Religion
My research on religion examines how religions in U.S. society help shape the views and behaviors of members of the public as they participate in U.S. social institutions, including the economy/workforce, education, government/law, and healthcare. I investigate how religious views and values help shape Americans’ attitudes toward and participation in these and other social institutions.
Collaborative
My research work is part of a larger collaboration between the Department of Sociology and the local community and led by Dr. Sarah Gatson, focusing on improving food access and generating participatory-action knowledge. Through interdisciplinary teams and multi-method approaches, our research collective pursues community health interventions and policy recommendations that are created with and for the marginalized populations of our area. Thanks to this experience, my research agenda going forward not only incorporates collaborative efforts between scholars and community, but depends on it as well.
Team-based
My work facilitates collaborative, interdisciplinary, undergraduate research teams. In this innovative team-based design, I select and train diverse groups of students in ethnographic methods and sociological topics, and perform research with them. In leading these teams, I have secured $20,000 in funding from the Louisville Institute (Project Grant, 2020) to compensate the students for their work. I also structure my courses to follow this same team-based pedagogical model.
See examples of research generated by my undergraduate teams
Service-learning
As a scholar-activist, I strive to make my research and teaching a benefit to our society in active, meaningful ways. Through participation in community support organizations, sharing materials and knowledge with community members, and other methods, my work as a sociologist centers the needs and assets of local communities to meet both scholarly as well as practical goals.
Andrew McNeely, Ph.D. 