The Department of Sociology at the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP) has been an integral part of the academic landscape at Florida State University. As one of the oldest departments at FSU, Sociology was established in 1918 by Edward Conradi, Ph.D., president of the university, which was then known as Florida State College for Women (FSCW). When President Conradi created the Department of Sociology, he also hired Raymond F. Bellamy, Ph.D., who served as the head of the department until 1950. For about ten years, Dr. Bellamy was the sole member of the Sociology Department. In 1928, Coyle E. Moore, Ph.D., joined as the department’s second faculty member.
Today, the Department of Sociology’s Chair is Kathryn Tillman, Ph.D., who began her position in 2018 after serving as director of graduate studies. Dr. Tillman is also a research associate for FSU’s Center for Demography and Population Health (CDPH). Under Dr. Tillman’s leadership, the Department of Sociology has grown in both size and national reputation. The department comprises 26 full-time faculty members and boasts 11 faculty affiliates from across the university. Together, these faculty offer award-winning teaching and educational opportunities, produce research of exceptional quality, and provide invaluable service and expertise to the citizens of Florida and the local Tallahassee community.
Undergraduate Program
During the 2023–2024 academic year, the Department of Sociology had 262 students enrolled in the undergraduate program. The undergraduate program provides an integrative, effective environment for student achievement and career placement. Students are trained for various applied and non-profit professions. They are also prepared for placement into graduate and professional programs in social sciences, law, and business. Sociology undergraduate students take classes rooted in deep and engaging exploration of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Classroom discussions allow students to collaborate and learn from one another through guided interactions, leading to connections both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, sociology offers opportunities for high-achieving undergraduates to take specialized courses, including capstone, internship, and skills development courses.
They can also engage in research through Directed Individual Studies (DIS) and FSU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). High-achieving students are also encouraged to take honors courses, complete honors-in-the-major theses, and engage in honors society activities with Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), whose Alpha of Florida Chapter is sponsored by FSU Sociology. AKD offers opportunities to participate in leadership positions and engage with a network of students who share professional interests. Exceptional faculty are dedicated to facilitating this undergraduate program and mentor students. Numerous faculty members from the department have won college-level and university-level teaching, mentoring, and research awards.
The Sociology Department has recently developed several exciting opportunities for undergraduate students. Sociology students can now participate in a formal internship program and earn academic credit for internship placements. The department has also established the new Undergraduate Awards Program that recognizes excellence in research, writing, and sociological imagination. Over the past year, the department has offered more opportunities for undergraduate students to connect. In Fall 2023, students enjoyed a Taco Tuesday social event, and in Spring 2024, the department held a workshop for sociology majors on career opportunities and tips for graduate and law school applications. The department has also established a new sociology club, which will feature educational and social events as well as regular student-faculty lunches during which students can learn more about the faculty’s experiences in the profession.
Doctoral Program
The Department of Sociology takes special pride in its doctoral program, which was established in 1954 and awarded its first degree in 1958. The graduate program is ranked #29 among all public universities and #49 overall (U.S. News and World Report, 2021), and it is the top-ranked sociology program in Florida among both public and private institutions. With 47 Ph.D. students during the 2022-2023 academic year1, the doctoral program is training the next generation of academics, instructors in higher education, applied research scientists, and leaders in government agencies and the non-profit sector.
The department encourages graduate students to engage in cutting-edge research that not only improves academics’ understanding of social problems but also has implications for policy and civic engagement in the real world. Faculty and students collaborate on research in ways that inspire excellence, as is evidenced by the over 100 student-faculty co-authored publications in the past five years.
Students in the program specialize in one of three broad areas of sociological study: Demography, Health and Aging, and Inequalities and Social Justice. In addition to a wide array of courses on substantive topics of importance within these areas, the doctoral program includes advanced training on many topics. These include qualitative and quantitative research methods, opportunities for paid research and teaching assistantships, access to tuition waivers, and funds for professional development and research-related expenses. The program also provides a robust series of professionalization and employment-related workshops and a program for learning how to teach at the college level. Over the past six years, the department has had a 100 percent placement rate for Ph.D. graduates into relevant professional positions.
Affiliated Centers and Programs
The Sociology Department has a strong national reputation and boasts numerous faculty who have won internal and external awards for research, teaching, and service. Its members are highly productive in terms of publications and grants. Among 118 public and private sociology programs nationwide, FSU Sociology ranks in the top quintile with the number of publications and grants per faculty member (The National Research Council). In addition to their position within the department, many of the faculty are also affiliated with at least one of the interdisciplinary centers and institutes and at least one of the interdisciplinary academic programs found within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, contributing greatly to the department’s resources and strengths.
Sociology faculty help to form the core of three separate research centers and institutes. The Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy (PIAPP), currently under the direction of Sociology Professor Miles G. Taylor, Ph.D., fosters research on an array of issues related to the social aspects of aging and their implications for public policy. The Claude Pepper Center, directed by Sociology Professor Dawn C. Carr, Ph.D., aims to identify policy solutions that enhance the financial, psychological, cognitive, physical, and social well-being of older adults and their families in the state of Florida and beyond.
The Center for Demography and Population Health (CDPH), headed by Sociology Professor John Taylor, Ph.D., which brings together researchers interested in exploring the causes and consequences of population trends, as well as the demography of aging, child and family well-being, and physical and mental health. The CDPH also offers the Master of Science in Demography, one of only a few one-year demography master’s programs in the United States.
In addition to these research centers and institutes, sociology faculty are core leaders and instructors for two additional interdisciplinary academic programs. The recently established Public Health Program, whose director is Sociology Professor Amy Burdette, Ph.D., confers degrees for both a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master of Public Health. In addition, Sociology Professor Katrinell M. Davis, Ph.D., is the director of the African American Studies Program, which offers a bachelor’s degree that takes an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary approach to the study of ethnicity, identity, human relations, and cultural dynamics.
Distinguished Faculty
Multiple faculty members from the Sociology Department currently hold distinguished and endowed professorships. Professor Anne Barrett, Ph.D., holds the Mildred and Claude Pepper Eminent Scholar Chair in Social Gerontology. A former Fulbright Senior Scholar, Dr. Barret’s research interests include aging, gender, and health. She recently was awarded an Outstanding Publication Award from the American Sociological Association Section on Aging and the Life Course. Dr. Barrett is also a former director of FSU’s Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy (PIAPP).
Professor John Reynolds, Ph.D., holds the Fraternal Order of Eagles Professorship in the Pepper Institute of Aging and Public Policy (PIAPP). Dr. Reynolds’ research focuses on educational policy, transition to adulthood, and race. He received an Award for Best Publication from the Sociology of Mental Health Section of the American Sociological Association. He is also a former director of the PIAPP and a former chair of the Sociology Department.
Professor Deana Rohlinger, Ph.D., holds the Mildred and Claude Pepper Distinguished Professor of Sociology position. Dr. Rohlinger’s research interests include mass media, political participation, and politics in the U.S. She received the William F. Ogburn Mid-Career Achievement Award from the CITAMS Section of the American Sociological Association. Dr. Rohlinger is also the current Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Community Engagement for the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
Associate Professor Mathew Hauer, Ph.D., currently holds the Charles B. Nam Professorship in Sociology of Population. Dr. Hauer studies the impacts of climate change on society and how migration induced by seal level rise could reshape the U.S. population distribution. His work has received international attention, with one co-authored piece earning recognition from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with its Cozarelli Prize for “outstanding scientific quality and originality.” Dr. Hauer also serves as the associate director of the Center for Demography and Population Health (CDPH) and was recently awarded the Early Achievement Award from the Population Association of America (PAA).
In addition to these distinguished professorships, Professor Emerita Jill Quadagno, Ph.D., is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Social Insurance. She previously held the Mildred and Claude Pepper Eminent Scholar chair in Social Gerontology.
For more information about the department’s current programs and activities, visit coss.fsu.edu/sociology. For more information about our college’s history as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, visit coss.fsu.edu/50th.