Rethinking Policing and Justice: Exploring Alternatives to Law Enforcement edited by Luis Fernandez and Laura Huey. It was originally published in Contemporary Justice Review in 2011.
Ryan Broll, another Sociology PhD student, has a co-authored ‘All it takes is one TV show to ruin it: a police perspective on police-media relations in the era of expanding prime time crime markets forthcoming in Policing & Society
Michael Gardiner wrote two chapters, 'Phenomenology and its Shadow: Visuality in the Late Work of Merleau-Ponty' and 'The "Dictatorship of the Eye": Henri Lefebvre on Vision, Space and Modernity,' for the newly published Handbook of VisualCulture.
Population Change and Lifecourse released two new research briefs and a policy brief as part of their knowledge mobilization projects. Check out "The Changing Impact of Motherhood on Employment Across Generations of Canadian Women" and "An International Comparison of Lifetime Inequality: How Continental Europe Resembles North America" and the policy brief: "Should the Pensionable Age Be Increased?"
The Research Data Centre has just posted the lastest Research Highlight: "Does Access to a Family Physician Matter for Adolescents?"
Training in Longitudinal Statistics
Western’s NEW Summer School in Longitudinal Data Analysis offers courses designed to provide expertise in advanced statistics related to research questions that involve change over time. This summer there are four courses to choose from: Survival/Event History Analysis; Sequential Data Analysis; Introduction to R; and an Applied Introduction to Advanced Statistics. Each course runs for 3.5 hours over 10 days between July 9-20th. For more information, see http://www.ssc.uwo.ca/summerschool/index.html; or email Lorraine Davies at ldavies@uwo.ca.
In Memoriam
Audrey Joan (Mason) Russell passed away at University Hospital on January 4th 2012, in her 81st year. Audrey worked in the Sociology Department at UWO from 1971 to 1997, and is fondly remembered by former students, staff and faculty. Those wishing to make a donation in memory of Audrey are asked to consider the Trans-Canada Trail. Online condolences available at www.westviewfuneralchapel.com.
Allahar gives the Patrick Emmanuel Memorial Lecture at the University of the West Indies
Professor Anton Allahar gave the sixth Patrick Emmanuel Memorial Lecture on November 3 entitled "The English-speaking Caribbean: Fifty Years after Independence, are we Sovereign Yet?" Read the story from The Barbados Advocate.
Two Sociology promotions
Please join us in congratulating Laura Huey and Paul Pare on their promotion and tenure! Effective July 1st, both Laura and Paul will be tenured Associate Professors. Congratulations to you both!
UWO Postdoctoral Research Day award received by Dr. Laurie Corna
Dr. Laurie Corna, Canadian Health Institutes Postdoctoral Fellow working with Professor Andrea Willson, received an award for her research poster at The University of Western Ontario Postdoctoral Research Day. The title of her study is, “The Life Course in Context: Understanding Health Inequalities Among Older Adults in Britain.” Congratulations, Laurie!
Sociology Department Welcomes New Faculty
This fall, the Sociology department welcomed two new tenure-track faculty members, Dr. Catherine Corrigall-Brown, and Dr. Rachel Margolis. Professor Corrigall-Brown completed her PhD at the University of California, Irvine, after which she held a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on social movements and political sociology. She is the author of the book Patterns of Protest: Trajectories of Participation in Social Movements (Stanford 2011), as well as many articles. Professor Margolis completed her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on factors throughout the lifecourse that contribute to disparities in health and well-being. Her publications have appeared in several leading journals, including Population and Development Review, and Social Science Quarterly. Welcome Catherine and Rachel!
Schaffer survives theory bootcamp
After participating in the the Johannesburg Workshop in Theory and Criticism at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa in July 2011, Professor Scott Schaffer is now enthusiastically promoting the continuing discourse found on the new blog la sudificación del norte. He invites everyone to join in.
... and if you speak Japanese...
One of the talks given by Professor Jim Côté at Kyoto University in February has been posted on YouTube, but with the voice of the Japanese translators! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBrV0ZHnszM
Congratulations Ingrid Connidis and Julie McMullin!
Recently the Journal of Marriage and the Family published a virtual issuecontaining the 20 most highly cited articles published in the journal between 2001 and 2010. Ingrid's and Julie's 2002 article "Sociological Ambivalence and Family Ties: A Critical Perspective" (JMFVol 64) made the list. We congratulate Ingrid and Julie on this accomplishment. This influential article can be accessed through this link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2002.00558.x/full.
Scott Schaffer to join social theorists in Johannesburg
Professor Scott Schaffer has been selected to participate in the Johannesburg Workshop in Theory and Criticism, to be held at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa in July 2011. This workshop, the foremost site of discussion and collaboration between social theorists ... more...
William R. Avison named Editor, Society and Mental Health
In a March 1 press release, The American Sociological Association announced the creation of a new journal dedicated to research on the sociology of mental health and illness, Society and Mental Health. ASA has named Professor Avison editor of this new journal which will focus on the social origins of mental health and illness, the social consequences for persons with mental illness, and the organization and financing of mental health services and care. The first issue, March 2011, has just been released, click here for more information.
