News archives
Congratulations to Edward White!
Congratulations to Edward White who successfully defended his MA extended essay titled "No Wilted Flowers: Gender and the Professional Kitchen."
May 15, 2013
Congratulations to Dr. Kate Butler!
Congratulations to Dr. Kate Butler, who successfully defended her PhD dissertation titled "Negotiating Citizenship Practices: Expressions of citizenship in the lives of youth in-care in Greater Victoria"
May 15, 2013
Congratulations to Naomi North!
Congratulations to Naomi North, who successfully defended her MA thesis titled "Jumping through hoops" Family child care in British Columbia: An Institutional Ethnography
May 15, 2013
Sociology graduate students update a Wikipedia page
As a group project for their Sociology 556 (Social Inequality) class, Edwin Hodge, Matthew Johston, Dustin Zielke, Rudy Scherban and Gaelle Nicolussi Rossi recently updated and referenced a Wikipedia page on Social Inequality - here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_inequality#Inequalities_in_Health
Well done everyone!
April 10, 2013
Doctoral Oral Examination Announcement - Kate Butler
Kate Butler, PhD candidate, will be defending her PhD dissertation on Monday April 22nd, 2013 (1:30pm, Social Science and Mathematics Building, Room A144). The dissertation is titled "Negotiating Citizenship Practices: Expressions of citizenship in the lives of youth in-care in Greater Victoria" For abstract and publication information, please click here
March 26, 2013
Student Workers Needed - Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Victoria, June 3rd to June 8th, 2013
This summer, University of Victoria will host the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. As part of Congress, the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) requires student workers to serve at the CSA table. The students will be paid $11 an hour and receive a complimentary pass to Congress. As the CSA coordinator puts it, “The student would assist my team at the CSA info booth, checking in Conference participants, trouble shooting, monitoring session attendance etc. There are quiet times during the day so the student would be welcome to attend and observe the sessions. He or she would also be welcome to attend sessions on days when not scheduled to work for us.” The schedule will be as follows:
| Monday, June 3: 9am-1pm |
| Tuesday, June 4: 8:30am-1pm |
| Wednesday, June 5: 11am-2:30pm |
| Saturday, June 8: 8:30am-3:00pm |
Any interested students should contact Kevin Walby at kwalby@uvic.ca
February 20, 2013
"The Great Punishment Experiment: The Rise and Fall of the Punishment Imperative" A Talk by Dr. Todd Clear (Dean of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University
Between 1973 and 2008, the United States experienced the greatest and most sustained rise in incarceration rates ever observed in a democratic nation. Beginning in 2009, rates of imprisonment and community penalties started to decline. This talk explores the reasons why incarceration rates increased and the dynamics behind the recent decline in the size of the penal population. Conceptualized as a "great social experiment", the lecture explores whether the current change in incarceration patterns signifies a long-term shift in penal practice.
Tuesday 29 January 2013 - 6:30pm, Hickman Building Room 105
All are welcome - Free admission
January 10, 2013
CSRS Public Lecture Series: Exilic Meditations: Reflections on Displacement and the Impossibility of Return
Speaker: Peyman Vahabzadeh
Finding one's place on this globe of exiles requires deep reflection on origins, borders, horizons, cultures, and above all, the concept of home. We are all thrown into this life and can only make sense of it by reflecting on the place through which we make a claim to life. This saga is a collective one and can only be approached through a specific form of dialogue that disregards the sovereign’s regulative claim to hospitality as the generalized condition of humanity. The lecture will highlight some strange aspects of displacement through autobiographical and conceptual reflections.
Peyman Vahabzadeh is an associate professor of sociology at University of Victoria. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and books including Articulated Experiences: Toward a Radical Phenomenology of Contemporary Social Movements (2003); A Guerrilla Odyssey: Modernization, Secularism, Democracy and the Fadai Period of National Liberation in Iran, 1971-1979 (2010); Exilic Meditations: Essays on a Displaced Life (forthcoming); and six books in Persian. His essays, short stories, poems, memoirs and interviews have been published in English, Persian, German
This lecture will take place on January 17, 2013, from 4:30-5:30pm in the Social Sciences & Mathematics Building (SSM), A110. This lecture is free and open to the public.
December 19, 2012
Senior Instructor position available - Deadline 8 February 2013
The Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, invites applications for a Senior Instructor to teach undergraduate courses in introductory sociology and Canadian society. The successful applicant will also have experience in and be willing to teach courses in one or more of the following areas: methods, theory, deviance, health, social justice, media/popular culture, social inequality, and family.
The appointment will begin 1 July 2013.
The successful applicant will be appointed as a full-time regular faculty member in the Department of Sociology. Responsibilities for this position include teaching 8 semester-long courses per year. Courses may be spread across fall, spring, and summer terms. The Senior Instructor will take a lead role in coordinating the introductory sociology program.
For more information, please click here.
December 13, 2013
Masters Oral Examination Announcement - Sean Browning
Sean Browning, MA candidate, will be defending his MA thesis on Friday December 14th, 2012 (2:00pm, Cornett Building, Room A317). The thesis is titled "Economic Capital, Social Capital and Health in Middle and Later Life"
November 26, 2012
Masters Oral Examination Announcement - Daniel Hoxsey
Daniel Hoxsey, MA candidate, will be defending his MA thesis on Wednesday December 12th, 2012 (12:30pm, Cornett Building, Room A317). The thesis is titled "Whose Pride? An Institutional Ethnography on Participating in Toronto's Pride Parade"
November 26, 2012
Masters Oral Examination Announcement - Drew Farrance
Drew Farrance, MA candidate, will be defending his MA thesis on Tuesday December 11th, 2012 (11:00am, Cornett Building, Room A317). The thesis is titled "A Taste for cigarettes: tobacco smoking as cultural capital in the working class symbolic economy."
November 13, 2012
Masters Extended Essay Oral Examination Announcement - Flavia Yanase
Flavia Yanase, MA candidate, will be defending her MA extended essay on Friday December 14th, 2012 (10:00am, Cornett Building, Room A317). The extended essay is titled "Socioeconomic Attainment of Asian Canadians: An Assessment of 'Model Minority Hypothesis'
November 13, 2012
50th anniversary panel event: Five Years Into the Crisis
The Faculty of Social Sciences has announced its first 50th anniversary panel event "Five Years Into the Crisis: What Lies Ahead?" The panel event will explore the origins of the global economic crisis, the prospects of both current and possible responses, and the implications of the crisis for Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world.
November 8, 2012
Masters Extended Essay Oral Examination Announcement - Carren Dujela
Carren Dujela, MA candidate, will be defending her MA extended essay on Tuesday November 20th, 2012 (1:00pm, Cornett Building, Room A340). The extended essay is titled "Constructing Dementia Caregiving as a Positive Experience."
November 7, 2012
Neena Chappell awarded the 2012 Betty Havens Prize for Knowledge Translation in Aging
Congratulations to Dr. Neena Chappell, who was awarded the 2012 Betty Havens Prize for Knowledge Translation in Aging by CIHR. The prize, valued at $50,000, was announced at the Annual Meetings of the Canadian Assocaition of Gerontology, held this past weekend in Vancouver. You will find the story on the following website: http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/45976.html
October 23, 2012
New 2013 Summer Sessional job postings
The Department of Sociology invites applications to deliver the following 1.5-unit Sociology courses during the 2013 Summer Session:
SOCI 103 (Canadian Society) M-F, 10:30am-12:20pm, 8-30 July
SOCI 310 (Religion in Society) MW, 9:30am-11:50am, 8 July – 22 August
SOCI 320 (Mass Media and Popular Culture) TTh, 6:30pm-8:50pm, 1 May - 27 June
SOCI 345 (Sociology of Mental Health) MW, 1:00pm-3:20pm, 8 July – 22 August
SOCI 450 (Sociology and Social Justice) TTh, 1:00pm-3:20pm, 8 July – 22 August
Applications or expressions of interest should be received by Wednesday, 31 October 2012 at 12:00pm. Applications will be accepted after this deadline only if the positions have not been filled. Applicants who have not previously taught for the department should also arrange to have three letters of reference forwarded by the deadline. Submitted materials will not be returned. The application should be sent to: Sean Hier, Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Box 3050. Victoria BC V8W 3P5 (socichr@uvic.ca).
Download complete application details here:
October 22, 2012
"Every Twelve Seconds: Industrial Slaughter and the Politics of Sight" A talk by Timothy Pachirat
Timothy Pachirat (New School for Social Research) presents findings from research into the routine killing of animals for human consumption from the perspective of slaughterhouse employees. Drawing on more than five months of undercover employment as a liver hanger, cattle driver, and quality control worker on the kill floor of a Great Plains slaughter-house where 2,500 cattle are killed per day, Pachirat explores not only the slaughter industry but also how, as a society, we facilitate violent labor and hide away that which we find too repugnant to contemplate.
4 p.m., 27th September, David Strong Building Room C116. Everyone welcome.
September 1, 2012
Doctoral oral examination announcement - Deborah Zornes
Deborah Zornes, INTD PhD Candidate, will be defending her PhD dissertation on Monday August 27th, 2012 (2:00 pm, Social Sciences and Mathematics Building, Room A144). The dissertation is titled "The business of the university: Research, its place in the 'business', and the role of the university in society." Abstract and publication information to be available shortly.
August 10, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Katerina Anastasiadis
Katerina Anastasiadis, MA candidate, will be defending her MA thesis on Wednesday August 29th, 2012 (2:00pm, Cornett Building, Room A317). Her thesis is titled "The Case of High Unemployment Among Young Post-Secondary Graduates in Greece and the Context of the Greek Fiscal Crisis"
August 10, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Rebecca Morris
Rebecca Morris, MA candidate, will be defending her MA thesis on Tuesday August 28th, 2012 (1:30pm, Cornett Building, Room A317). Her thesis is titled "Exploring the Caregiving Attitudes of Adult Stepchildren and the Expectations of Older Stepparents
August 10, 2012
Bill Carroll Makes Top 25 on Outstanding Academic Titles
Bill Carroll’s The Making of a Transnational Capitalist Class has been selected by Choice as one of its top 25 books reviewed in 2011. http://www.cro2.org/default.aspx?page=reviewdisplay&pids=3696259#boo
The Top 25 is a subset of the list of Outstanding Academic Titles that Choice publishes each year. The longer list includes about 10 percent of the 7000 books Choice reviews in a year: http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/outstandingJuly 11,2012
Margaret Penning and Uvic Colleagues Awarded CIHR Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Margaret Penning and Drs. Denise Cloutier-Fisher (Geography), Stuart MacDonald (Psychology), and Francis Lau (Health Information Science) for receiving a 3-year Partnerships for Health System Improvement Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The project is called “Transitions and Trajectories in Late Life Care: Patterns and Predictors.”
June 21, 2012
Helga Hallgrimsdottir and Colleague Awarded SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Helga Hallgrimsdottir and Dr. Emmanuel M.D. Brunet-Jailly (University of Victoria) for receiving an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The project is called "The ICESAVE dispute: grassroots activism, participatory governance, and the mobilization of resistance in Iceland, 2008-2011."
June 19, 2012
Kevin Walby and Colleague Awarded SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Congratulations to Kevin Walby and Justin Piché (University of Ottawa) for receiving an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The project is called "A Culture of Penality? Meanings of Incarceration and Punishment in Canada's Penal Tourism Museums."
June 18, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Jeff Doctor
Jeff Doctor, MA candidate, will be defending his MA thesis on Thursday June 28th, 2012 (12:30pm, Cornett Building, Room A340). His thesis is titled "Peak Oil: Diverging Discursive Pipelines"
June 15, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Geoffrey Zachernuk
Geoffrey Zachernuk, MA candidate, will be defending his MA thesis on Friday June 29th, 2012 (10:00am, Cornett Building, Room A317). The thesis is title "Spirituality, Religion and Mental Health among Canadians"
June 15, 2012
Researcher Coordinator Position Available - Transitions and Trajectories in Late Life Care Project
The Transitions and Trajectories in Late Life Care Project will examine older adults movements as clients and/or residents of home care, assisted living and/or long-term residential care. In collaboration with health care decision-makers and drawing on administrative data from the Fraser Health Authority in the province of British Columbia, two research questions will be addressed: 1). What are the most common transitions and trajectories experienced by older adults transitioning between various forms of long-term care (e.g., home care, assisted living, residential care)? 2). How do individual factors (social, psychosocial, health) influence these transitions and trajectories? A better understanding of the patterns that emerge and the factors that influence these care transitions is critical for enhancing the quality of life of older adults and their families; and for developing recommendations and policy advice for health system improvements For more information, go to the Department of Sociology - Job Opportunities page
June 1, 2012
Daniel Grace - CIHR Research Poster Presentation
Congratulations to Daniel Graciel who has been nominated and will be participating in the CIHR Research Poster Presentation (as part of the Canadian Student Health Research Forum (CSHRF) in Winnipeg) on June 13, 2012.
May 2, 2012
Andrew Ivsins - Recipient of a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship
Congratulations to Andrew Ivsins, PhD Candidate, who has been awarded a CIHR Doctoral Research Award - a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship!
May 2, 2012
Daniel Hoxsey - Recipient of a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Scholarship
Congratulations to Daniel Hoxsey, MA Candidate, who has been awarded a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program Doctoral Scholarship!
May 2, 2012
Congratulations to Sheri Watkins!
Congratulations to Sheri Watkins for successfully defending her MA thesis titled "An Institutional Ethnography of Living with and Managing Multiple Sclerosis".
May 2, 2012
Congratulations to Camille Stengel!
Congratulations to Camille Stengel for successfully defending her MA thesis titled "Life choices and life chances: Pregnant and early parenting women who use substances"
May 2, 2012
Congratulations Dr. Daniel Grace!
Congratulations to Daniel Grace, who successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled "This is not a law: The transnational politics and protest of legislating a pandemic."
May 2, 2012
Congratulations to Craig Ashbourne!
Congratulations to Craig Ashbourne for successfully defending his MA thesis titled "Rules of Engagement: How Current Tactics Corrode the Relationship Between Progressive Parties and Their Bases, and Potential Means of Re-Mobilizing the Left".
May 2, 2012
Congratulations Dr. Connie Carter!
Congratulations to Connie Carter, who successfully defended her doctoral dissertation titled "Meth, Fear and Government: a Case Study of Political Pressure and Public Policy-Making In B.C."
May 2, 2012
Research Interviewer Positions Available - The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), University of Victoria Data Collection Site
The University of Victoria CLSA research team is currently looking for two Research Interviewers to conduct interviews either at the participants’ homes or at the University of Victoria CLSA data collection site located at the Gorge Road Hospital, 63 Gorge Road East, Victoria, BC. This position entitles scheduling interviews with pre-selected participants; confirming participant eligibility and obtaining participant consent; and conducting interviews either at the participants' homes or at the University of Victoria CLSA data collection site, using computer-assisted personal interview software (CAPI) For more information, go to the Department of Sociology - Job Opportunities page
April 26, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Sheri Watkins
Sheri Watkins, MA Candidate, will be defending her MA thesis on Friday April 27, 2012 (10:00am, Cornett Building, Room A317.) The thesis is titled "An Institutional Ethnography of Living with and Managing Multiple Sclerosis"
April 11, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Camille Stengel
Camille Stengel, MA Candidate, will be defending her MA thesis on Friday April 27, 2012 (1:00pm, Cornett Building, Room A317.). The thesis is titled "Life choices and life chances: Pregnant and early parenting women who use substances"
April 11, 2012
Doctoral oral examination announcement - Daniel Grace
Daniel Grace, PhD Candidate, will be defending his PhD dissertation on Thursday April 26th, 2012 (10:30am, Social Sciences and Mathematics Building, Room A144). The dissertation is titled "This is not a law: The transnational politics and protest of legislating a pandemic." For abstract and publication information, please click here.
April 11, 2012
Masters oral examination announcement - Craig Ashbourne
Craig Ashbourne, MA Candidate, will be defending his MA thesis on Monday April 23, 2012 (2:30pm, Cornett Building, Room A317.) The thesis is titled "Rules of Engagement: How Current Tactics Corrode the Relationship Between Progressive Parties and Their Bases, and Potential Means of Re-Mobilizing the Left."
April 11, 2012
Doctorate oral examination announcement - Connie Carter
Connie Carter, PhD Candidate, will be defending her PhD dissertation on Monday April 16th, 2012 (10:00am, Social Sciences and Mathematics Building, Room A144.) The dissertation is titled "Meth, Fear and Government: a Case Study of Political Pressure and Public Policy-Making In B.C." For abstract and publication information, please click here
April 11, 2012
Distinguished Women Scholars Lecture
Exploring the social as if it mattered: what it means to be a feminist scholar in the 21st century
Thursday, 22 March, 7:00 p.m.
Strong Building, Room C118
Event poster 
Bill Carroll awarded Community Outreach Award
The Faculty of Social Sciences selected Bill Carroll as the recipient of the 2012 “Recognition of Outstanding Community Outreach” award. Congratulations, Bill!
March 8 2012
A Lead Up To War? A Panel Discussion on the History of US-Iranian Relations and Iran's Nuclear Program
March 5 2012
IdeaFest: Passport to the Social Sciences - March 5 to March 9 Enter to WIN $500 grand prize
Pick up your passport at any department office or download and print the PDF. For more information, please contact sosccomm@uvic.ca. Unit General offices are as follows: ANTH (CORN B228), ECON (BEC 360), ES (SSM B243), GEOG (SSM B203), POLI (SSM A316), PSYC (COR A236), AND SOCI (COR A333).
February 28, 2012
Congratulations to Andrew Wender
Congratulations to Andrew Wender for earning the Gillian Sherwin Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.
February 9, 2012
Congratulations Dr. Kristine Votova
Congratulations to Kristine Votova. Kristine successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, "The Medical Pluralism Paradigm: Examining Patterns of Use across Conventional, Complementary and Public Health Care Systems among Canadians aged 50 and older"
February 9, 2012
Doctorate oral examination announcement - Kristine Votova
Kristine Votova, PhD Candidate, will be defending her PhD dissertation on Wednesday January 18, 2012 (9:30am, Social Sciences and Methematics Bldg., Rm. A136). The dissertation is titled "The Medical Pluralism Paradigm: Examining Patterns of Use across Conventional, Complementary and Public Health Care Systems among Canadians aged 50 and older" For abstract and publication information, please click here:
January 12, 2012
UVic Centre on Aging Research Coordinator Position
The Centre on Aging, University of Victoria invites applications for a Data Collection Site Coordinator. This fulltime term position is for 1 year (based on length of grant funding) with the possibility of extension. The Data Collection Site (DCS) coordinator will report to the CLSA Victoria site principal investigator (PI), and will be responsible for the administration of the Victoria DCS and overseeing the collection of data obtained by the Victoria DCS on the comprehensive cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. The CLSA is a large, national, longterm study that will follow approximately 50,000 Canadian men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 for at least 20 years. This includes 3,000 individuals in Victoria. The study will collect information on changing social, psychological, biological, medical, and other aspects of people’s lives. These factors will be studied in order to understand how they impact the maintenance of health and development of disease and disability as people age.
For more information, go to the Department of Sociology - Job Opportunities page.
December 13, 2011
Application Deadlines for Masters and Doctoral Programs in Sociology
The deadlines for applications for the Masters and Doctoral programs in Sociology are as follows:
- Applicants requiring financial support: 1 February (for Sept. entry)
- Domestic/North American applicants not requiring financial support: 31 May (for Sept. entry)
- Overseas: 15 December (for Sept. entry)
For more information on the admissions process, please go to Department of Sociology - Admissions.December 13, 2011
Research Assistantships available in the Department of Sociology
Up to three 12-month MA and/or PhD research assistantships ranging from $10000-$12000, funded through a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) team grant, will be awarded in March 2012. The successful applicants will be employed as research assistants for the team grant Contexts of Vulnerabilities, Resiliencies and Care among People in the Sex Industry. They will work under the supervision of one or more of the UVic principal investigators on the team grant: Drs. Cecilia Benoit, Kevin Walby, Mikael Jansson and Rachel Phillips. Working with other team members, successful applicants will collect and analyze data on various aspects of sex work in Canada and thus must be able to demonstrate strong methodological skills and ability to work in a team-based research environment. The data gathered may be available for successful students to analyze as part of their theses/dissertations.
For more information, go to the Department of Sociology - Job Opportunities pageDecember 13, 2011
New 2012-13 Winter Sessional job postings
The Department of Sociology invites applications from qualified applicants to deliver the following 1.5-unit Sociology courses during the 2013/14 academic session. For a more detailed description of the courses, go to http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2011/CDs/SOCI/CTs.html.
In keeping with Article 13.01 of the Collective Agreement between UVic and CUPE 4163 (Component 3), Expressions of Interest are hereby sought from doctoral students, adjunct faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and sessional lecturers in the department, as well as other interested parties. Offers of sessional employment will be made from the pool of qualified individuals who express interest in teaching during 2013/14 Session. The positions are subject to availability of funding and attainment of minimum course enrollment numbers.
Fall Term (September-December 2013):
SOCI 310 (Religion in Society): Tuesday 2:30-4:20 and Friday 2:30-3:20;
SOCI 320 (Mass Media and Popular Culture): Tues., Wed., and Friday 9:30-10:20;
SOCI 412 (Sociological Explanations): Tuesday and Thursday 4:30-5:50;
SOCI 450 (Sociology and Social Justice): Monday 4:30-7.20.Spring Term (January-April 2014):
SOCI 281 (Sociology of Gender): Tuesday 2:30-4:20 and Friday 2:30-3:20;
SOCI 304 (Self, Identity, and Society): Monday and Thursday 10:00-11:20;
SOCI 481 (Feminist Theory): Wednesday 4:30-7.20.Applications or expressions of interest should be received by Friday 22 March 2013 at 12:00pm. Applications will be accepted after this deadline only if the positions have not been filled. Applicants who have not previously taught for the department should also arrange to have three letters of reference forwarded by the deadline. Submitted materials will not be returned. The application should be sent to: Sean Hier, Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, Box 3050. Victoria BC V8W 3P5 (socichr@uvic.ca).
The University of Victoria is an equity employer and encourages applications from women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, Aboriginal Peoples, people of all sexual orientations and genders, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of the University.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.November 23, 2011
UVic Social Justice Studies Annual Lecture: "Exit Environmentalism: Reflections on the past and future of a (failing) social movement."
UVic Social Justice Studies Annual Lecture is pleased to present: Dr. R. Michael M'Gonigle (Eco-Research Chair in Environment, Law and Policy) "EXIT ENVIRONMENTALISM: Reflections on the past and future of a (failing) social movement." With responses from Dr. Pamela Moss (Studies in Policy and Practice), Dr. Janni Aragon (Political Science) and Dr. Martha McMahon (Sociology).
The lecture will take place on Thursday October 27 at 7:30pm in Hickman Building Room 105, University of Victoria.
All Are Welcome - refreshments will be served at 7:00pmLecture description: Now two generations old, the environmental movement needs rethinking. Despite its many successes, it has failed to stem the rising tide of environmental erosion or to transform the forces that propel it. And now we are living in what many perceive as humanity's 'end times'. Meanwhile, the movement is being subsumed within a neoliberal order that its discourses and actions tend to legitimize rather than challenge. It is time to consider a new approach--an 'exit environmentalism--that can move beyond the bounds of our historic environmentalism to open up transformative economic imaginaries and radical political strategies.
October 25, 2011
New summer sessional job postings
The Department of Sociology invites applications to deliver the following 1.5-unit Sociology courses during the 2012 Summer Session (4 July – 20 August):
- Summer Term (4 July-20 August):
- SOCI 103 (Canadian Society): MWF 8:30am-10:30am
- SOCI 202 (Introduction to Social Problems): MWF 10:30am-12:30pm
- SOCI 305B (Families and Social Change): MWF 2:30pm-4:30 pm
- SOCI 307 (Regular and Social Control): MWF 12:30pm-2:30pm
- SOCI 310 (Religion and Society): T/Th.12:30pm-3:00pm
- SOCI 316 (Social Movements): T/Th. 9:30am-12:00pm
Download complete application details
October 25, 2011
WOMEN IN PRISON: Rebecca Reviere to speak at UVic
Dr. Rebecca Reviere will give a presentation on women in prison: mental health challenges at 2:30pm, Wednesday 05 October, in Harry Hickman Building room 110. A permanent resident of Canada, Dr. Reviere is on sabbatical from Howard University in Washington, DC where she is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology. She teaches a variety of Medical Sociology and interdisciplinary courses in Deathy and Dying/Writing and Food (with a biologist. Her undergraduate students recently won top honours in the Undergraduate Research Day.
Dr. Reviere’s presentation will discuss the mental health challenges that women in prison face, most often they are the same mental health problems that other women face, but at higher rates than those in the community or men in prison. Often these challenges begin long before prison, are complicated by drug use, and exacerbated by prison policies and lack of appropriate, effective treatment.
September 26, 2011
AIDS in Africa: Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale to speak at UVic
Dr. Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale will give a presentation on AIDS in the social context of epidemics at noon, Wednesday 21 September, in Cornett Building room B143. Dr. Maticka-Tyndale holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Social Justice and Sexual Health and is an honorary University Professor at the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at the University of Windsor, Ontario.
Dr. Maticka-Tyndale's presentation asks what sociologists can do to meet the globalized, social, and economic challenges posed by AIDS in Africa. The presentation will report findings from two projects combining academic research, development, medical testing, and mobilizing strategies to address the threat of AIDS in Kenya and Nigeria.
The presentation will be followed by a public conversation on interdisciplinarity, knowledge and policy in an international context, with Neena Chappell (Sociology, UVic), Michael Hayes (Health Research and Education, UVic) and Daromir Rudnyckyj (Pacific and Asian Studies, UVic). The conversation will be moderated by Cecilia Benoit (Sociology, UVic).
September 13, 2011
Laura Funk & Karen Kobayashi study relationships
Some couples live together, but sleep apart. Others live together and keep their finances apart. Now a growing number are living together, but not. UVic sociologists Drs. Karen Kobayashi and Laura Funk (who is now with the University of Manitoba) are conducting new research into the little-studied phenomenon. Yesterday's announcement has garnered extensive coverage, including the Vancouver Sun, The Province and online for the Montreal Gazette.
July 21, 2011
Vahabzadeh Live!
Peyman Vahabzadeh will speak about "Iran: the Story of a Democratic Movement" on Friday, July 22, 2011 at the SFU Harbour Centre, Room 7000, at 7:00 p.m. Please email sgz@sfu.ca to reserve a seat for this event.
July 14, 2011
Cecilia Benoit Awarded Major CIHR Award
We are thrilled to announce that Professor Cecilia Benoit and her research team (including UVIC colleagues Kevin Walby [co-PI], Mikael Jansson [co-PI], Rachel Phillips [co-PI] and Helga Hallgrimsdottir [co-I) was awarded a $1.4m CIHR grant to study vulnerabilities, resiliencies and care among people in the sex industry.
July 6, 2011
Dr. William Carroll Wins Outstanding Contribution Award
Congratulations to Bill Carroll, the 2011 recipient of the Canadian Sociological Association's (CSA) Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Sociology Award. CSA President J.S. Frideres' awarding remarks pay tribute to Dr. Carroll's dedication, and the "depth and comprehensiveness and sometimes the ingenuity of research dealing with the topics he has chosen to focus upon. Readers of his work will find that it is enlightening and informative and he has made an extraordinarily brilliant and valuable contribution to Sociology." For more information on CSA rewards, visit their website.
June 29, 2011
Kevin Walby Awarded SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Congratulations to Kevin Walby and Randy Lippert (University of Windsor) for receiving an Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada . The project is called "A Comparative Study of Canadian Municipal Corporate Security Offices."
June 10, 2011
Congratulations to Kevin Walby and Colleagues
Congratulations to Kevin Walby and his research team (Sean Hier and Andre Smith) for receiving a grant from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. The project is called "Public Safety, Private Security, and Temporary Re-deployable Video Surveillance Cameras at Outdoor Public Events in Five Canadian Cities."
June 8, 2011
Congratulations to Cecilia Benoit and Colleagues
Congratulations to Cecilia Benoit and her research team (J. ANDERSON, H. HALLGRIMSDOTTIR, K. MACKINNON, L. MARCELLUS, and A. SALMON) for earning a recent CIHR award. The project is called "Treatment and prevention of illicit substance use among pregnant & early parenting women."
May 25, 2011
Dr. André Smith awarded an Alzheimer Society of Canada grant
Congratulations to Dr. André Smith who was recently awarded a grant by the Alzheimer Society of Canada to study the experiences of caregivers with a relative being discontinued from drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The study is particularly interested in how caregivers’ experiences reflect an evolving pharmaceutical discourse on the benefits and limitations of these drugs. The co-investigators on this study are Dr. Karen Kobayashi and Dr. Neena Chappell.
May 20, 2011
Krista Perrey Wins Sara Spencer Award
Congratulations to sociology student Krista Perrey who won a Sara Spencer Award. Krista receives a $1,000 research grant to aid in her research titled "Effective Knowledge Translation and Treatment Adherence Among People Living with HIV". The Sara Spencer Endowment supports applied research that focuses on the Victoria Capital Regional District. Krista is one of only five students from the social sciences sharing the 2011 $6,200 award fund.
May 17, 2011
Congratulations Dr. Michelle Bass
Congratulations to Michelle Bass. Michelle successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, Living Under the Shadow of Stigma: Sex Workers' Accounts.
May 10, 2011
New Faculty SSHRC Awards
Congratulations to Bill Carroll, Zheng Wu, Feng Hou, Barry Edmonston, Sharon Lee, Peyman Vahabzadeh, Kevin Walby, and Sean Hier for obtaining SSHRC awards this year.
- Peyman Vahabzadeh, “Historical Sociology of A New Generation of Iranian Activists”
- Zheng Wu, Feng Hou, Barry Edmonston, and Sharon Lee, “Intermarriage in Canada, 1981-2006”
- Bill Carroll, “Alternative Policy Groups and Global Civil Society: Networks, Discourses and Practices of Counter-Hegemony”
- Sean Hier and Kevin Walby, “The Institutionalization of Streetscape Video Surveillance in Canada”
April 7, 2011
Welcome New Senior Instructor: Don Fetherston
Don Fetherston joins the department as a Senior Instructor. Don previously enjoyed an interesting law career, along with teaching and curriculum development experience in both law and sociology, at Mount Royal University, the University of Calgary, and the University of Hawaii. Don earned a B.Ed and an M.A. in Educational Administration at the University of Calgary. He also earned a law degree from the University of Alberta and an MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Don’s research interests are in the area of law and society, with a special focus on the legal rights of young offenders and social justice issues involving immigrants and other migrants. In the coming academic year, Don will be teaching several undergraduate courses, including many of our introductory courses.
March 28, 2011
Welcome New Tenure Track Faculty: Min Zhou and Kevin Walby
The Department welcomes two new assistant professors who take their posts in July. Min Zhou (Harvard 2011) specializes in global and transnational sociology, economic sociology, political sociology, and East Asian societies. Kevin Walby's (Carleton 2010) research interests include policing, crime, freedom of information, sex work and sexuality.
March 27, 2011
Camille Stengel Awarded Grant to Study Abroad
Congratulations to Camille Stengel for receiving a Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement award. The award supports high-calibre Canadian graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences abroad.
March 4, 2011
Congratulations to Laura Funk
Laura Funk, a graduate of our PhD program, has been appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba. Laura will be developing a program of research addressing the intersection of responsibility, health and care/support across the life course.
February 25, 2011
Dr. Karen Kobayashi Awarded Michael Smith Foundation Grant
Congratulations to Dr. Karen Kobayashi who was recently awarded $225 000 by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Dr. Kobayashi is leading a research team that will investigate how the Care Delivery Model (i.e., changing the nursing staff mix, funding methodology, direct care hours) affects the quality of care delivered and received in residential care facilities operated by the Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia. Team members include Denise Cloutier-Fisher (Geography-UVIC), Kelli Stajduhar (Nursing-UVIC), Heather Cook, Executive Director of Residential Care and Assisted Living for the Fraser Health Authority, and Gina Gaspard, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Residential Care and Assisted Living for the Fraser Health Authority.
February 7, 2011
Bureau of Sociology Students (BOSS) Inaugurated
The Department of Sociology welcomes the newly-formed undergraduate sociology students' union — The Bureau of Sociology Students (BOSS).
BOSS is a collective of students from the Sociology Department at the University of Victoria. As a student-run organization governed by UVSS policy, our aim is to promote the study of sociology, to foster a sense of community on campus, and to create a positive and inclusive environment for sociology students by promoting both social and academic experiences. BOSS coordinates a number of events throughout the year, including movie nights, study groups, mixers and pub crawls, and organizes group attendance at lectures and information sessions.
Working with the faculty and staff, BOSS hopes to provide sociology students with the resources needed to succeed at the undergraduate level and beyond. The Bureau of Sociology Students is a great way to become involved on campus and offers students a forum to engage with sociologically relevant material outside the classroom.
Membership is open to any and all students taking an undergraduate-level sociology class during the year. Executives are elected at the Annual General Meeting and regular meetings are open to all members. To contact BOSS, join the Facebook group or send an email.
February 1, 2011
Recent Graduate Student Publications
Hoxsey, Dann. 2010. "Are Happy Employees Healthy Employees? Researching the Effects of Employee Engagement on Absenteeism." Canadian Public Administration, 53(4): 551-571.
Wilkinson, Blair. 2010. “Capturing Crime, Criminals and the Public’s Imagination: Assembling Crime Stoppers and CCTV surveillance.” Crime, Media, Culture, 6 (2): 131-52. (with Randy Lippert)
Lett, Dan. 2010. “CCTV Surveillance and the Civic Conversation: A Case Study in Public Sociology. ” Canadian Journal of Sociology, 35 (3): 437-62. (with Sean Hier and Kevin Walby)
January 28, 2011
Congratulations to our recent PhD graduate - Rachel Phillips.
Rachel Phillips's research was featured in the November 2010 edition of the Ring paper: "PhD grad's compassion shines a light on 'stigma' http://ring.uvic.ca/10nov/phillips.html
December 20, 2010
Congratulations to Dr. Cecilia Benoit - CIHR grant award recipient
Dr. Cecilia Benoit (as principle investigator), Dr. Helga Hallgrimsdottir (a co-investigator) along with J. Spencer, L. Marcellus, K. Anderson and K. MacKinnon. "Interventions to promote health and healthy equity for pregnant and early parenting women facing substance use and other challenges."
December 15, 2010
Faculty of Social Sciences on YouTube and Facebook
The Faculty of Social Sciences now has a presence on Facebook: search for University of Victoria - Faculty of Social Sciences. You'll need a login to access it, but you're certainly welcome to visit. The YouTube channel is open to everyone; no login required!
December 10, 2010