Department of Sociology Faculty

Mark Ellis ( Associate Professor) received his B.A. from Montclair State University, and his M.A. and his Ph. D. from Northwestern University. He has studied classical piano performance at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music, The Manhattan School of Music, and at the Peabody Institute of Music. He teaches Principles of Sociology, Sociology of Police Work, Sociology of Class and Culture, Senior Seminar, Social Stratification, and the Social Organization of Work. He is also the Coordinator of the First Year Seminar course.

His field of research and teaching interests include: The Sociology of: Culture; Police Work; Art and Music; Occupations and Professions; Education; Theory; Methodology; Race, Gender; and the Sociology of the Body.

His current research examines how conservatory music students learn to form the notion of a career as they are socialized to professional standards while negotiating the high price of career commitment. Future research includes: The experiences and contributions of African Americans in European performing art forms, the repetitious cycle of HIV testing among individuals who are considering friendships, partnerships, and/or marriages; and how African-American views and perceptions of the legal system influence civilian interactions with the police. His new research focuses on how developing world people eat during time of war and the eating patterns in the U.S. of peoples from these lands.

Professor Ellis's research on student cultures has led him to understand the need for increased minority participation in higher education. He is open to working with all student groups to enable them to achieve their objectives.