Summer 2025
Jessie Luna: author, zoo collaborator, and editor extraordinaire
Dr. Luna presented her forthcoming book at the American Sociological Association (ASA) conference in Chicago. Her book, The Upright Farmer: Racial Capitalism and Agricultural Modernization, is in production with Duke University Press and set to be released in late spring 2026.
Jessie published a few papers recently including a collaborative project with zoo scholars, zoo practitioners, and the director of the Seattle Zoo. Her research on the Denver Zoo was incorporated into the "Zoo Sphere of Influence" model for zoo design and evaluation.
While serving as an editor at the Journal of Agrarian Change, Jessie helped coordinate a set of forums to celebrate the journal’s 25th anniversary. This included a critical discussion of evaluating agroecology in conversation with agrarian political economy.
Jeff Nowacki sharing his expertise and research near and far
Dr. Nowacki published three new articles recently.
"Police Organizations, Fiscal Distress, and Police Employment Among Sworn and Non-Sworn Employees" in the American Journal of Criminal Justice
“Workplace fit and police leaders: Do race and sex matter?” in Police Practice & Research
“Structural Gender Inequality & Women in Policing” in Justice Quarterly with Dr. Tony Roberts
Doug Murray honored with Nautilus Prize and interviewed by ABC News Radio affiliate
Professor Emeritus Douglas Murray’s new book, We Can Change the World: Tales from a Generation’s Quest for Peace and Justice (Westview) has won the 2025 Nautilus Better Books for a Better World, Social Change and Social Justice, Silver Medal.
On July 17, 2025, Dr. Murray was a special guest on the ABC News Radio show, Moments with Marianne, to discuss his book. Listen to the KMET Southern California broadcast recording here.
T.R. Young's papers have arrived on campus just in time for our anniversary
CSU Libraries assisted us with two important milestones this summer after Tara Opsal received notice that a collection of T.R. Young's papers was headed to Fort Collins.
Mark Shelstad, Head of Digital and Archive Services for CSU Libraries, kindly accepted the delivery and also provided us with a timeline of CSU Sociology's history on campus.
Stay tuned for details about our 50th anniversary as a stand-alone department and to learn more about what's inside these important boxes!
Durkheim’s theory of "Collective Effervescence" in action
This fall's Department of Sociology retreat was all about resilience, progress, and connections — from boosting student success to strengthening alumni ties to lifting up our thriving community.
Last year at this time we began the process of collectively defining our strategic goals for the next five years. This year, we continued to build on that foundation — moving from ideas to action and from vision to impact.
Together, sociology is our superpower!
Please continue to submit your news and events to Sociology's Communications Coordinator. Thank you!