Sociology Faculty

Assistant Professor
Email: baconjul@grinnell.edu
J. M. Bacon (Jules) Assistant Professor Offices, Departments, or Centers: Sociology, Environmental Studies J. M. Bacon is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department specializing in environmental sociology. Dr. Bacon’s research explores the relationship between culture, identity, and eco...
Assistant Professor
Email: correaol@grinnell.edu
Olga M. Correa studies educational policy. Her research examines how race, ethnicity, and class impact educational opportunities for historically marginalized communities. She has worked alongside families and youth to challenge and dismantle educational policies and practices that uphold racial...
Mellon Postdoctoral Researcher
Email: crooksash@grinnell.edu
Ashley Crooks-Allen (They/Them) is the incoming Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Sociology department at ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College.They were the 2022-2024 Dubois-Mandela Rodney / Anti-Racism Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan. They obtained their PhD from the University of...
Professor
Email: escandel@grinnell.edu
Xavier Escandell's research explores immigration, transnationalism, and race/ethnic relations in the context of Western and Eastern Europe and Latin America. His published work appears in journals such as Annual Review of Sociology, British Journal of Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Social...

Professor
Director of Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
Email: fergusos@grinnell.edu
Susan Ferguson (she/her) is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College, where she has taught for over 30 years. Ferguson regularly teaches Introduction to Sociology, and her critically acclaimed anthology, Mapping the Social Landscape...
Assistant Professor
Email: footea@grinnell.edu
Aaron Foote is an urban sociologist and community activist from Flint, Michigan. His research examines the social, political, and economic factors that led to the Flint Water Crisis, specifically detailing how state and suburban actors sought to take over water rights in Southeast Michigan...
Assistant Professor
Email: franciscos@grinnell.edu
Sara Francisco received her Ph.D. in sociology and social data analytics from the Pennsylvania State University. Her research and teaching interests include studying the intersections between gender and race/ethnicity, health disparities, and quantitative methods. Her research often uses a myriad of...

Professor
Ross Haenfler is Professor of Sociology at ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College where he teaches Social Movements, Deviance and Social Control, Sociological Theory, Men and Masculinities, and introductory sociology courses. He loves teaching and tries to teach classes that create possibilities for students to live more...
Professor
Senior Faculty
Email: hunter@grinnell.edu
My academic interests currently focus on the organizational analysis of nonprofit organizations. In the past, I have served as ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College's coordinator of the American Sociological Association's Minority Opportunities through School Transformation Program, as a member of the college's...

Assistant Professor
Email: jansonla@grinnell.edu
Lara Janson (’05) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College. A sociologist specializing in gender, sexuality, law, education, and qualitative/mixed research methods, she is interested in researching and teaching about intersections of inequality. Dr. Janson enjoys...

Professor
Emeritus
Member, Peace and Conflict Studies Committee
Email: mcclel@grinnell.edu
I’m a retired faculty member with a continuing research interest in Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) as a lens for understanding sociology. PCT provides an alternative view of human psychology that takes into account the feedback effects of our own actions on our perceptions of the world around us...

Associate Professor
Email: quinsaat@grinnell.edu
Sharon Quinsaat is a scholar of social movements and migration and currently Associate Professor of Sociology at ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College. She has conducted research using both qualitative and quantitative methods and published on a wide range of topics, including migrant conservatism, diaspora formation...
Senior Faculty
Email: scottk1@grinnell.edu
Words of Appreciation She is an internationally renowned Diversity Trainer/Consultant, an Associate Professor of American Studies and Sociology at ¹û¶³ÊÓÆµ College, and an award-winning writer. Kesho was a founding member of International Capacity Building Services, a cultural competency training...

Lecturer
Email: snookjen@grinnell.edu
I was born and grew up in Germany as an Army brat. I spent most of my childhood there, but after traveling the U.S., I consider Colorado my home. I received my B.A. from the University of Augusta, in Georgia while my dad was stationed at Fort Gordon. I moved to Colorado and received my Ph.D. from...