Sociology Newsletter - November 2025

Spring course registration is getting underway. The Sociology Department is excited to offer a pair of courses for the first time. Sociology 3100: Foundations of Behavioral Health provides students an introduction to understanding and working with behavioral health disorders in contemporary society. This is an online course running during the 15-week Spring semester. An added plus? It is a core requirement for the department’s new Behavioral Health Certificate.

 Sociology 3113: Applied Community Care for Social and Community Service is the follow-up course to Sociology 2113: Principles of Community Care for Social and Community Service, which the department offered for the first time this Fall. Applied Community Care has students apply evidence-based community care skills to support people transitioning into, out of, and between community settings. Each of these courses provides students applied skills sought after by organizations in the human and social services sectors. It is an online course that will run during the second 8-week Spring Semester. 

Both courses will feature in the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program that the Sociology Department is launching in 2027. 

Knowing which courses to take and need to be taken can be tricky. If you have advising questions as you’re planning your Spring schedule, please contact our Undergraduate Advisor, Dr. Maren Scull. Dr. Scull is available to meet in-person or via Zoom. 

The Pacific Sociological Association (PSA) is a professional association for sociologists, faculty, students, and applied professionals dedicated to social justice in our communities and discipline. Each year, the PSA holds its annual conference, where students, faculty, and general sociologists come together to share their ideas, research, and experiences. This year’s conference will be held in Long Beach, California from April 1-4. The submission deadline is November 9, 2025 for graduate students and November 15, 2025 for undergraduates. Visit the PSA webpage for more information and to submit proposals.

Imagine yourself on a 16-day adventure across four of Spain's most enchanting cities: Madrid, Seville, Córdoba, and Cádiz. All while earning six credits and a certificate in GIS and Spatial Analysis with instruction from the Spanish National Research Council. Under the guidance of Dr. Adam Lippert, Descubre España: GIS, Research Training, and Cultural Immersion across Spain allows you to explore historic sites, savor local delicacies, and put new skills to work while studying social life in Spain. For more details, contact Dr. Lippert. 

Employers are increasingly seeking job candidates trained in research methods. Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative methodological skills improves one's prospects of securing well-paid and rewarding careers. The Department of Sociology’s Graduate Certificate in Social Science Research Methods provides graduate students training in research design, data collection, and data analysis utilizing a variety of statistical and text analysis software. The certificate is available to graduate students in any degree program as well as non-degree-seeking students. Contact Dr. Adam Lippert for more information. 

Hands of Hope AmeriCorps provides care for infants and children up to age six who are at risk of abuse and neglect in Houston, TX. The organization is seeking members to work with these vulnerable children over a 12-month commitment, living in a private, gated community (at no cost), and receiving a living allowance. Hands of Hope AmeriCorps Members work collaboratively with other AmeriCorps Members in homes to ensure that children’s physical, emotional, and mental needs are met. While the service commitment is only one year, the impact of AmeriCorps Members on the children in their care is lifelong. Hands of Hope is currently accepting applications for the September 2026-August 2027 service year. For more information, email them here, and find the application here.  

Urban Peak is a Denver-based organization providing a full convergence of services focused on one of the most vulnerable populations in our community: youth ages 12 through 24 who are experiencing homelessness. To move from homelessness to safety and stability, youth require intensive, strengths-based case management; access to physical, mental, and behavioral health care; education and employment opportunities; 24/7 crisis support; and a place to call home. Urban Peak meets young people where they are and ignites a spark that puts them on a path toward self-determined, fulfilled lives. The group has new volunteer opportunities available at The Mothership, which can be found here. Other ways to lend a hand? T-shirts, deodorant, and reusable water bottles are on the group's Mothership wish list. And wipes, tampons, laundry baskets, and reusable grocery bags are on their housing wish list.

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) is your connection to research opportunities at CU Denver. URCA is here to help students jump-start their research careers. Its Education through Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities program, or EURēCA, has research assistantship and grant opportunities that fund undergraduate students for doing research. Explore opportunities on their webpage and schedule an appointment with their office to put your ideas into action. 

The Learning Resources Center (LRC) at CU Denver is committed to student academic success, retention, and graduation by promoting and fostering independent learning and critical thinking skills. The LRC strives to cultivate effective learning strategies, skills, and study habits while empowering students to be life-long learners in a collaborative, supportive, and inclusive learning environment. The office offers a bevy of services to help students meet their academic and personal goals. These include peer tutoring, a writing center, supplemental learning, individual coaching, study skills workshops, and more. Visit their website for more information and schedule a session! 

Alpha Kappa Delta is continuing its workshop series for sociology graduate students: The Graduate Student Lounge. The AKD Grad Student Lounge is an initiative sponsored by Alpha Kappa Delta to support and foster graduate students’ professionalization, well-being, and peer networking. It meets monthly to discuss various topics of interest to graduate students in sociology and offers a grad-only safe space to share tips, ideas, and recommendations. Graduate students are welcome to sign up to be invited using this link.

Alpha Kappa Delta currently provides funding to AKD student members who present at regional sociology conferences. Awards are up to $500/student, although no more than $1,500 may be awarded per chapter. This is another great reason to join sociology’s honor society. For more information about the chapter, contact Dr. Jenny Vermilya. 

Milo’s Market is CU Denver’s grocery. It’s a hub for students, staff, and faculty to access free food and hygiene items. Milo’s Market embodies CU Denver’s belief that every person deserves to live free of food insecurity. All students are allocated various goods each week, whether it's a snack for the day or ingredients for a meal. All you need is your LynxCard and a reusable bag! Milo’s Market is located on the 3rd floor of the Wellness Center. 

November is National Native American Heritage Month, when our country pays tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans and recognizes the injustices they have endured following contact with European colonizers. On the Auraria Campus, Metropolitan State is hosting different events—a film screening, resource fair, and a handgames/stickgames night—that will be both engaging and interactive. The City of Denver has information on local institutions and organizations honoring the history and accomplishments of Native Americans. History Colorado also has a core exhibition telling the history of the Sand Creek Massacre, the deadliest day in Colorado’s history (November 29, 1864), when the US Army massacred a camp of mostly women, children, and elders from the Cheyenne and Arapaho people. 

The Phoenix Center at Auraria has opened registration for its annual Women & Gender Equity Leadership Summit on Friday, November 7^th. Through community-building and critical reflection, the summit will offer participants a strong sense of purpose, tools for resilience, and the confidence to lead boldly and unapologetically. This year’s theme, "Resist, Reclaim, Rebuild: Unapologetically Us," invites our community to explore what it means to claim space, lead with authenticity, and advocate for ourselves and others. All are welcome to attend. RSVP for the summit here. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. 

The Sociology Club is in session. The Club meets every other Tuesday from 6-7:00 at the Sociology Department(Lawrence Street Center 420). Last week, the Soc Club and friends made over 150 goodie bags for donation to Denver Inner City Parish! Check out the photo! A big thank you to the Club and its officers—Destiny Martinez, Marketing; Edward Blake, President; KC Van Doren, Vice President; and Jennifer Martinez Garcia, Treasure—for positively impacting our community. On Wednesday, November 19, at Lawrence Street Center 450, the action continues when the Club holds its next event. That will be a Student Symposium where the Club will lead a discussion to explore thought-provoking prompts in a respectful and safe space. Come check us out at a future meeting or event! 

The Sociology Club invites you to join them, the Student Government, and eight CU-Denver Departments (including Sociology) at a forum on academic freedom. The forum is on Tuesday, November 4^th, at 5:00 PM in Student Commons 2504. Everyone is encouraged to attend, and there will be free food! To stay updated, you can join the Soc Club’s GroupMe or follow the Sociology Department on Instagram!  If you have questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to the Sociology Department Chair, Dr. Keith Guzik, or the Sociology Club advisor, Dr. Jenny Vermilya , or message Soc Club on the GroupMe, or DM on Instagram! 

Patricia Smith will read at CU Denver on November 5, at 6:30 pm in the Tivoli Adirondacks Room (Tivoli 440). The event is free and open to the public, hosted by CU Denver's Center for Access and Campus Engagement (CACE), the English Department, and Copper Nickel. Smith is a renowned poet and Princeton professor and the author of ten poetry collections. Her book, The Intentions of Thunder, has received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the NAACP Image Award, and the Guggenheim Fellowship. Don't miss this inspiring literary event! Add to your calendar here. 

The Red Rocks Community College Library will host a conversation with Author David R. Carrillo on Thursday, November 13th, 2025, 11 AM-12PM about his recently published memoir of transformation, Kiko: From Life Without Parole to Life with Purpose. Carrillo served over 30 years incarcerated, where he transformed his life through education, teaching, and advocacy. Today, he is an adjunct professor, consultant, and nationally recognized speaker dedicated to criminal justice reform and second chances. The RRCC Workforce Services Department welcomes you to this event in collaboration with the library. Coffee and bagels will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP. 

Learned, B. (2022). Sand Creek Massacre. Street Wise Arts, 7960 Niwot Rd, Niwot, CO.

The Department of Sociology is giving a boisterous shout out to Dr. Desiré Anastasia-Cartwright on the publication of the 5th edition of her textbook, Essential Criminology, with Stuart Henry. Essential Criminology is published by Routledge Press. Routledge notes that “Essential Criminology contextualizes criminology in the globally interdependent 21st century, addressing the crimes of terrorism, global pandemics, and climate change.” And there’s much new in this “significantly expanded edition”. All of which is why Dr. Anastasia-Cartwright describes the “completely revamped” book as “quite the project”(!). Congratulations Desiré on this impressive milestone!

Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt (1840-1904), popularly known as Chief Joseph, was a leader of the Nez Perce, a Native American tribe of the US Pacific Northwest. His passionate resistance to his tribe's forced removal at the hands of the US government made him a renowned figure. In 1879, he published “An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs” in the North American Review. There, he wrote: “ If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases. If you tie a horse to a stake, do you expect he will grow fat? If you pen an Indian up on a small spot of earth, and compel him to stay there, he will not be contented, nor will he grow and prosper. I have asked some of the great white chiefs where they get their authority to say to the Indian that he shall stay in one place, while he sees white men going where they please. They cannot tell me.” 

Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. There are not a lot of major national races this year. But local politics is always cooking! Wanna keep up with those funky local issues? Vibrant Denver Bonds, anyone? Colorado Public Radio and Denverite have got you covered on the issues shaping this year’s races as well as election results. Check them out for vote tallies and analysis of how results could impact our communities.  

Culture is a central element of society and serves a vital function in demonstrating the heights of human achievement. Hamlet. The Mona Lisa. West Side Story. And now, of course, 6-7. But what is 6-7? And why are teachers around the country calling time on kids’ embrace of the term? The Independent has the story, assuming this fad is still a thing by the time you read this. 

Over the past few months, demonstrations led by young people have broken out across the globe — in Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, the Philippines, East Timor, Bolivia, Peru, and Morocco — to protest political oppression, autocratic rule, and endemic corruption. The One-Piece manga flag has been a prominent symbol of Gen Zers’ protests. The Guardian explains the symbolism behind the One Piece flag, while The New Republic reflects on the chances that US youth rally around it.