Graduate Students

Tolee Hanke

I am currently working on an MA in Sociology and have a B.A. in Sociology and a B.S. in Psychology. My interests include Symbolic Interactionism (with a focus on status and change), ethnomethodology, Conflict Theory, and Systems Theory. I'm most interested of all in the idea of anomie (i.e., social chaos), both at the macro and micro levels. I am currently teaching Introduction to Ethnic Studies (Sociology 168), and enjoy the program offered at Sam Houston State University. I plan to transfer to Texas A&M for a Ph.D in Sociology.

Cheryl Hudec

I came to Sam Houston in Spring 2006. As an undergrad I majored in Sociology and minored in English. I attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in May of 2008.  I have a deep interest in Environmental Sociology and Sociology of Food. I plan on getting a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology from Sam Houston and attaining hours in English that will allow me to become a college professor. I really enjoy the overall environment as well as the teaching experience that I am recieving within the Sociology Department.

Sameena R. Khan

I joined the Department of Sociology in the Fall of 2006, after receiving my Bachelors of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. My research interests include the globalization of the apparel industry, marriage power relations, and international adoption. I have enjoyed my time working on my MA while gaining valuable teaching experience as a teaching assistant.

Yolanda Lopez

I am pursuing my Masters Degree in Sociology while working as a Teaching Assistant for the Sociology Department. This has helped build my relationship with the Sociology faculty and department. The work as Teaching Assistant is a new and enriching experience, and is different from other teaching experiences I've had in Ecuador. My research interests are Sociology of tourism, race/ethnicity and culture.

Nikki Miller

I am currently working on my MA in Sociology while working as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Sociology.  I earned a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Geography from Sam Houston State University.  My area of specialization is community and natural resources.  I am currently working on a research paper on resource extraction in environmentally sensitive lands.  I find particular interest in creating sustainable community structures and organic commodity chains.  Someday, I hope to work at a non-profit organization.

Travis Miller

I'm currently pursuing an MA in sociology after having completed a BA in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice. My master plan involves  becoming so good at grant writing that I can pursue research projects with reckless abandon to build up my curriculum vitae; hopefully this will lead to a PhD in Sociology. The capacity of the human race to subjugate one another for personal gain never ceases to amaze me-- in this vein I find inequality and trade/labor relations to be quite interesting and consider myself to be a student of Ritzer.

Ben Robertson

I began work as a graduate student and teaching assistant in the Spring of 2007, after graduating with my BS in Sociology from Sam Houston State University. My areas of interest include Political Sociology, and Economy and Society with an emphasis on Globalization issues and Quantitative Analysis. I have enjoyed my time working on an MA in Sociology and as a teaching assistant, emphasizing statistics and methodology.