Student presents at sociology conference, participates in top sociology honors program

Elon’s Jensen Collins ’18, who is majoring in sociology and strategic communications, recently participated in the American Sociological Association’s Honors Program in Montréal, Canada from August 11 through 14, where she presented her Elon Honors Fellows research, “Moral Panic in the United States and the Media Narratives of School Shootings.”  

The ASA Honors Program is a highly selective program that brings together North America’s most promising sociology students to participate in a four-day research and networking program during the association’s annual meeting. The program provides an in-depth, structured introduction to the professional life of the discipline, as well as a forum for sharing and receiving feedback on undergraduates’ ongoing, innovative research in sociology.

Collins reports that the most rewarding aspects of the ASA Honors Program and the conference included networking with sociologists across departments to learn about graduate school possibilities and hearing feminist scholar Patricia Hill Collins speak as she received the W.E.B. DuBois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award.

Collins’​ research was mentored by Rena Zito, assistant professor of sociology.

Funding for student travel and registration was provided by a grant from the Elon University Undergraduate Research Program and supported by funding from the Elon University Honors Fellows Program.