1. Senior Editor: Jim Ainsworth (ainsworth@gsu.edu) Assistant Editor & Layout Design: Jamie C. Hayes (jhayes14@gsu.edu) Staff Writer: Sarah Joy Richards
The official newsletter for the Department of Sociology
What if a building project could encourage community interaction while facilitating exercise and
time outdoors for seniors and younger generations? The result could potentially change the health
of a community.
The Sociology Department
is excited to announce its
participation in an interde-
partmental study that spans
very different majors here
at Georgia State University.
The Sociology department,
along with the Communica-
tions and Gerontology De-
partments, will work along-
side the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) to study the
effects that the new Atlanta
BeltLine Project could have
on those living within the
very neighborhoods it con-
nects.
The BeltLine Project was
originally the thesis of a
student graduating from Georgia Tech in 1999, and from there, the project rapidly developed into
fruition. Now, much of the BeltLine is in place with other locations slated to break ground soon.
But what is the BeltLine exactly?
(continued on page 8 )
Professor Matthew Gayman and Atlanta’s BeltLine
Project
Volume XIV Summer 2015 Issue 19
@GSUSociology
GSUSociology
Keep In Touch!
Department of Sociology
Dr. Anne Shlay Joins GSU Sociology
shaping of spatial patterns
within cities, states and na-
tions. She has held faculty
positions at Cornell, Johns
Hopkins and Temple Uni-
versities, as well as done
work within the non-profit
housing research sector.
(continued on page 8)
Professor Anne B. Shlay
will become our new depart-
ment chair beginning July 1,
2015. Dr. Shlay is a distin-
guished urban sociologist
with long standing inter-
ests in the effects of social
institutions on inequality,
particularly through their
disparate
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Dr. Jenny Zhan hosts
International Conference
2
GSU Soci participates in
Atlanta PRIDE
5
Amy Spring is “New to the
Neighborhood”
7
Soci major Morgan Driskell
on the Nursing home blues
10
Fit Nation: George “Chip”
Greenidge Jr.
11
Degree’s Awarded 13
Faculty Publications 15
https://netcommunity.gsu.edu/
make-a-gift
Department
of
Sociology
(404) 413-6500
SOCIOGRAM

2. S O C I O P A T H 2
Dr. Jenny Zhan has been conducting research on issues of long
term care in China for over a decade. Her research publications
about aging policies and institutional care in China are widely
cited in the academic field in the U.S., and she is particularly
well-known in China. Consequently, she was elected to be the
executive president for
the International
Association of Long
Term Care Directors and
Administrators
(IALTCDA).
The Long Term
Care Directors and
Administrators
Conference was first
organized by Europeans.
In November of 2007, the
first international
conference was held in
Berlin, Germany.
Participants exceeded
over 1000 people. Alfred
T. Hoffman, a German
citizen, was the executive
president of the first
conference. The Minister of Health of Germany and the
officer in charge of long term care in the United
Nations attended the meeting. The second conference
was held in Hong Kong, China. It was co-sponsored
and co-organized by the Chinese Long Term Care
Directors’ Association and Hong Kong Lingnan University. The
executive president was Ms. Liu, Yunhua, from China, and co-
president, Mr. Chen, Zhangmin from Hong Kong. The Director
of China’s National Committee of Gerontology, Min, Qingcun,
delivered a speech in the conference. Many countries sent their
representatives to the conference. The conference played a role
in propelling the development of long-term care services and
businesses across the international borders.
In December of 2014, a delegate of Chinese long-term
care directors led by the former president of the association, Ms.
Liu, Yunhua, the president of the association, came to the U.S.,
and selected Atlanta to be the location for the Third
International Conference of Long Term Care Directors and
Administrators and elected Dr. Jenny Zhan to be the executive
president of the third conference. On May 1, 2005, Dr. Zhan
called for a preparatory meeting for the Third Conference in
which a decision about the location and time of the third
conference was decided. The Third International Conference of
Long Term Care Directors and
Administrators is scheduled to
be held in March of 2016.
Gerontology Institute of
Georgia State University will
be the key organizing institute
for this conference. Currently,
Dr. Zhan is busy preparing for
all the details for the
conference.
Dr. Jenny Zhan hosts the Third International
Conference of Long Term Care Directors and
Administrators in March.

3. Degrees Offered: Ph.D., M.A., B.A.
Special Programs and Areas of Expertise:
Aging/Social Gerontology, Family, Life Course,
Medical Sociology, Racial and Ethnic Relations,
Sex and Gender, Sexualities, Statistics,
Theory, Urban Sociology
Department Chair: Anne Shlay
Director of Graduate Studies: Erin Ruel
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Deirdre Oakley
Director of Instruction: Mindy Stombler
FACULTY
S O C I O P A T H 3
Katie L. Acosta
James Ainsworth
Dawn Baunach
Elisabeth Burgess
Daniel Carlson
Rosalind Chou
Timothy Crimmins
Tomeka Davis
Mathew Gayman
Charles Jaret (Emeritus)
Ben Kail
Jung Ha Kim
Candace Kemp
Miriam Konrad
Ralph LaRossa (Emeritus)
Deirdre Oakley
Donald Reitzes
(Associate Dean)
Erin Ruel
Maura Ryan
Anne Shlay
Wendy Simonds
Amy Spring
Mindy Stombler
Eric R. Wright
Jenny Zhan
STAFF
Angie Morton-Smith, Business Manager
La’Isla Emeruem, Administrative Coordinator
Georgeanna Young, Student Assistant
Graduate student Penny Harvey has travelled far from home in
Manchester, England to study Sociology at Georgia State. She
sat down for a few questions with us about how she came to
study sociology and why moving to the South would be an
integral part of her research.
How did you get into Sociology?
In high school we have a different system than the U.S. but
once you get to a certain level you get to pick a subject and
sociology was one of those subjects. I’ve always wanted to go
into Human Rights law so that’s why I picked it. Then I just fell
in love with the subject. I had a teacher who really inspired me.
So I thought maybe I’ll do Sociology as my degree and do a
conversion into law but then I just loved Sociology too much,
so I never really followed that other path.
Can you tell me
more about the
teacher that inspired
you?
He was just really
passionate and made it
seem really interest-
ing . You could tell
that he really loved
the subject and I think
that just made me love
it. I’ve always had
feminist opinions and
I think it just gave me
the words to describe
those feelings. It made
me realize it was an
actual thing: a subject
you could study.
What made you start looking at Georgia State?
I wanted to add something interesting to my research. You
know looking at the cultural aspect of the South and Non-
Heterosexual Identity would be something that would be quite
interesting. In order to do that well, I thought it would be better
to actually be in the South. Instead of [laughing] saying,
(continued on page… 6)
For more information about Sociology at Georgia State
University, please visit our website at www.gsu.edu/sociology/.
There you will find faculty research & teaching interests, CVs,
program and course descriptions, alumni information, admission
requirements and sociological links.
Q & A with Graduate Student
Penny Harvey

4. S O C I O P A T H 4
Careers in Sociology taught for
the first time!
In my departmental advisor role, the question I am most often
asked by my sociology undergraduates is, “what can I do with
my sociology major Mr. Hayes?” After serving in my role for
several years, I realized that this should be the defining question
for students entering into any major, not just sociology. Not
strictly from a professionali-
zation point of view, but
really from an intellectual
base of what a student can
learn when they leave with
their degree in hand.
And after, literally, thou-
sands, of advising appoint-
ments, I have concluded that
sociology majors are in very
good shape for just about
any job they might be inter-
ested in. I thought that it was
high time I demonstrated
this to my students by offer-
ing an entire class on the
subject this past spring
called Careers in Sociology.
My theory was quickly veri-
fied when I started reading up on the literature provided not
only by the American Sociological Association, but also from
books like “Careers in Sociology” by W. Richard Stephens. It
was when my invited guests began to talk about their own jour-
neys after college that I realized what a sociology degree can do
for a student’s future aspirations.
I advise students daily that sociology can give you a world view
- using both qualitative and quantitative data - to interpret the
events happening in society. As an
example, I had two former students
who came to my class to explain just
how they used their sociological lens in
the field of law. Artavia Napier spoke
about how sociology helped her find
her niche in law and connected her
sociology undergraduate degree to how
she is currently completing her law
degree at Mercer University. Cleaven
Stargill was also using his sociology
degree to enhance his understanding of
police work and he too plans to pursue
his own law degree this fall.
Other guests
speakers like,
Mandy
Swygart-
Hobaugh and
Victoria Helmly
talked about
how sociology
gave them a
foundation to build upon their specialties of library science,
gerontology and social work. In fact, the theme that emerged
from the course was that sociology is just such a broad disci-
pline that students could go in any direction when they graduat-
ed. Even my students began to “test” this theory by attending
job fairs on campus, and to their amazement, employers were
very interested in their skill sets. In fact, I had two graduating
seniors land jobs in the IT field and another student land an in-
ternship with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) right out of
college with their sociology bachelor’s degree. I even had two
students accept admission to a master’s degree; one in teaching
and the other in gerontology and both worked on their admis-
sion personal statement in my class.
In the end, it was extraordinary to see my students blossom and
to find multiple ways to use their degrees to go into different
fields. I had returning students, who were already in their ca-
reers, make the connection that sociology could add to their
daily work experiences because they could use their sociological
lens to interpret data about gender, race, ethnicity, age, health,
inequality, etc. In fact, by the third draft of my students’ re-
sumes and cover letters, they were really beginning to make
connections between what they had learned in their studies to
what they were about
to do in their future
careers.
But the most reward-
ing of all was seeing
students who were
only sophomores – and had yet to make these connections –
make them very early in their academic journey. Students
should really take a course like Careers in Sociology because it
helps them understand the importance of taking an internship
class, going on a study abroad trip, or gaining technology skills
through free campus training that they can easily transition to
either the work force or a graduate program.
I find from my advising that the scariest moment for my stu-
dents is often when they suddenly realize that their undergradu-
ate degree will end and they must begin to think about “life after
college.” This is often a very anxious time in which a student is
moving from one phase
of their life to another.
This experimental Ca-
reers in Sociology class,
was important to filling
gaps and helping stu-
dents with this transition
and I am so glad our de-
partment was able to
offer it this past spring.
“This kind of course needs
to be offered for
every major.”
“I loved this
class. I learned
so much that
will help me af-
ter graduation.
This class
equipped me
with skills rather
than just
knowledge and I
am so glad I
took this
course.”

5. S O C I O P A T H 5
Undergraduate Kara K
and Charollotee Get-
ting ready
J’ADORE GSU SOCI-
OLOGY PRIDE PARTICI-
PATION
____________
Our department had a GREAT
showing at the 2014 Atlanta
Pride Parade. Over 300,000
spectators saw our award-
winning float as we marched
down Peachtree Stree to Pied-
mont Park.
AND...our “Word Wash” float
won 3rd place out of 223 en-
tries!
A big thank you to Dr. Eric
Wright and Tony Bayles for
making this wonderful event
happen!
In addition to having fun, we came to together
as a community and touched an important
nerve in the City of Atlanta. The coverage
by 11Alive (first link below) was simply in-
credible and wonderful free publicity for
GSU. Both our appearance in the parade and
the materials we shared at the booth sent a
strong and clear message about what we are
trying to do at GSU with and for the LGBTQ
community. Much to our surprise and de-
light, we placed very high (out of 233 entries)
in the parade competi-
tion. More important, we
did some important work
in reaching out to the
LGBTQ communi-
ty. Clearly, we tapped
into something very pow-
erful with this outreach
effort.

Sociology Participates in the
2014 Atlanta Pride Parade
http://
www.11alive.com/
videos/news/local/
atlanta-
pride/2014/10/12/17
155731/
https://
www.flickr.com/.../
mindy.../153329704
40/in/contacts/
https://www.flickr.c
om/photos/gsu_soci
ology/sets/72157648
697231292/

6. S O C I O P A T H 6
Congratulations to undergraduate BA/MA sociology
major, Nusaiba Mubarak, on winning the prestigious
Margaret Anderson Award for 2015. Every year our
faculty recognizes a student who demonstrates out-
standing achievement, and contributions, both in and
out of the classroom. In addition, Nusaiba Mubarak,
recently accepted the John Lewis Humanity in Action
Fellowship this summer.
(Penny Harvey...page 3)
“I’m going to be in England doing my research on people in a
completely different place.”
I found [Georgia State’s] program and I saw that it had a Gen-
der and Sexuality concentration. I’m happy because unlike
most departments you look at where you have one person who
is vaguely studying Gender and Sexuality, in this department
there are 4-5 people studying it. There are people in my exact
area of Identities and Lesbian Culture and so to actually work
with them and really have that, is just amazing.
What are you doing when you’re not in class?
I’ve spent a lot of time with people from class. Which is really
nice. It’s such a friendly department. I’m also on the climbing
team here at GSU.
Where do you climb at around GSU?
There are lots of places! I haven’t been anywhere outside yet.
But they’ve got like 5 different climbing walls here which is
unusual for a city. It’s another reason the South was so appeal-
ing to me. It’s much warmer so it’s much easier to do outdoor
things.
What are your plans post-grad?
I want to go into Academia and be a lecturing professor, that
sort of thing. I’m not sure what I’d teach specifically yet, but
definitely carrying on with researching. I definitely want to be
somewhere warm and nice post grad!
(Careers in Soci...page )
I find from my advising
that the scariest moment
for my students is often
when they suddenly real-
ize that their undergradu-
ate degree will end and
they must begin to think
about “life after college”.
This is often a very anx-
ious time in which a stu-
dent is moving from one part of their life to another
phase. This Careers in Sociology class, which was really
an experiment, was so important to filling such gaps and
helping students with such a transition and I am so glad
our department was able to offer it this past spring.

7. S O C I O P A T H 7
Doing Good: Nonprofit brings together
generations through art
by April 13 By Devika Rao / For the AJC .
The Department of Sociology would like to
welcome Dr. Amy Spring to our faculty!
Have you ever thought about why you live where you
live? Or why you might want to move? Have you ever
thought about where you will retire? Maybe you have, but
not in the way Dr. Amy Spring, Georgia State’s newest
sociology professor, has.
Dr. Spring, a Univer-
sity of Washington
alum, sat down for a
moment to discuss
her research, current
projects, and what
she loves most about
moving to the Atlan-
ta area. As an Urban
Sociologist, Dr.
Spring’s research
focus is neighbor-
hoods and how
where people live
can impact different
aspects of their lives.
We can all imagine ourselves as individuals, but we’re
also embedded in these neighborhood contexts that affect
our lives,” she said. “My research tries to address that.”
For example, Dr. Spring took a look at the effects of fore-
closures during the recent financial crisis. She found that
neighborhoods with higher foreclosure rates can lead to
broader patterns of inequality.
(continued on page…12)
This piece was originally printed in The Atlanta Journal - Constitution April 13
By Devika Rao
Every Wednesday, at A.G. Rhodes Health and Rehab, Meagan
Jain holds an art class that brings together seniors and young
adults for an afternoon of conversation, art and creating an over-
all human connection.
Jain always had a passion for taking care of the elderly. While
in undergraduate school at Georgia State University, Jain started
visiting the senior home.
“It really changed my life,” she said. “It became about hanging
out, giving each other company and creating a place for sharing
stories.”
She began the Adopt-a-Grandparent program in college which
allowed her peers to interact with the elderly at A.G. Rhodes.
Inspired to continue her work, Jain, now 25, launched Ageless
Interaction to provide environments for people to connect with
each other on an authentic, human level.
The nonprofit designed programming which includes dinner
parties, dances and visual arts classes that bring together young
people with the elder-
ly to bridge genera-
tion gaps and ex-
change stories.
“There is so much
wisdom in the older
generation and I real-
ly wanted to create an
authentic connection
because they have so
much to offer young
adults,” said Jain,
who considers herself a social gerontologist, or someone who
studies aging in different cultures.
Since it started in 2014, the nonprofit has connected 1,200 peo-
ple and worked with seven long-term care homes and schools.
“I am always seeking dedicated volunteers to bring joy and pur-
pose and that is what Meagan did with Ageless Interaction,”
said Melissa Scott-Walker, recreation therapist at A.G. Rhodes.
“The impact Ageless Interaction had on our residents was im-
mediate. Our residents not only enjoy painting in the weekly art
class, they also became very close with the volunteers.”
Paul Burks’ mother Harriet, who suffers from dementia, was a
former painter and AI’s art class rejuvenated her love for the art
form. She participates in the art class every week.
(continued on page… 10)
Congratulations to un-
dergraduate Soci major,
Jalen Ballard, on re-
ceiving one of the Soci-
ology Excellent Under-
graduate Awards. Jalen
plans to begin a PhD in
Sociology at NYU this
fall 2015.
New to the
Neighborhood!

8. S O C I O P A T H 8
(Beltline continued…page 1)
According to the Atlanta BeltLine Project’s official website,
Beltline.org, the Atlanta BeltLine is, “a sustainable redevelop-
ment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-
use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor
circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly
to each other.” What the BeltLine promotes has the ability to
seriously impact the Atlanta community and that’s where the
study comes in.
The BeltLine trails prove perfect for biking, running, pet walk-
ing, and a plethora of other
outdoor activities. A string of
parks has cropped up on the
shores of the BeltLine en-
couraging both young and
old to get outside and get
exercising. By adding the
BeltLine to areas where per-
haps there was no designated
outdoor space for exercise
readily available before, the
new study hopes to track how
health is affected for those
living within easy access. The theory, according to Matt
Gayman assistant professor of Sociology, is that health within
the community will increase with easier access to parks and
trails.
Research Methodology
Headed by Dr. Holley Wilkin of the Communications Depart-
ment, Dr. Mathew Gayman of the Sociology Department, and
Dr. Chivon Mingo of the Gerontology Department - in conjunc-
tion with the CDC- a series of interviews will take place in the
community slated for the next installment of the BeltLine. The
interviews will determine the health behaviors that currently
exist in the community before the BeltLine is placed. “The idea
is to get info about health behaviors and their health before the
beltline is laid down. Because just putting this path down will
actually increase people’s exercise and increase their health.
“What’s the impact it has on community health?” That’s what
we’re interested in. That’s the interviewing part. That’s the GSU
part. There is a vast GSU part and it’s not the same as the CDC
part.”
Dr. Gayman says the information gained from these interviews
as well as the coinciding numbers will be a valuable resource for
future studies of health behaviors along the BeltLine.
(Shlay continued from page...1)
Her new book, with co-author Gillad Rosen, entitled Jerusalem:
The Spatial Politics of a Divided Metropolis (Polity) is
forthcoming in May. This book is not only very timely, but one
which has been the subject of stellar pre-release reviews as
well.
“GSU Sociology is a talented department with a reputation for
being collaborative, and having great undergraduate and gradu-
ate students, so I think my new job will be fun and rewarding. I
am very excited about this opportunity, says Shlay.” Dr. Shlay
goes on to say that “An important goal [of the department] will
be to enlarge audiences for foundational and applied sociology,
as well as to more broadly educate various publics about the
utility of both.” She elaborates further: “This will entail garner-
ing the full range of the department’s sociological scholarship
— including all the different theoretical approaches, perspec-
tives, substantive areas, meth-
ods, and of course empirical
research. That’s one of the
things that I really like about
this department: the diversity
of ways in which the produc-
tion of sociological knowledge
is accomplished. Ultimately, I
understand my overall mission
is ensuring that such produc-
tion is understood as necessary
and vital to the university, as
well as locally and globally.”
We are pleased to an-
nounce that the winner
of the 2015 Outstanding
Graduate Student
Award is Marshall 'Itai'
Jeffries! He is being
honored for his paper,
"Re-Membering Our
Own Power: Occaneechi
Activism, Feminism,
and Political Action
Theories” Many con-
gratulations Itai !
Undergraduate Soci majors doing awesome things
this spring semester!! Callie Roan (pictured with her
proud parents) gave a presentation at last week's
Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference
titled: "The Deaf Cyborg: Analyzing Technoscience,
Gender, and Ability."
Callie's faculty sponsor was Dr. Anthony Hatch.

9. S O C I O P A T H 9
GSU Sociology well represented at SWS-
South’s annual conference in New Orleans!!
Graduate student Bran-
don Attell presented his
paper on ''Understanding
Variation in Health-
Related Attitudes and
Experiences''
Graduate student Ana
Laboy presented her
poster on ACT UP and
Media Attention.
The Panel ''Critically Queer -- a look at the impact of
knowledge as power'' taking place at this year’s SSS confer-
ence. There were some great presentations by our GSU gradu-
ate students Marik Xavier-Brier,Desmond Goss and Kym Jade.
Congratulations to GSU
Sociology faculty member
Dr. Mindy Stombler, who
was chosen by the Honors
Committee of the South-
ern Sociological Society,
to be the 2016 recipient of
the "Distinguished Contri-
butions to Teaching
Award"!!
The award is intended to
honor individuals whose
contributions go beyond
their institutions to benefit
the discipline as a whole.
List of presenters:
Tomeka Davis & Bobby Jo Otto • Juxtaposing Race and Gender Gaps in Col-
lege Enrollment: Race and Gender Differentiation Among College Enrollment
Predictors
Lanier Basenberg • Teaching the Shaping Influence of Gender in Media by Shock-
ing Deirdre Oakley • Critic Meets Author (The Hero’s Fight: African Americans in
West Baltimore and the Shadow of the State by
Patricia Fernandez Kelly)
Benjamin Kail et al • The Impacts of Service
Experiences on the Trajectories of Depressive
Symptoms and Psychiatric Problems Among
Veterans in Later Life
Kym A. Bradley • Presider—Feminist Activ-
ism and Gendered Social Change
• Panelist "The Borderlands: Communities and
Belonging As A Site Of Queer Homonormativi-
ty
Renee Shelby • Cruel and Usual Punishment:
Unshackling the Intersections of Race, Gender, and Pregnancy in the Prison State
Zoe E.R. Fawcett • Dead Before Coed? Perceptions of Women’s Colleges in a
Male Dominated Society
Megan Tesene • Panelist (Write Where It Hurts: Negotiating The Challenges of
Doing Deeply Personal Research)
Eric R. Wright • Toward a Sociological Framework For Studying LGBT Health and
Health Disparities
Brandon Attell • Body Ideologies, Health, and Attitudes Toward Euthanasia and
Suicide For Terminally Ill Persons
Marik Xavier-Brier • White Saviors and Pink Police: Gay Rights, Neocolonial-
ism, and Homonationalism in Uganda
Dan Carlson, Sarah Hanson, and Andrea Fitzroy • The Division of Childcare,
Relationship Quality, Sexual Intimacy in Low to Moderate Income Couples
Lesley Reid, Deirdre A. Oakley, & Erin Ruel • Fear of Crime and Neighborhood
Change
William Wyatt Holland • “Get The Seat of Your Pants Dirty:” Teaching and
Conducting Urban Ethnography of Public Space
Leah Marie Kozee • The Straight Story: Reexamining the Heterosexual Script in a
Prime-Time Television Series
Jonathan Paul Grant • Heaven Bound Earthly Good: A Historical Analysis of
Race Relations in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Ana LaBoy • ACT UP and Media Attention • “I Read It For The Articles:” An
Examination of Articles Within Pornographic Magazines
Penny Margaret Harvey • Body Hair . . . What’s Really Going On Down
There? Gendered Body Hair Presentations in Cosmopolitan and GQ Magazines
Brittany J. Taylor • Negotiating the Threat of “Triple Jeopardy:” Assessing the
Mental Health Needs of Black/African-American Lesbians Within an Intersectional
Approach

10. Nursing Home Blues: Grandma’s care
needs a new discussion
By Morgan Driskell February 6, 2015
Being in a nursing home is considered a normal part of life:
Grandmother is simply too old to be left home alone, and pay-
ing for her to receive care in a healthy environment with peers
can only be beneficial.
But what is really happening in nursing
homes? With the recent introduction of
House Bill 72 in Georgia, it is time for a
conversation about how to protect and
care for our elders and disabled adults.
The Georgia Council on Aging reported a
65% increase in reports of abuse in nurs-
ing homes from 2008-2012, and the state
responded with House Bill 78 in 2013,
offering more protection for elderly and
disabled persons. There are several provisions being added this
year through HB 72, including allowing information obtained
through inspections of facilities to be used in trial, as well as
defining more clearly who is responsible for reporting abuse.
The bill shows that Georgia citizens are concerned about ex-
panding legal protection of elders and disabled adults. But it
also raises deeper questions for our geriatric care system about
what is humane.
I am a volunteer and a student, putting in many hours of work
in the hospice care divisions of several Georgia nursing homes
and a long-term care facility. I am not enmeshed in this world
yet, and things that others with more seniority take for granted,
I still question.
I’ll give you an example: my instructor took my class into a
patient’s room. This patient was bed bound, as both of his legs
had been amputated, and he lay in his own feces and urine,
slouched over, with debris around his mouth. It was almost
midday, but no one had been in his room since early morning.
My instructor exposed his genitals, moved him around, and
showed us different care techniques. During this time, the pa-
tient showed obvious discomfort, even mumbling “no” several
times. There were eight people standing there, using his body
for their own purposes as if his consent was irrelevant. Ulti-
mately, it was irrelevant, as it took my voice to make his heard.
This frightened me, as it should you.
Comparing the way we care for two main population groups
that are considered to lack autonomy — children and the elder-
ly — is instructive. While childcare providers are required to
provide nurturing environments that conform to the highest
standards of hygiene and safety, the elderly are left largely to
the mercy of individual caretakers and institutional settings.
Nurses’ aides are taught to be patient and told how to handle
various scenarios. But, in the real world, what is taught is not
what is being done. Don’t get me wrong; I understand that in
many fields, the job you do is simply not taught to you in
school. Nursing in all forms is very much like this. However,
at what point does “I have eight
other patients and other tasks to
do” become neglect?
S O C I O P A T H 10
Dr. Rosalind Chou Gives
Keynote at University of
Tennessee’s Sex Week
Why do we date
who we date?
Why are people
of color sexual-
ized in the me-
dia and even in
porn? Why do
we believe that
some races are
more “well-
endowed” than
others? These
are some of the questions GSU Sociology’s Dr. Rosalind Chou
addressed in her April 8, 2015 keynote entitled “Racing Sex
and Sexing Race” at University of Tennessee’s (UT) third an-
nual Sex Week. She also encouraged the audience to question
just where our skewed perceptions about race, ethnicity and sex
come from and why they are harmful.
UT is one of only ten universities
in the country to host a Sex
Week. The week-long event’s
purpose is to foster honest and
academically-informed conversa-
tions about sex, sexuality and
relationships — conversations that
not only educate each of these
university’s student body but the
greater community as well.
Among many other publications,
Dr. Chou is the author of the much talked about book: Asian
American Sexual Politics: The Construction of Race, Gender,
and Sexuality published by Rowman & Littlefield.
(Doing Good...continued)
“It’s the highlight of her week,” said Burks. “She is so
much happier and we can see that it is because of these art
sessions.”
Jain wants this connection to continue and hopes to ex-
pand Ageless Interaction into more schools and long-term
care homes to bridge generation gaps and redefine aging.
People can also volunteer with the organization in admin-
istrative tasks and young adults from high school, college
or professionals can volunteer with art classes and other
events.
“Aging is a beautiful process,” Jain added. “And I want
everyone to take away that elders are an important part of
our history and our community.”
To volunteer with Ageless Interaction, go to
http://agelessinteraction.org/

11. S O C I O P A T H 11
Fit Nation: Learning to Climb Uphill
By George "Chip" Greenidge Jr., Special to CNN
(CNN)"Wait up 2015 CNN Fit Nation Team and Dr.
Sanjay Gupta-- you want me to climb up Stone Mountain -- that
is over 1,500 feet straight up. Are you nuts?" I screamed.
Yes. This is actually what I signed up for when I uploaded my
video to the CNN Fit Nation website in December.
"But climbing mountains on Sunday morning -- you got to be
kidding me," I exclaimed. But it was all part of the process I
realized I was going to take on as I learn how to be a triathlete.
After our first initial week with a trainer and nutritionist, the six
of us were introduced to a whole new way of how to approach
fitness and how to
incorporate it into our
lives. I knew it was
going to be a difficult
task, especially for
someone like me
heavily involved in
civic affairs and com-
munity service.
At Lifetime Fitness,
our nutritionist walked
us through a number
of exercises on how
we should look at
food, nutrition and our
calorie intake. After being on several diets over my lifetime,
what he said was simple. To look and review your intake and
replace it with other foods such as fruit and vegetables -- these
small steps can be major impact on your training.
Tackling nutrition and calorie intake can also be exactly how I
viewed the climb up Stone Mountain. I put these nutritional
issues on the backburner for years. It was pretty much like look-
ing at the mountain that I was about to climb that morning --
where do I start, where do I begin? -- and telling myself that it
was going to be an arduous task.
My training schedule has also been an uphill battle. In January
and the first weeks of February, I started strong with my gym,
running and swim workouts. However, as life pressures got in
the way, I saw myself withering off. But luckily I have been
inspired by my 2015 CNN Fit Nation teammates to keep me on
track. Their updates have been truly inspiring and have helped
me think about the struggles I face in my training activities.
As I get older, I realize that fitness and nutrition are key to long-
term health; however, the support of friends and family is also
important to help tackle your health. My team members of the
CNN Fit Nation have been there for me.
I recently weighed myself when I visited the doctor's office. It
has been six weeks
since I hit the scale. I
actually lost 20
pounds. What! Really!
Uphill battles are hard
to see when you are in
the middle of them.
But you keep moving.
Just like that Sunday
afternoon in January, I
could not wait to be on
the mountaintop and
see the view from
Stone Mountain with
the members of 2015
CNN Fit Nation.
And guess what? After all this huffing and puffing over the last
six weeks, I can't wait
to see the view in
September at the Mal-
ibu triathlon. It's just
another uphill moun-
tain to climb.

12. S O C I O P A T H 12
(Amy Spring...continued pg 7)
She also has found that neighborhood resources can mean the
difference between a community’s elderly living independently
or moving into an assisted living facility.
Today Dr. Spring has a new area of interest.
“I’m working on a project about why people move and where
they go and how that relates to where their other family mem-
bers live,” she said. “Do people move, if they don’t really have
any family members in their neighborhood? Are they more like-
ly to move around and if they do move around are they likely to
move towards their family?”
Dr. Spring made a big move recently when she left Washington
state for Atlanta, where she says there is much to advance her
neighborhood research.
“[Atlanta] has these defined neighborhoods and they’re all very
different from each other,” she explained. “And the differences
can really be block to block. So, where you live within this
scheme could be potentially really important.”
Currently teaching a course in Urban Sociology, Dr. Spring is
interested in offering a course about the future of the American
city. “At one time people were moving away to the suburbs but
there’s research showing now that a lot of people are starting to
come back. So that’s really changing cities.”
But for right now, Dr. Spring says she’s happy adjusting to life
in Atlanta.
“I love the weather here,” she said. “My birthday was in January
and for the first time ever I had a BBQ on my birthday!”
Stop by the sociology department and offer a warm welcome to
Dr. Spring!
Most recently, Amy Spring’s research article, entitled “Neighborhood Foreclo-
sures, Racial/Ethnic Transitions, and Residential Segregation” is in the June
issue of American Sociological Review, and available now on ASR’s website.
http://asr.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/04/20/0003122415581334.abstract
Dr. Stombler reports: Final
teaching demonstrations com-
pleted! Be looking for these
trained instructors in a GSU
classroom near you! —
(Hersheda Patel, George R.
Greenidge Jr., Katie
Hippen, Ifeanyi Ukpa-
bi,Stephanie Hall, Zoe
Elizabeth Riddle, Lauren
Fannin,Kym Jade, Jonathan
Grant and Matthew Diaz)
(Blues..continued pg 10)
Too often, geriatric work is just too short of workers. This prob-
lem will only worsen as a large portion of our population ages.
According to the 2010 US Census, 20% of the total population
in 2050 will be 65 years and older. There is much debate re-
garding who should be responsible. I argue that we as a society
and state are collectively responsible and should be addressing
the issues of geriatric care now. Should we be okay with people
being left in a facility where the lack of care compromises the
quality of life?
There is room for improvement, not only with legislation, but
through an informed and concerned community. Elder abuse
occurs in many forms, as addressed by House Bill 72. It’s won-
derful that our state government is taking note of the abuse that
and wants to penalize the people responsible. However, I be-
lieve that action should be taken before abuse occurs. We need
to question why abuse is occurring and at what levels.
For this to happen, our attitude towards geriatric care needs
reform. The elderly are regarded as financial and physical bur-
dens and are too often taken advantage of. I am advocating for a
society in which the realities of end of life are not regarded with
fear or avoided, but embraced — one where people receive the
level of care that they deserve without discrimination.
Morgan Driskell is a senior at Georgia State University from
Carrollton majoring in sociology and studying to be a nurses’
aide.
http://atlantaforward.blog.ajc.com/2015/02/06/nursing-home-blues/
The Sociology
Department would
like to announce that
graduate student
Kelsey Schwarz is
this year’s recipient
of the Jacqueline
Boles Teaching
Fellowship.

13. S O C I O P A T H 13
Jessica A. Adiyiah
Yulonda S. Allen
Eden Araya
Min Young Bang
Lamisha M. Banks
Sean K. Barnes
Katelynn J. Bauser
Anu Bhattarai
Victoria B. Bowker
Michael A. Boyd
Shekasha D. Brown
Quentin Butler
Patrice A. Cameron
Kaushalya M. Charan DE
Trevor J. Coen
Monica J. Copeland
Erin L. Cross
Abigail R. Diorio
Kaitlyn E. Edge
Shakyra K. Ford
Matthew T. Gaddis
Felicia N. Garcia
Tiffanie M. Gill
Khiry M. Grant
Octavia J. Hall
Donche Hartry
Shajuanna Heard
Thuy Hang Ho
Lakeisha R. Holmes
Gerald Howse
Nania-Cathleen T. Inamori
Darwin L. Irby
Carla D. Jett
Lisa R. Johnson
Rahstaneik King
Tarell C. Kyles
Isis I. Land
Silvia E. Landaverde
Asia R. Lawrence
Jonathan H. Leachmon
Ta'Vares F. Lewis
Jeffrey Liu
Sheena M. Luten
Doretha T. McGlory
Dustin G. McHann
Demetrius A. McKay
Brandon J. McNab
Natalie J. Meintjes
Jacqueline O. Momoh
Steven C. Newton
Holloman A. Niles
Jaemee D. Norman
Ceylan M. Odunkesenler
Nicole R. Owens
Eunchong G. Park
Lisa V. Parker
Donnita Perkins
Lauren N. Petry
Amanda L. Pitts
Shane A. Ramclam
Cherrelle Randolph
Ditanjah L. Reid
Alicia Y. Richards
Khiray T. Richards
Deninson A. Rodriguez Burgil-
los
Christi N. Rolin
Micah L. Roseboro
Jane E. Sanders
Margaret O. Scharle
Giorgia L. Shields
Jazmine B. Shine
Joseph H. Silver
Molly R. Smestad
Rashard F. Smith
Jessica A. Snellings
Savanah B. Spencer
Tracie L. Starrett
Victoria T. Stripling
Jaleesa R. Taylor
Rachel E. Tracey
Kierra Trammell
Justina N. Trim
Ariel L. Walters
Christina S. Ward
Hamilton Warner
Tanika Warner
Diamond P. White
India M. Wright
Deborah J. Yoder
BACHELOR’S DEGREES AWARDED for SPRING 2015
RECENT M.A. THESES & PH.D. DISSERTATIONS
M.A. Theses
Gender Games: A Content
Analysis Of Gender Portray-
als In Modern, Narrative
Video Games, Jared Fried-
berg
When "Being Down" Isn't
Enough: Examining White
Antiracism and Racial Inte-
gration in the Era of Color-
blindness, Amanda C. At-
well
American Apparel Advertise-
ments, Heather Bowles
Public Housing Relocation
and Its Effect on Residents'
Self-esteem and Self-efficacy,
Amanda Dorrington
Religion and Depression:
Examining the Nature of the
Relationship, Stephanie
Hansard
Risk for Obesity: Contribu-
tion of Socioeconomic Status
Factors and Potential Media-
tors, Anne Hirschman
The New Racism in the Me-
dia: a Discourse Analysis of
Newspaper Commentary on
Race, Presidential Politics,
and Welfare Reform, Joseph
P. Rose
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts:
An Organizational and His-
torical Approach to Under-
standing Socialization and
Gendered Leadership, Na-
talie Stewart
PH.D. Dissertations
Exploring the Efficacy of the
Volunteer Return Prepara-
tion Program for Low-Income
Taxpayers, Melissa Mae
Hayes
Ill-Timed: The Effect of Early
Chronic Illness Onset on
Young Adult Psychosocial
Development, Eundria A.
Hill-Joseph
THE IMPACT OF AGE,
RACE AND ETHNICITY ON
EMPLOYMENT, Jeremy
Bennett
Acculturation and Mental
Health among Latino and
Asian Immigrants in the
United States, Elif Bulut
RACE, GENDER, AND
HIGH SCHOOL EXPERI-
ENCE--EXPLORING IN-
TERSECTING FACTORS
INFLUENCING BLACK
MALES’ EDUCATIONAL
ATTAINMENT AND COL-
LEGE ASPIRATION, Em-
mie JoAnne Cochran-
Jackson
A Sociological Investigation
of Early Gradutes in U.S.
High Schools, Jeff S. Duvall
Porn Sex vs. Real Sex: Ex-
ploring Pornography's Im-
pact on Sexual Behaviors,
Attitudes, and Relationships,
Stacy Gorman
The Effects of School and
Neighborhood Characteris-
tics On Delinquency, Drug
and Alcohol Issues, Early
Childbearing, and Welfare
Receipt, Bobette Otto

14. S O C I O P A T H 14
Saman S. Afkhami
Abiodun K. Akindele
Stephen B. Beal
Glen D. Booker
Amanda M. Bradshaw
Jazmine I. Breakfield
Brittany Y. Brown
Felicia Buffington
Amber C. Burke
Mallory L. Cary
Anim R. Choudhry
Reyndi M. Clark
Tatiana I. Colbert
Laura T. Cox
Kimdeetra Crawford
Theresa Daniel
Brittani L. Drumgo
Eleanor J. Edwards
Lashonda M. Edwards
Emily K. Fitzgerald
Dominic T. Fobi
Zakia T. Ford
Danielle A. Gay
Alexandria D. Geidner
Chanice D. Guye
Bobi L. Haley
Nikisha D. Harris
Douglas W. Hendrix
Cleo E. Howard
Timothy D. Johnson
Erica G. Keating
John A. Kelly
Arielle R. Klebanoff
Skyler N. Lawson
Mira Ledger
Erica M. Levy
Kendra L. Long
Breanna L. Meeks
Brandy Melton
Crystal Y. Morgan
Amanda M. Northern
Rachel G. Osby
Christina J. Park
Timothy A. Peak
Karja Peart
Nikola L. Phansavanh
Chiquita N. Powell-Spann
Raushanah B. Rahim
Heather M. Reilley
Rashaad Richardson
Jarelys Rijo
Emma P. Rubenstein
Melanie J. Sachno
Quinn J. Shallenberger
Sasha M. Simmons
Lacey S. Sims
Amanda J. Smith
Brooklyn Smith
Angelica Starnes
Shelby L. Stewart
Larshanae S. Stuart
Serena Sutherland
Nia Swindell
Hiwot Tamene
Patrick D. Tate
Leslie M. Thornton
Nadia A. Threats
Tierra S. Tyson
Teirette M. Volpe-Kapoor
Amanda E. Welsh
Bria White
Bryan J. White
Sara N. White
Lonnae Williams
Michael D. Williams
Timothy Wynn
BACHELOR’S DEGREES AWARDED for DECEMBER 2014
Naroya Alexander
Denise R. Anderson
Landon Anderson
Hannah-Lynn E. Apicelli
Sara A. Atcheson
Huisun S. Baek
Bianca A. Barnett
Brittney Bray
Stephanie M. Brown
Valerie F. Bullock
Tiffany D. Chatelain
Kimic S. Clay
Camille S. Cochran
Erica S. Cody
Mark A. Collins
Alexandra De La Rosa
Toni N. Dominguez
Tara A. Franklin-Mitchell
Aisha Galla
Tiffani A. Grier
Malori D. Harmon
Lisette A. Harrer
Chantal R. Harris
Raquelani N. Hyatte
Marcus B. Ingram
Ashley C. Jolly
Chelsea E. Keller
Howard M. Kelsey
Parris T. Lee
Jaqanton V. Lewis
Lauren E. Major
Charity N. Manns
Jasmine A. McRae
Jessica M. Mitchell
Crystal Oh
Crystal D. Pigue
Raven N. Saunders
Tenique Simmons
Joshua T. Singletary
Melissa Victori Siviter
Emanuel M. Thomas
Karissa L. Whaley
Dana M. Wright
Mikaisha I. Wright
BACHELOR’S DEGREES AWARDED for SUMMER 2014
Congratulations to
graduate student,
Eundria Hill-Joseph,
who defended her dis-
sertation today titled:
"Ill-Timed: The Effect
of Early Chronic Ill-
ness Onset on Young
Adult Psychosocial
Development."
Anthony Hatch
(Chair)
It's official ! Jared
Friedberg defended
his thesis this morn-
ing, titled "Gender
Games: A Content
Analysis of Gender
Portrayals in Mod-
ern, Narrative Vid-
eo Games”. Con-
gratulations Jared !
Wendy Simonds
(Chair)
After an incredibly tough competition, PhD candidate Erin Echols, has
emerged as the GSU Sociology Teaching Committee’s selection for
the 2015-2016 Teaching Associate position.
Congratulations Erin !!!

15. S O C I O P A T H 15
Faculty Publications
Kail, Ben Lennox, Katie Acosta, Eric R. Wright. (2015). “State-
Level Marriage Equality and the Health of Same-Sex
Couples.” American Journal of Public Health.
Gayman, Mathew D., Andrew M. Cislo, and Stephanie
Hansardg. 2014. “Time-Clustered Deaths and Well-Being
among Young Adults.” Stress and Health. Online First
(DOI: 10.1002/smi.2569)
Shillingsburg, M. Alice, Crystal N. Bowen, Richard K.
Peterman and Mathew D. Gayman. 2014. “Effectiveness of
the Direct Instruction Language for Learning Curriculum
Among Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder.” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental
Disabilities. Online First: DOI: 10.1177/108835761453249
Kail, Ben Lennox. (2015). “The Mental and Physical Health
Consequences of Changes in Private Insurance before and
after Early Retirement.” Journal of Gerontology: Social
Sciences.
Kail, Ben Lennox, and Miles G. Taylor. (2014). “Cumulative
Inequality and Racial Disparities in Health: Private
Insurance Coverage and Black/White Differences in
Functional Limitations.” Journal of Gerontology: Social
Sciences. 69(5): 798-808.
Manning, Lydia, Dawn C. Carr, and Ben Lennox Kail
(2014),"Do Higher Levels of Resilience Buffer the
Deleterious Impact of Chronic Illness on Disability in Later
Life?" The Gerontologist.
Carlson, Daniel, Ben Lennox Kail, Jamie L. Lynch, and
Marlaina Dreher. (2014) “The Affordable Care Act,
Dependent Health Insurance Coverage, and Young Adults’
Health.” Sociological Inquiry. 84(2): 191-209.
Fraser, J. and Oakley, D. (2014). “The Neighborhood
Stabilization Program: Stable for Whom?” Journal of
Urban Affairs 37: (1): 38-41.
Kevin Roy, Anisa Zvonkovic, Abbie Goldberg, Elizabeth
Sharp, and Ralph LaRossa. 2015. "Sampling Richness and
Qualitative Integrity: Challenges for Research with
Families," Journal of Marriage and Family 77: 243-260.
Oakley, D. (2014). “From Magazine Publishing to Studying
Homelessness, From Public Housing Research to
Congressional Testimony.” In White, S, White J. and
Korgen, K. (eds.) Sociology in Action. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage, pp. 44-49.
Hankins, K., Puckett, M., Oakley, D. and Ruel, E. (2015).
“From ‘Free-Market’ Slums to Public Housing and Back
Again: The Mobilities and Immobilities of Atlanta’s Poor”
in Miraftab, F., D. Wilson, and K. Salo (eds.) Cities and
Inequalities in a Global and Neoliberal World. Routledge,
pp. 49-74.
Matthew Hall, Kyle Crowder, and Amy Spring. 2015.
“Neighborhood Foreclosures, Racial/Ethnic Transitions,
and Residential Segregation.” American Sociological
Review. Forthcoming in the June issue. doi:
10.1177/0003122415581334.
Stombler, Mindy, Baunach, Dawn, Simonds, Wendy,
Windsor, Elroi and Elisabeth O. Burgess. 2014. Sex
Matters: The Sexuality and Society Reader, fourth
edition. New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN: 978-
0393935868.
Eric R. Wright, Harold E. Kooreman, Marion S. Greene, R.
Andrew Chambers, Aniruddha Banerjee, And Jeffrey
Wilson. 2014. “The Iatrogenic Epidemic Of Prescription
Drug Abuse: County-Level Determinants Of Opioid
Availability And Abuse.” Drug And Alcohol Dependence
138:209-215.
Daniel T. Hackman, Marion S. Greene, Taya J. Fernandes,
Ashley M. Brown, Eric R Wright, and R. Andrew
Chambers. 2014. “Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
Inquiry in Psychiatric Assessment: Detection of High Rates
of Opioid Prescribing to a Dual Diagnosis Population”
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 75(7):750-756.
Dennis R. Watson, Ann L. McCranie, and Eric R.
Wright. 2014. “Everything Old is New Again: Recovery
and Serious Mental Illness.” Pp. 125-139 in Sociology of
Mental Health Selected Topics from Forty Years, 1970s-
2010s, edited by Robert J. Johnson, R. Jay Turner, and
Bruce Link. New York, NY: Springer.
Zhan, H. J. & Wang, Q. (2014). The impact of aging policies
on personal choices of long term care in China and the U.S. in
global perspectives. Center for Comparative Globalization
Studies. Fudan University 6 (11).
Zhan, H. J. (2014) I am a minority in America. Center for
Comparative Globalization Studies. Fudan University 6 (5).

16. Department of Sociology
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 5020
Atlanta, GA 30302-5020
How to Donate
If you would like to support future opportunities for both Soci-
ology undergraduate and graduate students, please consider
making a contribution. Donations should be made to the
Georgia State University Foundation on behalf of the
Department of Sociology and can be mailed to:
The Georgia State University Foundation
P.O. Box 3963
Atlanta, GA 30302
Donations can also be made online at
https://netcommunity.gsu.edu/make-a-gift
Sociology Department fund number 11350 - Sociology
For more information, please contact Hope Carter, Senior
Director of Development
404-413-5739
hcarter8@gsu.edu
Congratulations Class of 2015 !!
SOCIOGRAM