Carson Mencken

Education

Ph.D. Sociology, Louisiana State University,  1994
M.A. Sociology, Louisiana State University, 1989
B.S. Sociology, College of Charleston, 1987

Biography

F. Carson Mencken is professor of sociology and chair of the sociology department. He received his BS degree summa cum laude from the College of Charleston (SC) in 1987, and his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in 1994. His areas of research expertise include civic engagement, religiosity, and research methods. Recently, with Dr. Charles Tolbert he has been examining the impact of changes in the banking industry on the availability of capital for local businesses and entrepreneurs in rural America. This research has been funded by two competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He has authored over 40 professional publications. He has received competitive grant funding for his research from such sources as the Tennessee Valley Authority, the United States Department of the Interior, the United States Department of Justice, and the John Templeton Foundation.

He and his family are actively involved with the Dayspring Baptist Church of Waco.

Books

Paranormal America: Ghost encounters, UFO sightings, Bigfoot hunts and other Curiosities in Religion and Culture. 2nd Edition ( w/ Christopher Bader and Joseph Baker). 2017. New York University Press. ISBN: 978-1-4798-1965-2 (hardback) ISBN: 978-1-4798-1528-9 (paperback). (311 Pages)

Recent Publications

Carpenter, C. W., Mencken, F. C., Tolbert, C. M., & Lotspeich. M. C., II. (2019). Locally owned bank concentration and business start-ups and closures in U.S. metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural counties from 1980-2010. The Review of Regional Studies, 50(1): 17-42.

Michael C. Lotspeich, Charles M. Tolbert, and F. Carson Mencken. 2019. “Oil and Gas Development and Small Business Lending in U.S. Nonmetropolitan Counties.” Journal of Maps 15(1): 46-51.

F. Carson Mencken and Paul Froese. 2019.“Gun Culture in Action.” Social Problems 66(1): 3-27.

F. Carson Mencken and Charles M. Tolbert. 2018. “Locally Owned Bank Concentration and Bank Loans for Nonmetropolitan Business Start-Ups and Expansions: A Multilevel Analysis from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners” Rural Sociology 83(2): 376-401.

F. Carson Mencken and Charles Tolbert. 2018. "Small Business Lending and Economic Development in Texas Counties: A Test with Community Reinvestment Act Data." Journal of Rural and Community Development 13(1): 47-66.

Henderson, W. Matthew, F. Carson Mencken and Brittany Fitz. 2017. “Social Embeddedness, Image of God and Trust among active Christians.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 32: 1-14.  15

Relevant Track:  Community Analytics

Dr. Mencken's Full Curriculum Vitae.