Sociology Welcomes New Faces

David McElhattan joins Purdue as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University and was previously a doctoral fellow at the American Bar Foundation. He holds undergraduate degrees in sociology and philosophy from Boston University.

McElhattan’s research focuses on relationships between criminal justice policy and social inequalities. He is particularly interested in the effects of criminal records on the life chances of record subjects and the role of law and policy in constructing these consequences. His current work explores legally mandated criminal background screening in the United States, examining the rise of laws that institute background checks in areas ranging from employment and professional licensing to housing, volunteer work, and family rights.

Robin Stryker joins the Purdue faculty in fall, 2018 as Professor of Sociology. She graduated summa cum laude with highest honors in sociology from Smith College (1975) and received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin (1986). She joins Purdue from the University of Arizona, where she was Professor of Sociology, Affiliated Professor of Law, and Affiliated Professor of Government and Public Policy.

Stryker’s scholarship spans multiple disciplines, including sociology, law, political science, communication, and history. Among her research foci are law; politics and inequality; organizational and institutional change; political and legal legitimacy; the comparative welfare state and social policy; sociological theory and methods; and incivility, politics, and the media. She has written extensively on the politics of social and behavioral science in U.S. regulatory law, including labor law, antitrust law, and the law of employment discrimination and affirmative action.

Stryker, who has lived in many cities across the U.S. and Europe, was born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, and is delighted to be coming home to Indiana to join the faculty at Purdue.