Sociology professor recognized for contributions to teaching and learning

KOKOMO, Ind. - What can you do with a degree in sociology?

Just about anything you want, according to research conducted by an Indiana University Kokomo faculty member.

Stephanie Medley-Rath, professor of sociology, presented her findings as winner of the Hans O. Mauksch Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Sociology, at the recent American Sociological Association's conference.

The award is the highest given by the Section on Teaching and Learning in Sociology. As recipient of the award for 2025, she was invited to give the Mauksch address at the organization's 2026 conference - on any topic she chose.

With a year to prepare, she decided to research the types of jobs people with sociology degrees are working in today.

"That's a really pressing question right now for all of higher education, but particularly with sociology," she said. "I always describe sociology as a 'choose your own adventure' degree, and this data supports that. Sociology graduates go on to do all kinds of things, in a variety of fields.

"I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about what you can do with that degree, so I'm trying to provide evidence that there are lots of kinds of jobs that students can get with a sociology degree. Having that data is important for me and my program, and the discipline as a whole. I find this work to be very important."

Medley-Rath created and published a survey asking questions about jobs and careers and had responses from sociology graduates from more than a dozen colleges and universities, ranging from community colleges to Ivy League universities. She focused on the 86 respondents who had graduated since 2020, and on what their first jobs were, because "the students who are graduating now, these are the kinds of jobs they would be looking for."

She found that 86 people held 83 different job titles in fields ranging from K-12 and higher education to business and marketing.

"When I categorized them into career clusters, it was not surprising that a lot of them were going into health and human services occupations," Medley-Rath said. "A group with a tiny bit more was education. They're not all becoming teachers, but working in education in some capacity, like college admissions and advising and that sort of work. There were also people in business, finance, investing, working at banks, and marketing. It was exciting when I saw all the different job titles and realized I had 86 participants and 83 job titles. You can do just about anything with a sociology degree."

Medley-Rath said she is pleased to follow in the footsteps of other IU sociologists who previously received the Mauksch Award, including Nancy Greenwood, IU Kokomo emeritus professor of sociology; Betsy Lucal, professor of sociology at IU South Bend; and Bernice Pescosolido, IU distinguished professor of sociology. Gregory T. Kordsmeier, professor of sociology at IU Southeast, was the 2026 recipient.

"There are several IU faculty who have received this award. That speaks highly to the role of sociology faculty throughout IU, and our influence on teaching and learning in sociology," she said.

In addition to her work in the classroom and in research, Medley-Rath is the author of Introduction to Sociology, a college-level textbook, and Teaching Introduction to Sociology, an edited volume for instructors.

"It's not quite an instruction manual," she said. "It's very much pulling together all the pieces for what people should be doing as instructors in introductory sociology," with contributions from several master instructors.

She was honored to receive the award.

"It's really validating to have your peers recognize that what you are doing matters and is influential, and that influence includes my own classroom, but extends far beyond my classroom," Medley-Rath said. "They aren't reviewing my student evaluations, they are looking at a much bigger picture, and how your work is influencing education of students beyond your own classroom."

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