The Religious Roots of American Sociology

Cecil Greek is Associate Professor of Sociology. His specialty areas include the history of sociology and criminology, mass media depictions of crime and deviance, and qualitative research methodologies. His book, The Religious Roots of American Sociology, focused on the founding generation of American sociology and their eventual turn to from qualitative to quantitative methods. His second book, Monsters among and within us: Evil, crime and the Gothic in films, focused on film as a medium in which discussion of the continuing existence of evil is at the forefront. Over the last decade he has helped to reestablish photography as a method for conducting sociological and criminological research. His current research on social networking and online worlds includes deviance in online game worlds, fraud and identity theft in online dating sites, and online self-help groups.