A female student visiting an Italian-themed resort at Lake Las Vegas.

Department of Sociology News

The Department of Sociology offers courses that inspect concerns about human behavior, social life, and social change. Students examine topics such as crime; economic inequalities; gender; leisure and sports; marriage and family; occupations; race and ethnic relations; and religion.

Current Sociology News

Campus landscape
Campus News |

Some of the hottest headlines featuring UNLV faculty, staff, and students.

Some early studying during the opening week of the Spring 2026 semester (Josh Hawkins/UNLV).
Campus News |

A look at some of the most eye-grabbing headlines featuring UNLV faculty, staff, and students.

collage of three male alumni including one in army fatigues, one in a suit jacket, and one sitting on desk in office
Research |

UNLV grads are ignoring stereotypes and uncovering the rewards of these vital healthcare and education roles.

Emylia Terry
People |

With a decade of experience in community health and policy, Emylia Terry brings her commitment to health equity back to UNLV as an assistant professor.

Norma Jean Almadovar, a sex worker rights activist, poses with her collection of documents.
Research |

The Norma Jean Almodovar Papers document decades of advocacy and expand UNLV’s collecting initiative on sexual entertainment and economies.

closeup of hand touching herbs growing in hydroponic system
Campus News |

UNLV, UNR Extension collaboration cultivates an early interest in science and engineering.

Sociology In The News

Nevada Independent

Nevada’s brothels have maintained a sturdy business model since their legalization in the 1970s. We dive into their policies and regulations.

Nevada Current

Nevada has earned an F grade in protections for human trafficking survivors on a report card prepared by the Polaris Project advocacy organization. Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, passed during the special legislation session in November, mandates state lawmakers to conduct an interim study on human trafficking and offer policies that could be taken up in the 2027 Legislation Session.

Huffington Post

Like it or not, we “vote” with our dollars. Here's how to make sense of a challenging economy and a deeply fraught political environment.

Associated Press

Nevada is the only state where people can legally purchase sex, and now sex workers at one of the state’s oldest brothels are fighting to become the nation’s first to be unionized.

New York Times

A flurry of posts from the White House, Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security have included images, slogans and even a song used by the white nationalist right.

The Society Pages

Fatima Suarez is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She specializes in gender, family dynamics, and Latinas/os/es in the United States. Over the past ten years, her research has focused on examining inequality in family life, particularly from the perspective of fathers.

Sociology Experts

An expert on the intersection of travel and tourism with sociology, social justice, and environmental sustainability. 
An expert in gender, sexuality, sexual politics, prostitution, sex work and sex trafficking.
An expert in health and social inequality.
An expert in social psychology.
An expert in both urban sustainability and political extremism, including white supremacy
An expert in urban culture and interactions, popular culture, religion and spirituality, craft beer, and the Boston Red Sox.

Recent Sociology Accomplishments

Annaliese Grant (Sociology) and her coauthor recently published a paper, "Watching scripted fiction: Repertoires of co-viewing, time, and attention to scripted series and movies in Australia," in Poetics. 
Elizabeth Lawrence (Sociology), Erika Marquez (Environmental and Global Health), Courtney Coughenour (Environmental and Global Health), Amanda Haboush-Deloye (Social and Behavioral Health & Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy), and Selam Ayele (Environmental and Global Health) published "Household insecticide use and pyrethroid…
Robert Futrell (Sociology) recently commented in The New York Times and for NBC News on social media campaigns from the White House, Department of Labor, and Department of Homeland Security that included tropes and symbolism drawn from white supremacist culture.  
Iesha Jackson (Teacher Education), Catharine Lory (Special Education), Vanessa Nunez (Sociology), and Camisha Fagan (Sociology) coauthored an article titled, “(Em)bracing ourselves: Women of Color in the academy supporting each other through troubling times,” in Current Issues in Education. The article emphasizes the importance of cultivating…
Nirmala Lekhak (Nursing) presented her research, "Mental Health Benefits of Maitri Sambodh Dhyaan (MSD) Meditation for Dementia Caregivers" at Religion, Spirituality, and Aging Interest Group Symposium at the Gerontological Society of America's Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, on Nov. 14, 2025. The presentation was co-authored by Tirth Bhatta (…
Fatima Suarez (Sociology) published a book titled, Latino Fathers: What Shapes and Sustains Their Parenting, with New York University Press. Use code NYUP30 for 30% off at checkout at nyupress.org.