Department of Sociology

Lea Mercado
The Sociology Connection
The Sociology Connection is a series of events designed to bring students, faculty, and the community together to discuss and confront some of the most challenging issues facing society today. We welcome anyone who wants to learn more about social issues and become more fully engaged in efforts to improve society.
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- Location:
- LBJ Student Center 3-14.1
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
- Christopher Hall ch1629@txstate.edu
- Campus Sponsor:
- Department of Sociology
Avoidance behaviors can be executed in a wide variety of scenarios and for a wide variety of reasons. When anxiety states are elevated – the likelihood of avoidance is higher. In humans, excessive avoidance is one of the hallmarks of psychiatric disorders such as Anxiety and Autism. However, another important feature in these disorders is the abnormal increase in rapid physiological arousal responses termed hyperarousal. My lab aims to investigate the neural mechanisms that mediate the hyperarousal states that emerge in many psychiatric disorders. In addition, we are interested in how these circuits modulate motivated behaviors and cognition. The main purpose of our research group is to investigate the precise neural circuits of hyperarousal with the goal that our findings will lead to novel discoveries for psychiatric intervention to treat those suffering the burden of mental illness. In parallel, we also conduct experiments in humans to understand how arousal responses may serve as a predictor for autism and anxiety-related disorders.
- Location:
- Grand Ballroom
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
- Christopher Hall ch1629@txstate.edu
- Campus Sponsor:
- Department of Sociology
The Sustainability Exposition is intended to create a space where individuals from different fields of disciplines can come together and discover connecting points that bridge the divides and will inspire both guests and presenters to look to the future through a sustainable lens.
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- Location:
- UAC 474
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
- Christopher Hall ch1629@txstate.edu
- Campus Sponsor:
- Department of Sociology
Come have a coffee with Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera, a Latinx Neuroscientist who runs a research group at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill. During the workshop, he will share his trajectory from Broward Community College in Florida to the University of Puerto Rico, and now as Faculty at UNC. He will also share information about research opportunities at UNC and what it’s like to pursue graduate studies in biomedical sciences. Dr. Rodriguez-Romaguera will also recruit students for his lab.
- Location:
- UAC 474
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
- Christopher Hall ch1629@txstate.edu
- Campus Sponsor:
- Department of Sociology
Whether you come from a majority group or a historically underrepresented group in the sciences, you can train the next generation of leaders that represents the diversity outside the academic walls. In the following workshop, Dr. Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera will discuss topics that have emerged from years of delivering and receiving training. The topics discussed are based on an article in preparation from a mentor with over 30 years of experience (Dr. Gregory Quirk) and his mentee who now runs his own research group (Dr. Rodriguez-Romaguera). As mentors, we need to become advocates for our trainees by remembering what it was like to be in their shoes but keeping in mind that each trainee has unique past experiences (cultural and experiential) that we must understand to tailor training and maximize training potential. The workshop will be composed of discussions on strategies to empower trainees into becoming leaders, creating lab environments that foster collaboration, and the responsibilities and boundaries of a mentor-mentee relationship. This workshop will spark constructive conversations amongst our colleagues as we all work together to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia.
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
- Christopher Hall ch1629@txstate.edu
- Campus Sponsor:
- Department of Sociology
A multi-media project conducted by the Sociology Graduate Students in Social Psychology-Hosted by Dr. Joe Kotarba