Baylor Doctoral Candidate Receives Sociology Award

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Media contact: Terry Goodrich, (254) 710-3321
WACO, Texas (July 11, 2014) – Brandon Martinez, Baylor University doctoral candidate in sociology, recently received the SAGE Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award, presented by SAGE Publications.
SAGE Publications initiated the award as an effort to support the sociology community, in conjunction with their introductory text, “Our Social World”. The SAGE/ASA Teaching Innovations and Professional Development Award provides a monetary award to graduate students as well as the opportunity to attend the annual American Sociological Association pre-conference workshop.
Martinez said he views the award as an opportunity to further develop his skill as a teacher.
“One of the things I look forward to is finding ways to enhance the classroom experience for my students,” Martinez said.
The conference is a chance to learn and network with sociologists across the nation. It gives the attendees the ability to learn from those who have spent a long time in the sociology field and gain skills to use in the classroom. Martinez was among 25 recipients of the award, which is in its eighth year of being presented to graduate students and pre-tenure faculty.
Martinez is on track to earn his Ph.D. in the spring of 2015. His research interests include racial and ethnic relations, religion, inequality, and political sociology. His current research includes racial stratification within congregations and political divides within American evangelicalism.
Martinez has received not only the attention of the sociology community but has also impressed a number of faculty on Baylor’s campus. In an email, Charles Tolbert, Ph.D., chair of the department of sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences, commended Martinez on his success as a teacher and doctoral candidate.
“Brandon is our star on the job market this year,” Tolbert said. “He is a past recipient of Baylor’s Graduate Teaching Award given by the Graduate School. And, he has a fistful of journal articles. Taken together, Brandon is an exemplar of the best doctoral training outcomes.”
by Rebecca Flannery, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

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Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

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