Lectures To Focus On Private Schoolers, Integrated Congregations

by Judy Long

Baylor University's department of sociology and anthropology will host the Sociology of Religion Colloquium Series at 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 8-9, in room 345 at the Draper Academic Building. Dr. David Sikkink, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame, will discuss "The Public Lives of Private Schoolers: Religion and School Sector Differences in Parental Civic Participation" on Tuesday. Wednesday's lecture by Dr. Michael O. Emerson, associate professor of sociology at Rice University, will center on "Understanding Racially Integrated Religious Congregations."
Sikkink, who received his doctorate from the University of North Carolina, focuses his research on religion in public life, especially the role religion plays in the politics of education, education organizations, political participation and civic engagement. He is the author of more than 15 journal articles and book chapters.
Emerson, who also is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, is widely known for his research on the intersection of race and religion, especially the problems and prospects of multiracial congregations. He is the author or co-author of four books, including "Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America," which received the 2001 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Both lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, call the department of sociology at (254) 710-1165.