Member jtownsle

I teach sociology and international studies at Butler University. I'm split between medicine and the social sciences--I started out with a chemistry degree and went to medical school to study neurobiology. Suddenly I find myself in one of the most anti-biology of fields, sociology, which I love. My interest now seems to be on the construction of identity/identities. This can apply to global issues like nationalisms, interethnic conflict and the "global citizen", or local issues like the construction of "black", "gay", "republican" identities, etc.

I would like to add in the neurobiology component to my interest in identity construction. Emotions and cognitions obviously play a role in constructing one's identity. We know a lot about the brain, so how do we link this biological knowledge into what we know as sociologists and psychologists. Perhaps bringing into dialogue disparate disciplines, such as the neurobiology/psychology of emotions and the sociology of emotions, or the sociology of identity construction and the neurobiology/psychology of personality and decision-making.