Dr. Robert D. Benford
Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin
- Professor
- Chair
- Sociology
- 3396 Faner Hall
- Southern Illinois University
- Carbondale, Illinois 62901-4524
- (618) 453-7614
- rbenford@siu.edu
Rob teaches Introduction to Sociology, Sport and Modern Society, Contemporary Social Problems, Elements of Sociological Research, Society and the Individual, Social Movements and Collective Behavior, Qualitative Methodology, Social Psychology, and Social Constructionism. Rob is the recipient of several teaching awards.
Rob devotes most of his research efforts to identifying and analyzing social movement dynamics. He has conducted research on social movement ideologies and grievances, how collective identities are formed, political discourse, interorganizational disputes, and the cross-national diffusion of protest frames and tactics. Whether studying a nuclear waste siting controversy, peace movement framing dynamics, mobilization processes and the 1989 Chinese democracy movement, or rituals associated with nuclear defense policy making, Rob pursues questions related to the social construction of reality.
He is currently working withy Danny Valadez (Edinboro University of Pennsylvania) on a study of strategic framing by the United Farm Workers' movement during their table grape boycott. He is collaborating with Michelle Hughes Miller (SIUC) on a study of the death penalty moratorium movement. In another project, Rob and Michelle are comparing the discourse of early twentieth century anti-suffragists and the discourse of the movement to restrict women's participation in athletics. Finally, Timothy Gongaware (University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse) and Rob are working on specifying the conceptual and empirical linkages between collective memory disputes and the construction of collective identities.
- Social Movements
- Peace and War
- Social Psychology
- Sociology of Sport
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Nominee, Outstanding Scholar Award, 2006, 2007, and 2008
- American Sociological Review’s “500 Club” (for co-authoring one of the 18 most influential articles since 1936, based on the ISI Social Science Citation Index)
- Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln UNL, 1992
- “People Who Inspire” Award, Mortarboard National Honor Society, 1998
- Co-recipient, University-wide Departmental Teaching Award (UNL), 1996
- Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students, UNL Parents Association and Teaching Council, 1995
- Women of Sandoz Instructor Recognition Award, UNL, 1994
- Who’s Who in the World, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
- Who’s Who in Social Science Higher Education, 2004
- Who’s Who in America, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008