Faculty
Lisa A. Barnett
Associate Professor of Sociology
B.S.J., Northwestern University
M.A., Ph.D., Washington State University
Dr. Barnett's primary interest is in the role that culture plays in establishing and perpetuating social inequality, and she has published work in this area. Her other areas of interest include deviance/social control, popular culture, stratification, social psychology, and the functions of education in society. In addition to various introductory level classes, she teaches the department's courses in research methods, deviant behavior, and small groups, as well as a variety of special “topics” courses such as medical sociology. Dr. Barnett teaches in Coe’s Social & Criminal Justice program.
Alissa Boguslaw
Assistant Professor of Sociology
B.A., University of Minnesota
M.A., Ph.D., The New School for Social Research
Dr. Boguslaw specializes in sociological theory, with an interest in how relationships of power shape political and cultural meanings and practices. She has published on topics such as contested national symbols; sovereignty and statehood; and collective memory in the aftermath of violent conflicts. In addition to theory, she teaches social change, political sociology, sociology of religion, introductory sociology, and has recently taught topics courses on border walls and the construction of nationalism.
Julie Fairbanks
Associate Professor of Anthropology
B.S., Georgetown University
M.A., Harvard University
Ph.D., Indiana University
Dr. Fairbanks focuses on the ways that people display and maintain their identities, and her work has examined performance and memory in the Caucasus region of Russia, as well as the history of ethnography in this region. She is the coordinator of the Anthropology Program, and she teaches introductory, methods and theory courses in the program, along with courses on globalization, food, performance, memory and Russia. She and her students have worked with community partners on projects related to the environment and homelessness.
Katie Rodgers
Associate Professor of Sociology
B.A., Coe College
M.A., Rutgers University
Ph.D. University of Oregon
Dr. Rodgers specializes in issues of race, class, and gender inequality, focusing on how these inequalities show up in a variety of social institutions. She has published work on inequality in sport, news media, and higher education. She is also particularly interested in inequalities in the justice system and restorative justice practices. All of her teaching centers issues of power and oppression and includes classes on the family, globalization, sport, race, and sexuality. She also teaches the department’s senior capstone class.
Allen Fisher
Stead Family Professor of Sociology, Emeritus
B.A., Spring Arbor College
M.S., Ph.D., Purdue University
Dr. Fisher's special teaching interests are the sociology of the family, the sociology of religion, gerontology (the study of the elderly), and poverty in the United States. His most recent published research is on adoption.