JOINED VT: 2001

CURRENT PROJECTS: For some time I have been working the link between dimensions of community solidarity, community policing, and crime. I am also working on two separate projects having to do with the acquisition of musical taste. One looks at the role of musical taste in friendship groups; the other looks at the impact of the Internet on taste. Another project is a cross-cultural study of the relationship between social policy, marriage and well-being. Finally, I have a long-term interest in the digital transformation of culture industries, with a particular focus on copyright law.

EDUCATION:

Bachelor's	West Virginia University
Master's	West Virginia University
Doctorate	Vanderbilt University

PREVIOUS PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS:

Date	Name of Institution	Title
1982-2001	Clemson University	Professor and Chair

CURRENT TEACHING INTERESTS:

Sociology of Law
Culture
Introductory Sociology

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Sociology of Culture
Community
Violence

SELECTED AWARDS AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Guest editor, with Michael Hughes, "The Production and Consumption of Culture: Essays on Richard A. Peterson's Contributions to the Sociology Cultural Sociology," Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media and the Arts,  Vol. 28 (2000).

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Books

Media and Society: The Production of Culture in the Mass Media. New York: Allyn & Bacon, 1999, with William Wentworth.

Social Perspectives on Emotion, Vol. 2. JAI Press, 1994, with William Wentworth.

Articles and Chapters

Hawdon, James E. and John Ryan. Forthcoming. "Social capital, social control and changes in victimization." Crime & Delinquency.

“Breaking the Decision Change: The Fate of Creativity in an Age of Self-Production,” Pages 239-253 in Michael D. Ayers (Editor), Cybersounds: Essays on Virtual Music Culture, New York, Peter Lang Publishing, with Michael Hughes (2006).

"Policing Tactics and Perceptions of Police Legitimacy." In Police Quarterly the Journal of the Police Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice., Volume 6 (4): 469-491, December, 2003, with James Hawdon and Sean Griffin.

"Musical Taste and Sociability: Evidence from Survey 2000." In Internet Research Annual Volume I: Selected Papers from the Association of Internet Researchers Conferences 2000-2002. Forthcoming. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. with James Witte.

"The Disembodied Muse: Music in the Internet Age." Pp: 223-236 in Philip Howard and Steve Jones (Eds.) Society Online: The Internet in Context, Sage Publications, 2003. With Richard Peterson.

"Police-resident interactions and satisfaction with the police: an empirical test of community policing assertions." Criminal Justice Policy Review, 14,1,55-74, March 2003). with James Hawdon.

"The Political Economy of Diversity: Diversity Programs in Fortune 500 Companies," Sociology Research Online, 7(1) (2002) (winner of the prestigious Charlesworth Award for Electronic Journals) with James Hawdon and Alison Brannick.

"The Production and Consumption of Culture: Essays on Richard A. Peterson's Contributions to the Sociology Cultural Sociology: A Prolegomenon." Poetics: Journal of Empirical Research on Culture, the Media and the Arts, vol. 28 (2001).

"The Guitar as Artifact and Icon: Identity Construction in the Baby Boom Generation." PP 89-116 in Guitar Culture, London: Berg, Andy Bennett (Ed.) (2002). With Richard A. Peterson.

"An Evaluation of Community Anti-Violence Programs: Implications of Some Preliminary Findings." Research in Community Sociology, 10 (2000): 163-185, with James Hawdon and Catherine Mobley.

"Marital Status, General Life Satisfaction and the Welfare State: A Cross-National Comparison," The International Journal of Comparative Sociology, XXXIX (2) (1998): 224-236, with Michael Hughes and James Hawdon.

"Gender or Genre? Emotion Models in Rap and Country Music," Popular Music and Society, 20.2(1996): 121-155.

Department of Sociology
560 McBryde Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061-0137
phone: (540) 231-8971
fax: (540) 231-3860