The upcoming 47th annual conference of the Alabama-Mississippi Sociological Association (A-MSA) sponsored by Jackson State University will feature former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, hailed for his educational and economic reforms, and author Dr. Thomas Durant, a JSU professor and researcher on crime, ethnic aging, inequality and race relations.
With its theme “The Current State of Sociology in Mississippi and Alabama,” the two-day conference in the Student Center at Jackson State University will address many of the above topics. The meeting will kickoff at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, with Durant, who will discuss the role of social sciences in the 21st century.
As governor, Musgrove served 2000-2004. He will deliver the keynote banquet address at 7:15 p.m. Thursday. Over the years, Musgrove has touted education as a way to spur economic growth in the state. His public service has included promoting healthcare benefits for educators, Internet-accessible computers in all classrooms and passing legislation for a teacher pay increase that would meet or exceed the Southeastern average.
Sociology, humanities, liberal arts
Dr. Thomas M. Kersen, a JSU associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, is president of the A-MSA. He says that while the conference will focus on the social sciences attendees will also see strong links to humanities and liberal arts.
Kersen said workshops are designed to explore topics in social sciences and liberal arts/humanities as well as “learning about research and funding opportunities with the Mississippi Humanities Council.” In addition, he said Friday’s panelists will examine teaching, food insecurity and the state of sociology in Mississippi. Another component of the conference will include competitive posters and papers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Mario J. Azevedo, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said the conference is vital for tomorrow’s professionals who need to become “all-around human beings with a keen sense of civics and a passion for social justice and respect for human dignity of all citizens of the globe.”
Research, teaching, public outreach
Echoing the significance of the A-MSA meeting, Dr. Evelyn Leggette, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at JSU, said that a look into the current state of Mississippi and Alabama “offers a chance for sociologists and social scientists … to explore current issues dealing with research, teaching and public outreach.”
Jackson State University is a founding member institution of the A-MSA, with two former presidents of A-MSA from JSU. Kersen is currently the university’s third top leader for A-MSA.
Some conference topics include:
Thursday, Feb. 25
- Is My Parenting Style Hindering My Child’s Chances of Succeeding in Their Post-Secondary Education
- Racialized School Discipline: Does Discretion Lead to Racial Disparity
- Undergraduate Research: Is this Overrated?
- I’m More Than an Athlete: Student Athletes’ Self-Perceptions of Academic and Athletic Competence
- Social Landscapes of Race, Migration and Urban Expansion in Atlanta
- The Inequality of Skin Color: Colorism as Stratification
- Still Work to be Done: The Million Man March and the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of Selma to Montgomery March as Mythoform and Visual Rhetoric
- From the Eyes of Administration and Faculty: The Vision of Success in Alternative Education
- Mississippi Humanities Council and Social Sciences
- Social Construction of Juvenile Delinquency
- Factors that Lead to Successful Reintegration for Prisoners
Friday, Feb. 26
- Representation in the Mississippi Legislature: Substantive or Symbolic
- Financial Inclusion: Mobile Banking as an Extension of the Neoliberal Development Agenda
- Inter-teaching: Students as Teachers in Lower-Division Sociology Courses
- Factors That Influence African-American Students to Attend an HBCU Versus a PWI
- Gender, Ethnicity, Marital Status, Employment and Crime Victimization Among Residents in Jackson, MS
- How College Education and Marriage Affect Child Poverty in the U.S.: A Sociological Analysis
- Food Insecurity in the College Population
- The State of Sociology in Mississippi: Some Viewpoints from Mississippi Chairs and Directors
- Is Hooking Up on College Campuses More Beneficial to Female or Male Undergraduates
- Double Standards, Manmade Sexual Mores and Sexual Violence on College Campuses
- Binge Drinking: Is it More Prevalent with College Students Who are African- American Race/White American Race/Other Races in the United States?
- The Relationship between Perceived Risk and Fear of Terrorism and Proximity to Terrorist Targets
- Black Women in Media: Negotiating Their Sexuality on Their Terms
- The Sexualization of Teen Girls Within Magazines
- Reforming the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women
- Law Enforcement Opportunities for Social Science Students
- Does telemedicine Expand Access to Healthcare for Rural Mississippians
- Challenges of Transracial Adoption
For more information, contact Dr. Thomas M. Kersen at 601-979-3040, or thomas.m.kersen@jsums.edu.
View the full list of conference topics at Sociology in Alabama and Mississippi.