Graduate Students

This year we welcomed eleven new graduate students to Sociology@UCSantaCruz!

Dennis Browe obtained his MA in sexuality studies from San Francisco State University and his BA in philosophy from Binghamton University - State University of New York (SUNY). His research interests are in the fields of medical sociology, science & technology studies (STS), and sexuality and gender. Faculty Advisor: Jenny Reardon.

William Guerrero is an alum of the Sociology Department at UC Santa Cruz. His research interests are in affect, culture, subjectivity, mental health, and neoliberal capitalism. Faculty Advisor: Deborah Gould.

Theresa Hice Johnson obtained her BA in political science and Spanish from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. She is interested in researching race, class, ethnicity, and education. She is the recipient of an American Association of University Women (AAUW) scholarship for 2017-18. Faculty Advisor: Rebecca London.

Aki Kurosawa received her BA in human communication from CSU Monterey Bay. In the doctoral program she is interested in exploring the topics of gender, sexuality, sexual commerce, and feminism. Faculty Advisor: Julie Bettie.

Sarah Mason obtained her BS in Women’s and Gender Studies from Northern Arizona University. Her research interests are in automation, technological unemployment, social movements, work and labor. Faculty Advisor: Deborah Gould.

Marcelo Mendez received his BA in English and sociology from UC Santa Barbara. His research interests are in social and political theory (Marxism especially), global studies, and race. Faculty Advisor: Miriam Greenberg.

Saugher Nojan received a BA in sociology from CSU Sacramento and an MA in education from UC Santa Cruz. Her research interests are in critical pedagogy, sociology of education, sociology of race, ethnicity, immigration and religion. She is a Cota-Robles Fellowship recipient and a 2017-18 recipient of the Chancellor’s Graduate Internship Program (CGIP). Faculty Advisor: Veronica Terriquez.

Michelle Gomez Parra obtained her MA in sexuality studies from San Francisco State University and her BA in sociology and feminist studies from UC Santa Barbara. She is interested in researching the intersections of class, race, gender, and sexuality. Faculty Advisor: Julie Bettie.

Ankit Sharma received his MA in gender studies and M.Phil degree in Women's and Gender Studies from Ambedkar University Delhi, and a BA in journalism from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha. He is interested in the topics of gender, labor, global economy, and work processes. Faculty Advisor: Steve McKay.

Roxanna Villalobos obtained her MA in gender/cultural studies from Simmons College and a BA in psychology and feminist studies from UC Santa Cruz. Roxanna returns to her alma mater to research the topics of immigration, migration, political sociology, and race. Faculty Advisor: Veronica Terriquez.

Erica Zurawski received her JD in international law and BA in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests are in race and ethnicity, food equality, and urbanization. Faculty Advisor: Ben Crow

Undergraduate Peer Advisors

Now in our third year of the Sociology Undergraduate Peer Advisor Program, we welcome four new peer advisors joining us for the 2017-18 academic year!

Karla is a senior majoring in sociology. She started at UCSC as a transfer student from East Los Angeles College in January 2017. In addition to being a peer advisor in the Sociology Department, she is also a Resident Assistant (RA) for Kresge College. She has experience working with first-year students and experience advising students. She worked for four years for East LA College as a Program Ambassador and a Peer Mentor. Karla enjoys helping students to reach their educational goals. She plans to obtain a Bachelor’s in Sociology and a Master’s in Education. She hopes to obtain a PhD in education. Her ultimate goal is to become an educational counselor in a community college setting.

Alyssa is a senior majoring in sociology. She transferred to UCSC in the fall of 2016 from De Anza College. She has experience mentoring homeless youth and underserved and underrepresented communities. She plans on going to law school to become a criminal defense attorney. Alyssa hopes to bring equity and representation to a justice system that has failed the diverse communities from which she hails. 

Sophia is a senior majoring in sociology with a minor in education. She started as a frosh at Cowell College in 2014. Since then she has been actively involved on campus through her national philanthropic sorority while working multiple jobs, such as UC Santa Cruz’s GEARUP program as an academic intern, and as an AVID tutor for schools within the greater Santa Cruz area. After graduation she aspires to attend graduate school and attain an MA in education; she plans on working as either a college advisor or high school counselor.

Huzaifa is a senior majoring in sociology and politics. He transferred to UCSC in the fall of 2015 from San Francisco. In addition to being a peer advisor in the Sociology Department, he works as a research assistant for the No Place Like Home project studying the housing crisis here in Santa Cruz. His hobbies include reading, playing basketball, and roasting islamophobes on Twitter. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Islamic studies, and later a PhD in sociology with the goal of becoming a professor.

Graduate Student Achievements

Andy Murray published an article in BioSocieties on "Meat cultures: Lab-grown meat and the politics of contamination".

Julian Rodriguez, has been selected to join the first cohort of the UC Santa Cruz Graduate Pedagogy Fellows Program.

Want to be included in future announcements? Let us know.

Faculty Achievements

Chris Benner provided lessons of regional recovery from around the country. As the country's political and cultural divides appear insurmountable, Benner says hope can be found at the local and regional level.

Lindsey Dillon spoke to Ars Technica about how the US government is removing scientific data from the Internet.

Bill Domhoff was featured in The Atlantic in an article about the paucity of black CEOs; The Atlantic cited Bill Domhoff's book, The New CEOs: Women, African American, Latino, and Asian American Leaders of Fortune 500 Companies. Domhoff also published a new book, Studying the Power Elite: Fifty Years of Who Rules America? that presents a new, detailed analysis of the interplay of corporate elites on contemporary topics, including the privatization of public schools, foreign policy, agribusiness, and banking reform. Studying the Power Elite was praised in Beyond Chron for welcoming critique.

Miriam Greenberg published new book titled, The City Is the Factory: New Solidarities and Spatial Strategies in an Urban Age.

Miriam Greenberg and Steve McKay with students provided study results on "No Place Like Home: The Santa Cruz County Affordable Housing Crisis Report", that was produced in collaboration with the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County and Community Bridges, with financial support from the UC Humanities Research Institute, the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Humanities Research, the UCSC Division of Student Success, and the UC Office of the President, and others. The findings build on results of an earlier survey conducted of nearly 500 residents of the Beach Flats and Lower Ocean neighborhoods in Santa Cruz that documented similar levels of financial hardship. Read more on their survey coverage.

Debbie Gould was this year's recipient of the UC Santa Cruz Division of Social Sciences Golden Apple Teaching award. Gould, who joined the faculty in 2009, was recognized for her teaching and mentorship. Debbie is "deeply respected by her colleagues and students for her relentless commitment to teaching high-quality sociology graduate and undergraduate courses across the curriculum." Gould creates an open and inclusive classroom environment, and students value her as a passionate, inspiring, extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and approachable faculty member.

Rebecca London with Research Professor Rod Ogawa are helping launch the Silicon Valley Regional Data Trust, which will enable teachers, principals, social workers, public and mental health professionals, judges, and probation officers to share information in real time about students and the services they are receiving.

Steve McKay was honored as a “Community Hero” by the Community Assessment Project, a joint venture started by the United Way of Santa Cruz County.

Jenny Reardon featured in Radio National podcast discusses how just genomics and biomedical research is. Reardon also published a new book titled, The Postgenomic Condition: Ethics, Justice, Knowledge After the Genome.

Want to be included in future announcements? Let us know. 

Our research works to change the way people commonly understand the social and physical world in ways that move toward greater social justice. To continue challenging dominant social norms and structures that perpetuate social inequalities, we need your help to improve our programs and expand our reach. Your gifts make a difference!

Join us on February 28, 2018 for the second annual UC Santa Cruz Giving Day. Giving Day is a 24-hour online fundraising campaign through which we will raise funds for undergraduate researchers.

Want to give today? Donate now online.

2018 has been dubbed the Year of the Alumni! 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the first alumni association at UC Santa Cruz and we are celebrating! Check out the Year of Alumni website for details, and for a host of features on the great work our alumni are doing.

Sociology@UCSantaCruz Alumni, we'd love to hear from you! Tell us about any updates you have on your various achievements, careers, degrees, publications, awards or current research projects. Check out the Sociology website for more information on our alumni.