Dr. John Ellington (Ellis) Godard, Jr., PhD
Associate Professor,
Sociology Department
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
California State University, Northridge
Credentials
I received my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. As an undergraduate, I was a double-major in Sociology and Government, with a minor in Philosophy. As a graduate student, I primarily studied social movements (including new religious movements), and deviance and social control (including a foundation in criminological and law-related courses).
Interests
Ontologically, I am an empiricist. Epistemologically, I am a scientist. Theoretically, I hold particular interest in social geometry. But methodologically and empirically, I am nomadic. I am interested in the full gamut of both quantitative and qualitative methods - methods not merely as abstract considerations, but as employed in the development and testing of theory - and theory not merely as conceptual meanderings but as parsimonious summaries of observed social life.
My doctoral study addressed patterns of conflict management in online settings, including a content analysis of 5,000 messages, quantitative analyeses of 1.5 million messages, and interviews with 120 participants. I have since studied virtual reality and reality shows, professorial attire and clothing fetishes, professionalism and pedagogy. I might even be studying you right now... which is only fair, since you're studying me.
Teaching
While I have taught a variety of courses, including a new course preparation in six of the most recent eight semesters, I primarily teach in three course areas. Click on these links for the most recent instances of the course examples noted (all SOC):
- Methods: 364 Social Statistics, 497 Research Methods, 690 Quantitative Methods, & 696A Directed Grad. Research
- Criminology: esp. 434 Sociology of Law, 355 Criminology, and 304 Deviance and Social Control
- Fieldstudies: inc. 498 Field Study and Seminar, 496J Sociological Research Practicum, and 496SC Sociological Careers.
Recent Things
- Sundial interview (12/7/12)