she/her/hers
Fall 2023 Cohort

As a Yinzer who now calls the coast of Maine home, Samantha has long been enamored with life on the water. She joins the Department of Sociology as a Jorgensen Fellow to explore curiosities about past and present Atlantic seafaring communities. This humbling and exciting opportunity is derived from 10 years of learning with generous scholar-practitioners, students, community partners, activists, sailors, and artists. She is trained as an Engaged Scholar by Campus Compact and the Swearer Center at Brown University and has designed experiential university and shipboard programs. This passion for community-led, interdisciplinary research and curriculum extends to her teaching and makes her grateful to join the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute as a Graduate Assistant.

Education
B.S. Mathematics, Valparaiso University
B.S. International Service, Valparaiso University
M.S.Ed Culturally Responsive Practices in Education and Human Development, University of Southern Maine

Research Interests
Historical and Engaged Ethnographic Methods | Maritime Culture | Racial Capitalism

Current Research
As part of a multi-disciplinary research team, Samantha is exploring the impact of environmental, socio-economic, and cultural changes facing coastal communities in South Greenland and Maine. Specifically, human-environment interactions, identity, and self-governance are examined with convergent approaches that build upon methods from geography, art, and social work.

She/they
Fall 2023 Cohort
 
Education
B.A., 2020, Sociology, Skidmore College

Research Interests 
My research interests include political sociology, race, gender and class, and social movements and social change. To put it in the simplest of terms, my research interests revolve around power—how power is distributed and, ultimately, how to effectively redistribute power.

I intend to research what sociological factors and tools influence political mobilization, increase political awareness and participation, and, to be frank, what makes people give a damn. Specifically, I am interested in studying social movement mobilization and the intersection of social movements and digital sociology. That is, I am interested in studying the utility of social media as a sociological and educational tool to combat social inequality.

she/her/hers
Fall 2023 Cohort

I received my BA in sociology from Central Connecticut State University. In earlier research, I studied the relationship between educational attainment and environmental attitudes.

I’m primarily concerned with climate change and the necessary conditions for comprehensive environmental action. Complementary interests of mine include climate denial, intersectionality, meat consumption/sustainable food systems, and political polarization.

she/her/hers
Fall 2023 Cohort

Education/Degrees:
BA in Sociology, Minor in Political Science, Gonzaga University

Research Interests:
Pagan Studies, Modern Witchcraft Practice, Intersection of Religion and American Politics, Religious Prejudice

Current Research:
My research analyzes how modern Witches create and strengthen communities in modern America, as well as persevere in a nation that fails to divide Church and State. The rise of ultra-conservative, Christian-centric ideologies within the American landscape have led to the isolation and stigmatization of most non-Christian identities. The relationship between major political issues and core Witchcraft beliefs, such as climate change, reflect the struggles of modern Witches in a capitalistic society. Careful examination of this spiritual minority may shed light on how marginalized religious identities approach not only their modern practices, but also American society as a whole.

he/him/his
Fall 2023 Cohort

Mahir Takak holds BA degrees in History and Sociology, specializing in Mediterranean Studies at Koç University, Istanbul. After working in a community center focusing on child rights, migration, and urban poverty in Istanbul, he attended a social policy master programme at Bogazici University, Istanbul.

His main research interest lies in understanding the subtle impact of infrastructures and policies on our daily lives and how people and communities react to such changes in their everyday life. He enjoys walking in urban areas and wildlife, examining various maps of human geography, repairing machines, and exploring sustainable computing practices.

she/her/hers
Fall 2023 Cohort

Education
MSc, 2019, Social Science Research Methods (Sociology), the University of Bristol
B.A., 2018, English, Beijing Foreign Studies University
A.A., 2006, English, North China University of Science and Technology

Research Interests: 
Higher Education, Study Abroad, and Immigration

he/him/his
Fall 2023 Cohort

Education
B.A., 2020, Sociology, Fudan University
M.A., 2023, Sociology, Fudan University

Research Interests
Social Stratification and Mobility; Social Theory