Sociology, Human Services, and Crime Studies Faculty & Staff

Gregory Fulkerson

Degrees

Ph.D. Sociology, North Carolina State University
M.A. Sociology, Western Michigan University
B.S. Sociology, Cognate in Environmental Studies, Michigan State University

Courses Taught

SOC 1001 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 1010 Social Problems

SOC 2008 Social Science Journal

SOC 2009 Social Research Methods

SOC 2600 Community Development and Planning
SOC 2617 Food, Society, & the Environment (GEOG/ ENSS cross-listed)
SOC 2645 Environmental Sociology
SOC 3009 Research & Analysis

SOC 4770 Population and Social Change

STAT 1010 Intro to Statistics

Research Interests

I am currently involved in research related to Community Development and Planning, primarily through the PLACES Institute. The Vibrant Communities Program is the basis for this research. I am also part of the research team studying the impacts of COVID on the local region (through ICIC and now CIRC). I am also continuing work in the area of Urban-Rural Sociology.

Selected Publications

Recent Articles:

Lasher, Emily, Fulkerson, Gregory, Seale, Elizabeth, Thomas, Alexander, Gadomski, Anne. 2022. “COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Political Ideation Among College Students in Central New York: The Influence of Differential Media Choice.” Preventive Medicine Reports.

Fulkerson, Gregory, Alexander Thomas, Michael McCarthy, Elizabeth Seale, Sallie Han, Kirsten Kemmerer, James Zians. 2021. “Social Capital as Mediating Factor on COVID-19 Induced Psychological Distress.” Journal of Community Psychology.

Thomas, Alexander and Gregory Fulkerson. 2021. “Urbanormativity and the University.” New Directions in Student Services, 1-8. DOI: 10.1002/ss.20361.

Recent Books:

Fulkerson, Gregory. 2022. Community in Urban-Rural Systems. Studies in Urban-Rural Dynamics Book Series. Lanham: Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield. In production.

Thomas, Alexander R., and Gregory Fulkerson. 2021. City and Country: The Historical Evolution of Urban-Rural Systems. Studies in Urban-Rural Dynamics Book Series. Lanham: Lexington.

Fulkerson, Gregory and Alexander R. Thomas. 2021. Urban Dependency: The Inescapable Reality of the Energy Economy. Studies in Urban-Rural Dynamics Book Series. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Hobbies and Interests

Dr. Fulkerson enjoys the outdoors, going camping, hiking, sightseeing, fishing, and kayaking. He enjoys running and participating in local and regional races, such as the Pit Run.

Beniam Awash

Degrees

Ph.D., Binghamton University

Bio and Background

Professor Awash earned his Ph.D. from Binghamton University. He joined the sociology department in 2018 as a tenure track Assistant Professor. He teaches a range of courses from the introduction to sociology to upper division and special topics courses. His research interest is on the environment and other issues of national and international security.

Lisa Curch

Degrees

M.A., Gerontology, University of South Florida, 1997
Ph,D., Gerontology, University of Kentucky, 2002

Courses Taught

SOC 1001 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 2640 Sociology of Food & Eating
SOC 2330 Aging & the Life Course
SOC 3520 Families & Aging
SOC 3500 Health & Aging
SOC 2580 Sociology of Health & Illness
SOC 2422 Society & the Individual
SOC 3560 Sociology of Death & Dying
SOC 3580 Social Policy

Bio and Background

Dr. Lisa Curch received her M.A. in 1997 from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and her Ph.D. in 2002 from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. Dr. Curch teaches courses in aging, medical sociology, social policy, social psychology, and sociology of food and eating. Her research interests involve social aspects of aging and health (particularly related to food and eating), residential/spatial issues of aging, and media and aging. She currently is working on research in representations of aging and older adults in television animation. Dr. Curch is the author of Food and Eating Experiences of Older Women in a Retirement Community: A Sociological Analysis (2006), in addition to several articles and presentations.

Research and Teaching Interests

Teaching: aging, death and dying, medical sociology, social psychology, and sociology of food and eating.

Research: residence, community, and aging; health behavior and aging; popular culture, media, and aging

Selected Publications

Curch, L. M. (2010). Gerontology examined: An interactive approach. El Cajon, CA: National Social Science Press.

Curch, L. M. (2006). Food and eating experiences of older women in a retirement community: A sociological study. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press.

Kirstie Kemmerer

Degrees

Ph.D. in Sociology, University of New Hampshire

M.A. in Sociology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

B.S. in Business Management, Kutztown University

Courses Taught

SOC 2807 Criminology

SOC 3887 Violence in Relationships

SOC 1001 Introduction to Sociology

SOC 2200 Sociology of Gender

SOC 2009 Research Methods

SOC 3009 Research & Analysis

SOC 4098 Senior Seminar in Sociology

SOC 4898 Criminological Theory

CRJ 1001 Introduction to Criminal Justice

CRJ 3730 Rural Crime

CRJ 3877 Gender and Crime

CRJ 2820 Corrections

CRJ 2827 Juvenile Delinquency

Research and Teaching Interests

I teach about and study gender, marital and sexual relationships, dating and domestic violence, inequality, rural violence, and criminality.

Hobbies and Interests

Dr. Kemmerer enjoys reading for fun, drinking coffee, taking walks, listening to true crime podcasts, snuggling her St. Bernard (Simba) and two cats (Lilo and Goose), and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Benjamin Kuettel

Degrees

Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, University at Albany

Courses Taught

SOC 2807 Criminology

SOC 3857 Drugs and Society

CRJ 1001 Introduction to Criminal Justice

CRJ 3807 Forensic Mental Health

Bio

Dr. Benjamin Kuettel joined the sociology department in the Fall of 2023. He earned his PhD in Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His teaching and research interests center on criminology, drug use and addiction, drug policy, the morality of drug use, community reentry, and life-course perspective. His work has been published in journals such as Justice Quarterly, Criminal Justice Review, and the Journal of Drug Issues.

Melissa F. Lavin

Degrees

Ph.D. Sociology, University of Connecticut
B.S. Sociology, University of Colorado at Boulder

Courses Taught

SOC 2807 Criminology
SOC 2867 Deviant Behavior
SOC 3857 Drugs and Society
CRJ 2827 Juvenile Delinquency
CRJ 3870 Police and Society
CRJ 3807 Race, Crime, and Justice
CRJ 1001 Introduction to Criminal Justice
SOC 1001 Introduction to Sociology
CRJ 3877 Gender and Crime

Bio and Background

Melissa F. Lavin received her B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. She is an advisory editor for the journal Deviant Behavior and Secretary for the Association for Humanist Sociology. Her research interests include crime and deviance, sociological psychology and symbolic interaction, gender and sexuality, and qualitative methods. Dr. Lavin teaches diverse courses in sociology and criminal justice, including police and society, criminology, drugs and society, and gender and crime. She is the adviser to the criminal justice honor society, and is affiliated faculty with women and gender studies.

Selected Publications

Lavin, Melissa F. and Graham Cassano, Barb Gurr, and Christine Zozula. (Editors). 2022. Special Issue, Introduction entitled “Teaching apocalypse, now.” Teaching Sociology, October 2022. Equal editorship.

Lavin, Melissa F. 2021. “On Spiritualist Workers: Healing and Divining through Tarot and the Metaphysical.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 50:3. 317-340.

Lavin, Melissa F. and Christine Zozula. 2020. Special Issue, Introduction entitled “Deviance the Undead: Contemporary Deviancy and Social Movements,” Deviant Behavior, 41:7. 285-287. Equal editorship.

Lavin, Melissa F. and Medora W. Barnes. 2020. “Normalizing Deviants: Notes on the DeStigma Trend.” In Special Issue of Deviant Behavior, 41:7. 828-840.

Zozula, Christine and Melissa F. Lavin. 2020. “Frame Analysis and Deviance Scholarship: Exploring Links Through Drugs and Guns.” In Special Issue of Deviant Behavior, 41:7. 856-867.

Lavin, Melissa F. 2017. “She Got Herself There: Narrative Resistance in the Drug Discourse of Strippers.” Deviant Behavior, 38:3. 294-305.

Lavin, Melissa F. 2017. “Rebellious Publishing in the Aspiring Sciences.” Theory in Action, 38:10. 52-63.

Lavin, Melissa F. 2016. “They Call Us Problem Child: Medicalization, Delinquency, and Social Class in Primary Education.” Deviant Behavior, 37:11. 1276-1287.

Lavin, Melissa F. 2014. “If You Want It, You Can Get It Right Here: Space and Drug Use in Strip Clubs.” Humanity and Society, 38:2. 132-157.

Lavin, Melissa F. 2013. “Rule-Making and Rule-Breaking: Strip Club Social Control Regarding Alcohol and other Drugs.” Deviant Behavior, 34:5. 361-383.

Ho Hon Leung

Degrees

Ph.D. in Sociology, McGill University, Canada

Bio and Background

Ho Hon Leung received his Ph.D. in Sociology from McGill University, Canada. His main research areas include ethnic studies, immigration and immigrants, comparative ethnic aging. He recently develops a research interest in ethnic identity and architecture. Collaborated with Raymond Lau, an architect in London, UK, he has research projects in Canada, US, Hong Kong, Greece, China, and Macau. He is the co-editor of a book entitled Investigating Diversity: Race, Ethnicity, and Beyond (Linton Atlantic Books, Ltd, 2008) He is also the chair of steering committee of Center for Social Science Research, which encourages multi- and inter- disciplinary studies on a wide range of topics.

Brian M. Lowe

Degrees

Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Virginia

BAH and Master’s in Sociology, Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario

Bio and Background

Brian M. Lowe received his BAH and Master’s in Sociology from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario and his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Lowe’s research and teaching interests include sociological theories, animal and society, cultural and comparative-historical sociology and spectacular conflicts. He is the author of Emerging Moral Vocabularies: The Creation and Establishment of New Forms of Moral and Ethical Meanings ( Lexington books, 2006) and several articles. In 2008 Lowe became Chair of the Animals and Society section of the American Sociological Association.

Annette Mackay

Degrees

Ph.D. in Sociology, West Virginia University

Courses Taught

SOC 1001 Introduction to Sociology

SOC 2580 Sociology of Health and Illness​​​​

SOC 3009 Research & Analysis

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Seale

Degrees

Ph.D. Sociology, North Carolina State University
M.S. Sociology, North Carolina State University
B.A. Sociology, Murray State University

Courses Taught

SOC 2009 Social Research Methods
SOC 1001 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 2200 Sociology of Gender
SOC 2260 Sexuality Studies
SOC 2540 The Family
SOC 3580 Social Policy
SOC 2580 Sociology of Health & Illness
SOC 3340 Sociology of Poverty
SOC 3009 Research & Analysis

Research and Teaching Interests

Poverty, research methods and ethics, rural communities, health & illness, race/class/gender inequality, sexuality, and culture and social policy.

Selected Publications

Seale, Elizabeth. 2023. Understanding Poverty: A Relational Approach. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Seale, Elizabeth. 2020. “Strategies for Post-Culture-of-Poverty Research on Poverty, Meaning, and Behavior.” The American Sociologist 51(4): 402-424. https://rdcu.be/b6j2T. DOI: 10.1007/s12108-020-09460-2.

Seale, Elizabeth and Christine Mallinson (editors). 2018. Rural Voices: Language, Identity, and Social Change across Place. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Seale, Elizabeth. 2017. “The Relational Experience of Poverty: Challenges in Family Planning and Health Autonomy among the Rural Poor.” Poverty & Public Policy 9(3): 331-354.

Lansberry, Kasey, Tiffany Taylor and Elizabeth Seale. 2016. “Welfare and the Culture of Conservatism: A Contextual Analysis of Welfare-to-Work Participation in North Carolina.” Journal of Poverty 21(1): 20-41.

Seale, Elizabeth and Gregory Fulkerson. 2015. “The Cynical Public: Science-Based Claims in the Discourse on Fracking.” Sociological Research Online 20(3). Full-text available at http://www.socresonline.org.uk/20/3/4.html.

Seale, Elizabeth. 2013. “Coping Strategies of Rural and Urban Welfare Agencies and the Regulation of the Poor.” New Political Economy 18(2):141-170.

Alexander R. Thomas

Degrees

Ph.D., Northeastern University 1998

Courses Taught

SOC 2600 Community Development and Change
SOC 3700 Urbanization
SOC 2300 Social Class
SOC 2009 Social Research Methods
SOC 3009 Research & Analysis

Bio and Background

Alex Thomas received his Ph.D. in 1998 from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Thomas has interests in historical-comparative sociology, particularly related to urban-rural relations, and deviant behavior. His current research focuses on the development of cities and their relationship to the hinterland in the Ancient Near East and the lessons to be learned for modern cities. He is the author of In Gotham's Shadow (2003) and Gilboa (2005) and the co-author of Spotlight on Social Research (2003) and Upstate Down (2009); as well as several articles and presentations.

Research and Teaching Interests

Environmental Demography, Medical Sociology, Historical-Comparative Methods

Selected Publications

Thomas, A. R. & Fulkerson, G. M. 2021. City and Country: The Environmental Demography of Urban-Rural Systems. New York: Lexington Books.

Thomas, A. R., & Fulkerson, G. M. 2020. Urbanormativity and the university. New Directions for Student Services, 2020, 21– 28. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20361

Fulkerson, G. M. & Thomas, A. R. 2020. Urban Dependency: The Inescapable Reality of the Energy Economy. New York: Lexington Books.

Thomas, A. R. 2020. Social Systems and Community Development: Cooperstown, New York, and its Imitators. Community Development 51(2): 107-22; DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2020.1737164.

Thomas, A. R. & Fulkerson, G. M. 2019. What Makes Urban Life Possible? On the Historical Evolution of Urban-Rural Systems Comparative Sociology, 18(5/6): 595-619.

Fulkerson, G. M. & Thomas, A. R. 2019. Urbanormativity: Reality, Representation, and Everyday Life. New York: Lexington Books.

Kleniewski, N. & Thomas, A. R. 2019. Cities, Change & Conflict. 5th Edition. New York: Routledge.

Bio and Background

Cam Allison is the Under Sherriff for Otsego County and holds advanced degrees in Criminal Justice. He has a career of experience that he brings to bear on his teaching of Criminal Justice topics.

Bio and Background

AnnMarie Mills teaches courses in the sociology department and coordinates internships for the Human Services Pre-Professional Track of the Sociology Major.

Degrees

MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling-College of St Joseph 2009

BA Sociology-Castleton University 1999

BSW-Castleton University 1999

Courses Taught

Survey of Social Work Theory and Practice
The Mentally Ill Offender
Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to Social Work
Social Research Methods
The Sociology of Play

Bio and Background

Lisa Ruland is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at SUNY Oneonta. Lisa also holds NYSED Certification as a PreK-12 School Counselor.

Fida Mohammad

Degrees

Ph.D. Sociology, 1994. Dissertation Topic: The Hegemonic Role of the Criminal Justice System in Pakistan, Dissertation Chair: Dr. Greg McLauchlan, Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

M.A. Sociology, 1991. Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

M.S. Interdisciplinary Public Administration & Sociology,1988. Departments of Public Administration and Sociology, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA

M.Phil. Political Science, 1986. Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

M.A. Philosophy, 1982. Department of Philosophy, University of Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

M.A. Political Science, 1980. Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

B.A. Political Science, English and Pashto Literature, 1978. Islamia College University of Peshawar, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Courses Taught

Psychology of Family Violence

Sociology of Emotions

Disaster, Risk, & Society

Sexuality Studies

Violence in Relationship

Sociology of Knowledge

Introduction to Criminal Justice

Social Problems

Criminology

Juvenile Delinquency

Deviant Behavior

Comparative Criminal Justice

Sociology of Islam

Theories and Perspectives in Sociology

Police & Society

Terrorism

Risk and Society

Collective Behavior

Interrogation in a Multi-Cultural World

Religion and Social Order

Integrity in Public Service

Background and Bio

Dr. Fida Mohammad was born in Hangu, KPK, Pakistan and matriculated from Government High School, Hangu. Graduated from Islamia College Peshawar with a BA, he earned MAs in Political Science and Philosophy and an M.Phil. in Political Science from University of Peshawar. In 1988 he got an MS in Public Administration and Sociology from Eastern Washington University. He completed an MA and Ph. D from the University of Oregon, with a focus on Criminal Justice, in 1994. Presently Dr. Mohammad is a Professor of Sociology at the State University New York (SUNY) Oneonta, NY. His areas of expertise are Policing, Interrogation and Torture, Political Violence and Comparative Religions. He teaches courses in Criminal Justice and Sociology, such as Deviant Behavior, Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, Terrorism, Risk & Society, Sociology of Knowledge, Disaster, Risk & Society, Violence in Relationships, Sexuality Studies and Sociology of Islam. He has given lectures to professional and public audiences, as well written for professional and popular media outlets, about the dynamics of Afghan and Pakistan crises; topics include terrorism, suicide bombing, corruption and martyrdom.