Dr. Daniel Buffington / Bear Hall 122 / 910.962.3434 / buffingtond@uncw.edu
Ph.D. University of Georgia, SociologyM.A. University of Georgia, Sociology
B.A. University of New Mexico, Anthropology and Art History
On Becoming a Sociologist
I like to imagine that I was always going to become a sociologist. But that wasn't the case. As an undergraduate, I double majored in Anthropology (Archaeology) and Art History with an emphasis on pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies. While I generally enjoyed both majors and learned a lot, neither fully satisfied my curiosity to understand what was going on in the contemporary world around me. Despite these creeping doubts I felt I was too far along in my degree to change.
It was at this point that a very important event occurred: in order to complete my Anthropology requirements I had to take a course in Physical Anthropology. The professor, who had just finished a stint working for the Human Genome Project, spent half of the semester outlining how human beings differ physically and genetically, all the while point out that this variation did not match up with the racial categories we use in everyday life. For me this was an absolute revelation of the "earth is not flat" variety. I began to question all sorts of things I had previously taken for granted. If physical or genetic differences could not account for variation in the outcomes of racial groups (in sports, schools, jobs, etc), what did? It was from this event that I gained my keen interest in racial and ethnic group relations.
Despite helping to cultivate this interest, it was also clear to me that Anthropology could not address these issues. Anthropology, especially Archaeology, is primarily the study of the past and of someone else's society. By happenstance my roommate at the time had a keen interest in sociology and loaned several books which persuaded me that sociology was unique among the social sciences in making contemporary social life and one's own society the center of inquiry. Indeed, no other discipline has made racial inequality such a central concern or been able to demonstrate empirically the way that social forces shape the outcomes of racial groups.
Thus, like many of my colleagues it was what C. Wright Mills called the "promise" of sociology - the ability to link things happening in my everyday life to the larger events of history and society - that convinced me to pursue a Master's Degree in Sociology at the University of Georgia.
Specialty Areas |
Courses Taught |
|---|---|
Racial & Ethnic Relations |
Introduction to Sociology |
Migration and National Identity |
Sociology of Culture |
Culture |
Sociology of Sport |
| Media and Communication | Social Stratification |
| Sport and Leisure | Modern Social Problems |
| Racial and Ethnic Group Relations (Undergraduate and Graduate) |
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Courses SOC 105: Introduction to Sociology SOC 200: Sociology of Sport SOC 215: Modern Social Problems SOC 306: Sociology of Culture SOC 325: Racial and Ethnic Group Relations SOC 490: Senior Seminar SOC 524: Social Stratification SOC 525: Racial and Ethnic Group Relations Current Research ProjectsSport, Global Migration, and National Identity Impact of Mass Media on Racial and Ethnic Characterizations and Stereotypes
Professional AssociationsSouthern Sociological Society American Sociological Association North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Publications
ESSAY 4, Daniel Buffington "Blacks Are Naturally Good Athletes" The Myth of a Biological Basis for Race coauther of "Racetalk and Sport: The Color Consciousness of Contemporary Discourse on Basketball"
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