Julia F. Waity

Dr. Julia (Jill) Waity is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Sociology and Criminology Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Jill earned her PhD in Sociology with a minor in Public Policy from Indiana University Bloomington. She has been at UNCW since 2013. Community engagement and outreach are important components of Jill’s teaching, research, and service. She has recently completed a food security plan for New Hanover County in collaboration with local government and nonprofit organizations. Currently, Jill is working with rural communities to co-create a toolkit with best practices in disaster food security preparedness. Jill is the co-director of the Community Engaged Research Lab, which works with students and community partners to conduct research that improves the community, including incorporating community engagement into courses and mentoring students through the research process. Many of her courses involve community engagement, such as Applied Social Research, Poverty Studies, The Community, Modern Social Problems, and Social Policy. She has disseminated her work to academic audiences and also in the community through community meetings, webinars, and reports.

You can learn more about Jill on her website: https://www.juliawaity.com/

Education

PhD in Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington IN
Minor: Public Policy, School of Public and Environmental Affairs

MA in Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington IN

BA, Sociology and Anthropology, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA

Specialization in Teaching

Introduction to Sociology
Modern Social Problems (traditional and in Cornerstone Learning Community)
Applied Social Research
Methods of Social Research
Public Sociology/Criminology Seminar (undergraduate and graduate level DIS)
Practicum in Public Sociology/Criminology
Sociology of Poverty (undergraduate, honors, graduate level, and graduate level DIS)
The Community (undergraduate and graduate level)
Social Stratification (graduate level)
Food insecurity (graduate level DIS)
Social policy (graduate level DIS)
Teaching in Higher education (graduate level)
Pro Seminar (graduate level)
Rural Sociology (graduate level DIS)

Research Interests

Stratification and Inequality, Poverty, Community, Food and Nutrition Security, Social Determinants of Health, Applied and Public Sociology, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Professional Service

American Sociological Association Sociological Practice and Public Sociology Section Council (past-chair 2024-2025, chair 2023-2024, chair-elect 2022-2023, elected council member 2020-2022)
Area Editor for Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (TRAILS), Application and Practice

Community Engagement

Most of my work is community-engaged. Currently I am working on a disaster food security project in collaboration with communities in Southeastern North Carolina.

Honors & Awards

Graduate Mentor of the Year Award. 2024. University of North Carolina Wilmington

Rising Research Excellence Award. 2023. University of North Carolina Wilmington