Directory
Arthur J Jipson
Associate Professor
Full-Time Faculty
College of Arts and Sciences: Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Degrees
- Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
Profile
Dr. Arthur Jipson is an Associate Professor of Sociology. He received his Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University. He joined the faculty in 2001 and received tenure in the department in 2004. Dr. Jipson's areas of special interest are white racial extremism, social movements and collective behavior, white collar crime, fraud, and corporate crime, sociological and criminological theory, unions and labor movements, Internet community, and the sociology of popular music.
Faculty perspective
"I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from college. My parents were unable to support me while I attended college. Through hard work and a willingness to part with sleep, I eventually received a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1988. While at UM I worked closely with my professors and saw first-hand their enthusiasm and passion for sociology and criminology. I was also fortunate to have experienced a practical liberal arts education that focused upon sociology, political science, and anthropology as useful tools in understanding the social world. I continued this interest with my graduate studies in sociology. Both my Masters degree (1991) and Doctorate (1995) came from Bowling Green State University. I studied social organization; ethnographic, qualitative, and historical methods; the social understanding of crime; conflict sociology; and social and political theory. My doctoral emphasis was in organizational crime, conflict, the labor movement and political sociology. I also received a minor in sociological theory.
Throughout my education I was fortunate to have received critical instruction from professors who taught me that sociology cannot and should not be divorced from the social problems experienced in everyday life. I strive to be a dynamic teacher who assists students in their understanding of sociological principles and methods. I use examples and issues that students are familiar with (the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, debate surrounding the death penalty, proposed censorship of the Internet, among other issues) to help them grasp material and engage with it. My purpose is not to create students who think like me, instead my goal is to help students critically analyze the material by interacting with other learners (including myself as a life long learner), examining different contexts, and feeling free to discuss and dialog inside and outside of the classroom. For example, I used a video of a Dr. Seuss cartoon, The Sneetches, to raise the issue of labeling others and the consequences of those labels in a way that was not demeaning or heavy handed.
Although I have only been at the University of Dayton for a few years, I feel as though I have come home. The department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work has been totally supportive of my research and teaching. I could not ask for a better learning environment."
Research interests
Dr. Jipson's research interests are focused on various manifestations and understandings of social change and inequality. These interests are crucial to the understanding and teaching of sociology and criminology. He believes that the birth of sociology as a discipline is tied to an attempt to understand the consequences of different forces trying to prevent or create social change. Thus, Dr. Jipson's analyzing various forces of social change (e.g., labor unions, white supremacy, the Internet, roadside and spontaneous memorials) is part of a larger tradition within sociology to explain the key social processes that have an impact on the organization of society. It is crucial for students to have an understanding of these processes and an ability to apply them to their lives.
Dr. Jipson's research has expanded into five areas: (1) To continue to examine and review white supremacist organizations, activity, and mobilization in rallies, protests, and the Internet; (2) To continue to follow the developments in work and labor process, especially the interactions that involve the Teamsters union; (3) To continue research on the nature of Internet use, deviance, and experience; (4) To build an understanding of white collar, corporate and organizational deviance and crime, especially the Ford Pinto case; and (5) To examine the motivations and consequences of erecting roadside memorials.
Selected publications
An Introduction to White Racialism. Lynne Reiter Publishers. (2006). With Paul Becker.
"Using Humanist Sociology in the Classroom." The American Sociologist, Special Issue on Humanistic Sociology. (February 2003)
"The State of Indiana vs. Ford Motor Company Case Revisited." American Journal of Criminal Justice 26 (2, Spring, 2002): 181-202. With Paul Becker and Alan Bruce.
"Legal Battles that Shaped the Computer Industry." Review in Social Science Computer Review 20. (1, 2002): 99-100.