Announcements

Description

The Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M University invites applications for a full-time Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in Demography and Health with a nine-month academic appointment starting Fall 2025. We are seeking candidates with the promise of national and international prominence in demography and health. The successful candidate will be expected to publish, seek grant opportunities, teach undergraduate and graduate courses, and engage in service activities.

Texas A&M University is one of the largest AAU universities in the United States with a student population of approximately 70,000 and is consistently rated as one of the top universities in the United States, particularly on “best value” and “affordability” (https://abpa.tamu.edu/accountability-metrics/recognitions). Texas A&M offers a wide range of research and collaboration opportunities for faculty including the Texas Federal Statistical Research Data Center (TXRDC); Race and Ethnic Studies Institute (RESI); Women’s and Gender Studies Program; and Schools of Public Health, Nursing, and Medicine. Texas A&M University ranks in the top 10 university endowments in the United States and ranks among the top 10 U.S. public universities in research expenditures. It is a large research university in College Station/Bryan, a growing metropolitan community with attractive amenities and a low cost of living. It has close proximity to the large metropolitan areas of Austin and Houston.

The Sociology Department is large and intellectually robust with roughly 30 faculty members, approximately 500 undergraduate majors, and 70 graduate students. Our current demography faculty engage issues such as internal and international migration, racial and ethnic disparities, health, and mortality. We expect this hire in demography and health to enhance the depth and breadth of our demography faculty by exploring issues which could include but are not limited to social determinants of health, fertility and health, and health disparities.

Qualifications

Completed Ph.D. in sociology or closely related field is required at time of start date. All methodologies, theoretical perspectives, and areas of concentration are welcome. We are especially interested in candidates who conduct innovative demographic research that will augment existing research areas within the department and have the potential for external funding. The ability to teach undergraduate and graduate required courses and courses in population topics is desirable.

Application Instructions

Review of applications will begin October 7, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications are accepted online through Interfolio at:  apply.interfolio.com/152946

Interested candidates must submit:

(1) Cover letter.

(2) Curriculum vitae.

(3) Personal statement to include philosophy and plans for research, teaching, and service as applicable.

(4) Three confidential letters of reference.

Questions about the position may be directed to Dr. J. Kevin Barge (kbarge@tamu.edu).

Assistant Professor in Sociology of Health

Position Overview

The Department of Sociology at the University of Kansas (KU) is seeking a tenure-track
Assistant Professor in the Sociology of Health with a start date of August 18, 2025. This search is open in terms of research emphasis in the sociology of women’s health. We expect our new colleague to publish in major outlets, seek external funding from NIH, enhance our national and international research profile, and contribute to our ongoing effort to build cross-disciplinary connections with units across the University of Kansas and University of Kansas Medical Center. This position comes with the opportunity to collaborate with the newly established interdisciplinary NIH Center for Biomedical Research Excellence in Big Data-Women’s Health. The regular tenure-track teaching load is two courses per semester (four per year). Candidates should be capable of teaching effectively at the undergraduate and graduate levels in both in-person and online formats. For more information and to apply: http://www.employment.ku.edu/academic/28813BR

A complete online application for this position will include the following materials: cover letter; curriculum vitae; research statement; teaching statement and documentation of teaching experience and effectiveness (such as sample syllabi and student course evaluations); a writing sample; and names and full contact information for three (3) references whom we may contact.

Only complete applications will be considered. Application review will begin September 25, 2024 (at the earliest) and continue until a pool of qualified applications is obtained. 

Questions may be directed to the Chair of the Search Committee, Professor Jarron Saint Onge, jsaintonge@ku.edu.

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Michigan State University is hiring for two tenure-track Assistant Professor of Sociology positions in the area of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. Click here to learn more.

Michigan State University actively promotes a dynamic research and learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry. 

Position Summary

The Department of Sociology at Michigan State University (MSU) seeks candidates for two tenure-system Assistant Professor positions in Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. These positions are part of a new research focal area in the Department of Sociology within the College of Social Science that addresses present and future challenges connected to race, class, gender, and sexuality in the context of social identities, inequities, and institutions. These 9-month academic year positions begin on August 16, 2025.

For the first position, we seek candidates who investigate race and ethnicity, with preference given to applicants with established expertise in Black identities, experiences, and/or communities utilizing quantitative methods (including but not limited to demography and population-level research). Successful candidates will examine drivers of social inequities, resilience, and resistance over time and/or across geographic areas. Such drivers may include, but are not limited to, physical environments and built infrastructure (e.g., accessibility of healthy food and clean water, and safe and reliable housing, community spaces, and transportation), social institutions (healthcare, employment, media, religion, family, state/governmental protection and/or surveillance), and/or social and psychological factors (e.g., education, class, sexuality, gender, social movements, resilience, and resistance). The second position is open to candidates with established expertise in race, class, gender, and/or sexuality and open to methodological approach.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Doctorate - PhD in Sociology or closely related field by the date of hire.

Minimum Requirements

Successful candidates must have:

• a PhD in Sociology or closely related field by the date of hire;
• graduate training and emerging expertise in sociology of race, ethnicity, and/or color, preferably incorporating intersectional analyses and methodological approaches that also consider class, gender, and/or sexuality; 
• a promising research agenda; 
• commitment to rigorous and ethical scholarship; 
• potential for (and/or record of) securing extramural funding;
• demonstrated potential for (and/or evidence of) high-quality instruction and mentoring at the undergraduate and graduate levels;
• demonstrated potential for (and/or evidence of) effective service to the institution, leadership in the discipline, and/or engagement with broader publics.

Desired Qualifications

Preferred candidates will have:

• scholarly interests that connect with departmental strengths of health, medicine, and the body and/or environment, migration, and movements.

Required Application Materials

Applications must be submitted to the MSU Applicant Page at https://careers.msu.edu. Complete applications must include:

1. a cover letter;
2. a curriculum vitae;
3. a 1-page research statement that includes what position you are applying for;
4. a 1-page teaching statement;
5. a diversity and inclusion statement (a statement addressing how past/and or potential contributions to diversity and inclusion will advance MSU’s commitment to inclusive excellence); and
6. contact information for three professional references.

 

CLICK TO APPLY HERE!

 

Special Instructions

Review of applications will begin on October 2, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled. Questions regarding this position should be directed to Dr. Cliff Broman (Search Committee Chair) at broman@msu.edu.

Review of Applications Begins On: 10/02/2024

Website: http://sociology.msu.edu/

Department Statement

The Department of Sociology has three signature areas: 1) Health, Medicine, and the Body; 2) Environment, Migration, and Movements; and 3) Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. This position is part of a cluster hire to further develop this third signature area: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. Most faculty in the department perform research and teach courses across at least two of these areas. MSU sociologists have a rich history of interdisciplinary collaborations not only with other social scientists but also with humanists, physical scientists, and/or life scientists.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

SDA Member David Swanson has published the following article:

Swanson, D. A. (2024). Estimating the stochastic uncertainty underlying sample-based estimates of infant mortality in the Philippines: a first-time application to a country in the Southeast Asia/Pacific Basin region. Asian Population Studies, 1–18. https://doi-org.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/10.1080/17441730.2024.2398275

Abstract: Infant mortality is an important population health statistic that is often used to make health policy decisions. Unfortunately, these data are not available for all populations. A newly-developed method is presented for accounting for the stochastic uncertainty found in infant mortality rates (IMRs) estimated from sample surveys and for the first time applied to a country in the Southeast Asian/Pacific Basin area, the Philippines. The method is founded on the fact that there are two sources of variation in sample-based estimates of IMRs: (1) sample size; and (2) variation of infant deaths. The approach is aimed at taking into account stochastic uncertainty while preserving the information concerning the uncertainty due to sampling. In applying the method to the Philippines, the sample-based IMR estimates appear to perform well in terms of accounting for stochastic uncertainty. This finding is consistent with previous research assessing this approach in Africa and with variations, in Canada, Europe and the United States, which suggests that in the form presented here or in one of its variants, could successfully be employed not only elsewhere in the Southeast Asia/Pacific Basin region but in East Asia, North Asia, South Asia, and West Asia.

Call for Submissions: Issue on Relationships in Later Life
Journal of Elder Policy

The Editor-in-Chief, Eva Kahana PhD, of the Journal of Elder Policy invites abstract submissions for a Special Issue. Proposals should be emailed to the Managing Editor at kxb289@case.edu.

Important Dates:

• Deadline for Abstract Submission: October 15, 2024
• Deadline for Full Manuscript Submission: December 15, 2024

The Journal of Elder Policy invites submissions for a special issue focused on "Relationships in Later Life." As the global population continues to age, understanding the dynamics and impacts of relationships among older adults has become increasingly important. This special issue aims to explore a wide range of relationship dynamics in later life, including caregiving, intergenerational bonds, friendships, work connections, and other social and emotional connections.

We welcome submissions from researchers, scholars, policymakers, and practitioners that contribute to our understanding of relationships in later life and policies that relate to and foster these relationships. Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

• Love and intimacy in later life
• Intergenerational relationships
• Social connectedness and support networks
• The importance of friendship networks
• Work and retirement; examining the implications of work-related relationships
• The role of caregiving relationships

Submission Guidelines: Authors interested in contributing to this issue should submit a 500-word abstract outlining the scope, methodology, key findings, and policy implications of their research. Abstracts should be submitted via email to Managing Editor, Dr. Kaitlyn Langendoerfer (kxb289@case.edu) by October 15. All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed.

About the Journal: The Journal of Elder Policy is a peer-reviewed journal published by Wiley that features original interdisciplinary research on issues related to aging and policy. More information about the aims and scope of the journal can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/27677451/homepage/productinformation.html

SDA Member David Swanson's Concurrent Session has been accepted to be presented at the 47th Annual Conference conference of the Fulbright Association, taking place virtually on November 8 – November 9, 2024. The proposal was carefully reviewed by members of the Fulbright Association and the Conference Selection Committee, and it stood out as an excellent addition to the conference agenda!

This presentation is of a paper by David Swanson and Rich Verdugo: Population Aging in the Western Hemisphere: 2020 to 2050.

Session Title: Population Aging in the Western Hemisphere: 2020 to 2050 (SESS-4)

Session Date: Friday, November 8, 2024

Session Time: 2:15:00 PM - 3:00:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Session Format: Presentation - Live Zoom Style

Focus Area: Security and Diplomacy

Abstract: Aging populations have become a major focus in demographic research. We take a “macro” perspective on the future of population aging in a first-ever examination of the Western Hemisphere as a whole, which we have divided into four regions, The Caribbean, Central America, North America, and South America. We find that the Western Hemisphere is facing a substantial increase in the population aged 65 years and over. Although there is some variation across its four regions, the population in the Western Hemisphere aged 65 years and over is expected to more than double between 2020 and 2050, increasing from 121 million into 245 million by 2050, an increase of 124 million, (102%). Coinciding with the expected increases in the older population are decreases in both the pre-school (ages 0-4) and the school age population (ages 5-19). The pre-school population in the Western Hemisphere is expected to decline by 5.5 million (-7.4%) between 2020 and 2050 and the school age population by 18 million (-7.8%). We discuss some of the policy implications of these changes for the Western Hemisphere as a whole, its four regions and selected individual countries.

Swanson, D.A., and T. Bryan. 2024 “ Using Cluster Analysis to Identify Communities of Interest for Purposes of Legislative Redistricting: A Case study of Parishes in Louisiana. Papers in Applied Geography  (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23754931.2024.2346326)

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology has been found to limit  the kinds of communities that can in principle achieve political representation through redistricting because the process excludes “communities of interest” (COIs) that cannot be mapped. This paper shows how these limits can be overcome using empirically-based variables to define a COI in conjunction with an empirically-based classification system, cluster analysis. Our findings are not only relevant because COIs are important in redistricting, but it demonstrates that the limits identified in regard to the use of GIS-based technology in identifying COIs can be surmounted.

ScholarGPS celebrates Highly Ranked Scholars™ for their exceptional performance in various Fields, Disciplines, and Specialties. SDA Member David A. Swanson's prolific publication record, high impact of his work, and outstanding quality of his scholarly contributions have placed him in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide -- ranked #56 in Demography over the totality of his career. Congrats!

View Dr. Swanson's Profile

Dr. David Warner, Co-editor of Population Research and Policy Review, will discuss the journal at the 2024 Population Association of America conference. The "Meet the Editors" session will feature editors of several journals discussing publishing demographic research.

"The pandemic dramatically interrupted K-12 education for all students across the state and led to a range of academic, social, physical, and mental and behavioral health impacts. The Washington State Academy of Sciences (the WSAS) and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center (the Center) are engaging in a collaborative project to help researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and others understand the impacts of Covid-19 on Washington’s children and apply lessons learned to future emergencies. Together through this project, WSAS and the Center aim to understand the impacts of the pandemic on children, which can then inform the policies and practices needed to improve the long-term social, emotional, and educational outcomes of students, especially those disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in Washington State.  

In particular, the WSAS’s role is to review and synthesize the key research findings describing the evolving impacts of the pandemic on children in WA state. We will also identify where more research is needed to inform new policies, strategies, and programs. Tristan Fehr (cc’ed), an Associate Program Officer at WSAS, will be the staff lead for this process.  

Our next step in this process is to create an Advisory Committee of experts to oversee WSAS’s compilation of research on this topic, identify gaps in the research, and potentially recommend where new research is needed." On behalf of the WSAS, SDA Member David A. Swanson was invited to join this Committee. 

(text copied from email correspondence)