Professor Karin Martin has been named the next Chair of the Department of Sociology by LSA Dean Andrew Martin.  Her 3-year term begins July 1, 2017.

Karin A. Martin is a Professor of Sociology who is interested in understanding the micro, everyday practices that construct social inequality. In particular, she works at the intersections of gender, sexuality, and childhood. Her research has examined gender differences in experiences of puberty and first sex; how children’s bodies are gendered in preschool; and sexual socialization in early childhood, including how mothers normalize heterosexuality for preschoolers and what children learn about sexuality from G-rated movies. She has also written on how advice books construct gender-neutral childrearing; how gender identity serves as a form of social control during labor and childbirth, and about the cultural tools advice books provide parents about adolescents’ "coming out." She is currently working on a new set of projects about conflicts within childcare.  

In Sociology, Professor Martin has served terms both as the Director of Undergraduate Studies and as the Director of Graduate Studies, as well as the Honors Advisor.  Martin has recently served as Associate Director of the ADVANCE Program, which aims to improve the campus environment for faculty in the areas of recruitment, retention, climate, and leadership.  Initially focusing on institutional transformationwith respect to women faculty in science and engineering fields, the program has expanded to address necessary institutional changes to support the needs of a diverse faculty in all fields.  Professor Martin also holds an appointment in the Department of Women's Studies.