Sociology Faculty

M.A., Idaho State University

Bio

Dipa got her Master’s in Sociology from Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID and Master’s in English from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal. Dipa has been teaching Principles of Sociology, Gender and Society, Sociology of Health and Illness, and Marriage and Family since 2016. Her research interests include Gender and Sexuality and Women’s Health.

Publication

Sharma Gautam, Dipa and Gesine Hearn. 2019. No time, no money, no luck: Barriers to prenatal care among dalit women in rural Nepal. Health Care For Women International.  

B.A., Northwestern College; M.A., University of North Dakota; Ph.D., State University of New York at Albany

Bio:

Dr. Knudson’s teaching and research interests focus on urban and metropolitan affairs, education, political economy, and class/inequality. His current research project examines school choice, particularly middle class families who decide to remain in central cities and enroll their children in central-city public schools. Papers based on this research have been presented at meetings of the American Sociological Association, the Eastern Sociological Society, and the Association for Humanist Sociology. Another project of Knudson’s will explore gentrification in Raleigh, N.C.

Recent/Forthcoming Publications:

Paul T. Knudson. 2021. “How Institutional Context Shapes the Accounts of School Choice and Boundary-Making among Middle Class Parents in an Urban School District.” The Qualitative Report, 26 (3): 806-831.

Paul T. Knudson. 2021. “Continuing Social Constraints in Education Agency: The School Choices and Experiences of Middle Class African American Families in Albany, NY” Qualitative Sociology Review, 21(3): 150-175.

 Paul T. Knudson. 2021. “Exploring the Perspectives of Middle Class African American Parents Who Are Charter School Skeptics.” Humanity & Society. 

Paul T. Knudson. 2019.“The Perceptions of Private and Suburban Public Schools Among Middle Class Urban Parents: Evidence from Albany, New York.” American Journal of Qualitative Research, 3 (2): 23-41.

Paul T. Knudson. 2019. “Academic Privilege and Social Segmentation: The Experiences of Middle Class African American Families in Central City Public Schools: Accounts from Albany, NY.” Sociological Imagination, 55 (1) 7-22.

M.J.A., Methodist University

B.S., University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth; M.Ed., East Carolina University

Bio

Mr. Phelan earned a Master of Education with a a specialization in Counseling from East Carolina University, and his undergraduate degree is in Psychology from UMass Dartmouth.

He has worked as a Foster Care and Adoption Social Worker for 43 years: Cumberland County Department of Social Services from 1972 to 2009 and with Grandfather Home for Children from 2010 to 2015.

He has served as an adjunct Instructor of Sociology at Methodist University, specializing in Evening and Online Classes since 1989.

He is married with three adult children and five grandchildren and lives in Raleigh.