Douglas Harper, Ph.D.

Professor
Sociology Department

Office: 519 College Hall
412.396.6491
harperd@duq.edu

Douglas Harper is a Professor of Sociology and in 2010 was appointed to a five year Endowed Chairship in Teaching and Technology.  His current policy interests concern de-industrialization, community change in the "rustbelt" and addiction recovery.  His special methodological interest is in visual sociology and he is currently completing a documentary film with a small group of Policy Center and JMA students.

Harper has held full time and visiting appointments in Sociology Departments at the University of South Florida, the State University of New York at Potsdam, the University of Amsterdam and the University of Bologna, Italy.

Education

B.A Anthropology and Political Science, 1970, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota
Ph.D. Sociology, 1976, Brandeis University, Boston, Massachusetts

Research, Publications and Service

Harper has published five books (two co-authored) at the University of Chicago Press.  In addition, his seminal statement on the subfield, Visual Sociology, is being published in 2011 by Routledge Publishers in England.  He has also edited or co-edited five books on the sociology of work, visual sociology and related areas.  His recent study of agriculture, Changing Works, won the North Central Sociology Association's Scholarly Achievement Award and the Collier Award from the Visual Anthropology Association.  His book, Good Company, a study of railroad tramps, was translated to French and Italian and his other writings have appeared in several languages.

He has published nearly a hundred articles, chapters, reviews and editorials and has been invited by many universities, including Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Goldsmiths (London), the University of Rome, the University of Amsterdam, to lecture or hold workshops in visual sociology and other qualitative methods.

Statement

I firmly believe that it is our responsibility to apply our knowledge to the solution of social problems.  Many are right at our doorstep and some are as large as the global community.