Announcements

In June 2025, Dr. Jessica Burke and Dr. Lisa Eargle founded and became editors of a new peer-reviewed academic journal.  The journal is entitled Community Dynamics: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal and is devoted to scholarship on all things related to communities.  Research topics considered for publication include, but are not limited to, workforce development, land use decisions, youth mentoring, public health inequities, disaster resilience, housing insecurity, crime and violence, and environmental justice.  The first issue of the journal was published in December 2025 by Life Science Global Publishing.  Congratulations on the new journal, Dr. Burke and Dr. Eargle!

 

The Sociology Faculty published several peer-reviewed articles this academic year.
Dr. Jessica Burke and Dr. Lisa Eargle published two articles in Community Dynamics: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal.  These articles served as an introduction to the journal and provided an extensive overview of the concept of community and its application in the U.S. as well as internationally.  Their U.S. focused article is titled “‘Community’ in Review in the United States: A Snapshot Examination of Its History, Salient Issues, Creation and Development in the United States” (doi: 10.65879/3070-6335.2025.01.07).  Their internationally focused article is titled “‘Community’ in Review from an International Perspective: A Snapshot Examination of Its History, Salient Issues, Creation and Development in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and Latin America” (doi: 10.65879/3070-6335.2025.01.08).

Dr. Jessica Doucet and Dr. Kiley Molinari had their article titled “Who Calls the Police? A Race-Specific Analysis of Reporting Violent Victimization” published in Community Dynamics: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal (doi: 10.65879/3070-6335.2025.01.04).

Dr. Russell (Rusty) Ward has published his article titled “Citizen Interest in Collaborative Crime Prevention: Do Beliefs about the Police Matter” in Sociological Inquiry (doi: 10.1111/soin.70033).

Student Accomplishments, Awards, and Honors

In the Spring of 2026, Tallulah Civoniceva was the recipient of the Sociology Award, which is given to the graduating Sociology major with both the highest Sociology and overall GPA.  Tallulah maintained the highest GPA among sociology majors while also playing for our nationally ranked softball team, which made it to the NCAA Super Regionals in May.

Additionally, Naiya Cherry was the recipient of the Linda M. Summer Social Work Award, which is given to the graduating Sociology major who has an excellent Sociology GPA and has gone above and beyond their required coursework by engaging in experiential learning activities (such as participating in an internship or presenting research outside of the classroom).  Naiya studied abroad in Germany for a semester and completed an internship with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in her final semester at FMU.  She was recently featured in a campus news story discussing her time as a Sociology major here at FMU.  The full article can be found here: https://www.fmarion.edu/building-a-future-in-criminal-justice-naiya-cherrys-fmu-experience/.

 

During the 2025-2026 academic year, Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology Honor Society, inducted six students for lifetime membership:

  • Aisha Albert
  • Eden Barnes
  • Shayler Churba
  • Abigail Doke
  • De’Jai Long
  • Tania Peterson

Congratulations on your accomplishments this academic year!