Sociology professors present research in Philadelphia

 

Sociology professors Raj Ghoshal and Alexis Franzese presented research at the American Sociological Association (ASA) meetings in Philadelphia in August.

Ghoshal, an assistant professor, presented “Dynamic Racial Triangulation” at the ASA’s Media Sociology Pre-Conference. The project tests and updates racial triangulation theory.

The original triangulation theory argued that racial stereotypes in the US are not a single hierarchy but instead involve two separate axes, “superior/inferior” and “cultural insider/outsider,” and that racial groups may be regarded highly on one axis yet poorly on the other. Ghoshal and his co-author Michael Gaddis conducted two online experiments to test whether millennials triangulate and how what they say and do around race may differ.

Findings validate parts of the original triangulation theory, but also show that the original theory underestimates cultural stereotyping against African Americans and misses how widely perceptions of Latinx and Asian Americans can vary depending on signals other than race.

Franzese, an associate professor, presented her research “Using Contemplative Pedagogies to Enhance Authentic Engagement and Personal Authenticity in the Sociology Classroom” at the inaugural Teaching & Learning Symposium of the American Sociological Association. 

Franzese’s work, supported by Elon’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL), addresses the ways in which contemplative practices and pedagogies may be used to facilitate student engagement and create a more authentic learning experience and environment.