Assistant Professor of Sociology

dennis.downey@csuci.edu

Dennis Downey earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Irvine, in 2002 and has since been a member of the Sociology Department at the University of Utah. He is a native Californian, and very excited to be returning to his home state.

His research focuses on movements for social change, and the strategies and organizational forms developed by leaders. He is particularly interested in social changes concerning issues of diversity. He is currently completing a monograph on the history of the Orange County Human Relations Commission/Council and its role for four decades in guiding dramatic changes in that county. He has published articles on contemporary and historical human relations organizations, and on issues of multiculturalism. Ongoing collaborative projects include: a survey of belly dancers in Utah concerning gender identity and participation in social activism (with Melissa Walker, Naropa University); a content analysis of changing media representations of multiculturalism over the 1990s (with Jon Westover, University of Utah); and a theoretical explanation of how the distribution of strategic actors within a social movement influences the dynamics of competition and cooperation among them (with Deana Rohlinger, Florida State University).

Dennis is particularly excited to be returning to California to join the CSUCI community, since the intellectual pillars of the campus reflect his own interests. His research is thoroughly interdisciplinary, having earned all of his higher education degrees in interdisciplinary programs. His interests focus on issues of multiculturalism and diversity, earning a Masters degree from an American/Ethnic Studies program and subsequently publishing and teaching on issues of diversity. His interests in civic engagement are evident in the nature of his emphases in social movements research and in his recent development of a diversity service learning program at the University of Utah. Finally, he is interested in international education (especially regarding Latin America), and hopes to expand that focus at CSUCI. Above all, he is excited to contribute to the development of the newest Cal State campus. As Kevin Starr, California State Librarian Emeritus, has described the CSU system: "It is the primary means and cutting edge in the struggle for California to sustain itself as a viable, competitive and humane society for ordinary citizens." He is excited to be returning to his home state to participate in and contribute to that struggle.