Eva graduated with her bachelors at Loyola in Sociology in spring of 2023 and has since been living in Galicia, Ourense, Spain completing a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. She is grateful to all of her professors in the Sociology Department at Loyola, especially Dr. Talukdar and Dr. Kondkar, for mentoring her throughout her undergraduate career and supporting her in her academic endeavors, no matter how big (or far)! She looks forward to pursuing a degree in Global Studies before pursuing higher education or going into the foreign service.
Sociology major, Katie Rose Houge, presented their paper "The Economic Roots of Performative Activism" at the 2024 Southern Political Science Association's Annual Conference. Their research, which was developed as part of their Research Methods and Statistics courses, finds that performative activism is rooted in the material interests of upper class Americans. Hogue will expand on this project for their sociology capstone.
Dr. Cody R. Melcher's syllabus, for his course Race Scholars Denied, was recently published by the American Sociological Association's Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology, a peer-reviewed repository for pedagogy resources in the discipline.
The course, which focuses on the work of forgotten Black sociologists whose work was integral to the development of the discipline, is typically offered every spring. Dr. Melcher received the CAS Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching in the spring of 2023, the last time the course was taught.
Professor Cody R. Melcher has been awarded the CAS Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching for 2023. The award is given annually to faculty who exhibit the highest standard of excellence in the classroom.
Prof. Melcher was nominated by students and fellow faculty from the Department of Sociology. The CAS Awards Committee was "impressed by Dr. Melcher's work and deeply appreciates his contribution to Loyola and beyond."
Dr. Marcus Kondkar appears on NPR’s “Your Call,” to discuss the Visiting Room Project, an initiative he founded that invites people to sit face-to-face with men serving life without the possibility of parole.
Dr. Cody R. Melcher, assistant professor of sociology, has recently published an article in American Politics Research (APR) entitled: "Economic Insecurity and the Racial Attitudes of White Americans."
Malaika Saleem is a junior originally from Seattle, Washington. She is majoring in Sociology and double minoring in African and African American Studies and History. Malaika received the Frugé Fellowship this fall for her demonstrated commitment to service within the New Orleans community and commitment to social justice advocacy. As a Frugé Fellow, Malaika joins the Loyola Social Justice Scholars Program and will continue her service and activism work.
Congratulations to the following students for completing their capstone. Below you will find the students who finished their A480/A481 course in Fall 2022 divided by their capstone advisors. Also included is a short description of each student's research.
Dr. McGlynn-Wright:
Natalie Butler, “The Age of Burnout: How New Orleans Charter School System is Failing Teachers”
Dr. Marcus Kondkar and Calvin Duncan’s “Visiting Room Project” was recently featured in The Guardian and Louisiana Considered.
Daisi Rivera, ENVS ’23 + SOCI ‘23, is a double major studying the
mainstream news media in relation with social media of environmental
issues. She is currently serving as Theta Phi Alpha president, working two
jobs, and just began her research studying the MIGS Community Garden on
the Loyola campus. She has spent the past two years volunteering with
Greenlight Nola by painting rain barrels for members of the community. She
is passionate about reducing her water impact in the New Orleans area. In