John Sonnett
Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
Phone Number: (662)915-7316
Email: sonnett@olemiss.edu
http://socanth.olemiss.edu/john-sonnett/

Key Words: Environment, Culture, Music, Race/Ethnicity, Research Methods

Research Description: My research can be grouped into three broad areas. First is environmental sociology, where I have been interested in how climate-related issues are reported in the news. I have studied global climate change, drought, and wildfires, and am now working on a comparison of newspaper reporting on climate mitigation in 17 countries. I also have interests in water issues, environmental justice, and sustainability. Second, I have done research in the sociology of music. In earlier work I used national survey data to measure the symbolic boundaries people draw around music. I am currently working on a series of papers based on a survey of students at the University of Mississippi. On the survey I asked respondents for their favorite musical artists, and how they would classify them by genre. I also asked for favorites in particular situations, such as while relaxing at home, driving in a car, or exercising. Third, my newest research stream is concerned with race and racism. I have done co-authored work examining racial bias in news coverage after Hurricane Katrina. The latest paper in this series looks at implicit racial cues on television, which are found where seemingly colorblind talk is paired with racialized visuals. I am also currently a co-chair of the Critical Race Studies Group, an interdisciplinary group of faculty, and with that group we are developing research projects race and racism on our own campus.

Honors Theses:

Vaughan, Canaan James (2022) Social media agenda setting of Environmental Policy Issues in Switzerland (full text)

Newman, Kai-Shin Matthews (2022) How Chinese Media Reports on Infectious Disease Emergence and Human Environmental Interactions (full text)

Heim, Victoria (2019) "The Water Changed Me as a Person" How Childhood Experiences With Water Affect Behavior and Attitudes Towards Water as an Adult (full text)

Olack, Ellen (2015) "Architects of Their Own Solutions:" A Comparative Study of Gender in Environmental Justice Work. (full text)

Clark, Shelley Dianne (2011) "Conflicting Water Issues in the Swiss Alps: A Comparative Study of International Environmental Governance."

West, Haley Elizabeth (2010) "The Social Construction of the Financial Crisis: Media Discourse from September 2007-October 2009"