Sociology
Welcome to the Department of Sociology
The Department of Sociology has a long track record of training undergraduate students for post-college opportunities and graduate students for academic and research careers. Our faculty have national reputations and records of award-winning publications, research grants, and leadership of national and regional sociological associations.
We specialize in the study of social inequality. More specifically, our faculty focus on community and urban, health and medical, race and ethnicity, and gender and family. We encourage prospective graduate students interested in these issues to join us! Our urban location and proximity to six major hospitals make UC an ideal place to study urban and health issues, and Sociologists for Women in Society have consistently awarded us their seal of approval for gender scholarship.
Sociology founded The Cincinnati Project, which provides grants to faculty and graduate students to conduct research benefitting disadvantaged Cincinnati communities and the agencies that serve them. Sociology also co-founded the Ohio Policy Evaluation Network (OPEN). OPEN is an interdisciplinary research network that assesses reproductive health equity, access, and autonomy in the context of federal and state laws, regulations, and policies.
Finally, Sociology is one of 14 departments affiliated with the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center, which provides dissertation fellowships, summer funding, and money for research expenses.
Apply to our graduate programs!
Check out our new PhD brochure!
Upcoming Events
Our next speaker, Dr. Corey J. Miles, of Tulane University, where he is an Assistant Professor in both the Department of Sociology and the Department of Africana Studies. Dr. Miles, who studies Black performativity and carcerality, will talk about his forthcoming book titled Vibe: The Sound and Feeling of Black Life in the American South.
Date: October 2, 2026
Time: 3pm
Location: Taft Research Center, Edwards One
As part of her inauguration as a 2026-31 Taft Distinguished Professor, Dr. Erynn Masi de Casanova, department head in Sociology, will address The Value and Process of Comparison in Qualitative Research in conversation with an interdisciplinary panel of colleagues and scholars.
Date: October 9, 2026
Time: 3pm
Location: Clifton Court Hall 5280
First Annual Undergraduate Research Showcase
Our first annual Undergraduate Research Showcase put on full display the disciplinary knowledge and creativity of our advanced undergraduate students. Students presented their research on organizations (including corporations and non-profits) for feedback by faculty evaluators. The Capstone Competition featured six students presenting their research in just 3 minutes, using only one slide. Isaac Hill (pictured above) was awarded top presentation in that format. Podium presentations were given by thirteen students across three different sessions; Mia Ruggerio (pictured below) was awarded top podium presentation. Congratulations to all who participated for your stellar work!
Welcome to Dr. Kistler and Dr. Lu!
This year we are thrilled to welcome two new members of our department. Dr. Lisa Kistler, a Turner Postdoctoral Fellow, comes to us from the University of Kentucky. She will be working with the Ohio Policy Evaluation Network (OPEN) as well as pursuing independent research on topics related to social inequalities. Dr. Todd Lu joins us from the University of North Carolina as Assistant Professor. His research lies at the intersection of environment and labor, and he will be teaching Environmental Sociology this fall. Welcome to Bearcat Sociology!
New Books by Bearcat Soc Faculty
From left to right: Oneya Fennell Okuwobi, Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown, Steve Carlton-Ford
Department faculty members have recently published three new books. These works mark the culmination of a rigorous research and writing process and our colleagues’ concrete contributions to social science knowledge.
- Legacies of Injustice: The African Slave Trade, Colonialism, and Today’s Human Rights, by Steve Carlton-Ford, explores the lingering effects of colonization and slavery in today’s world (Routledge, 2024).
- Say Her Name: Centering Black Feminism and Black Women in Sport, by Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown, analyzes of how Black women are represented in public debates about sports (Rutgers University Press, 2025).
- Who Pays for Diversity? Why Programs Fail at Racial Equity and What to Do About It, by Oneya Fennell Okuwobi, examines the unintended consequences of diversity efforts in corporations, universities, and churches.