Author Profile

Fabio Rojas

Fabio Rojas is professor of sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington, and is the co-editor of Contexts: Understanding People in Their Social Worlds. He is a scholar of organizational behavior, higher education, and political sociology. His most recent book, Theory for the Working Sociologist (2017, Columbia University Press), explains modern social theory in a friendly and accessible manner. Professor Rojas has won awards from his institution for having high teaching evaluations.

Articles by Fabio Rojas

Defining Faculty Roles: Scholarship First, Activism Second

Apr 13, 2018 · Fabio Rojas · No Comments

Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on faculty roles in higher education. Part II by Jay Schalin is here and Part III by John Wilson is here. Let’s imagine that you felt a lump in your body and went to the doctor. Once you sat down in the examination room, the … Continue reading “Defining Faculty Roles: Scholarship First, Activism Second”

Should We Stop Asking College Students to Evaluate Their Instructors?

Feb 16, 2018 · Fabio Rojas · No Comments

At the end of every semester, at nearly every college in the country, millions and millions of students fill out student evaluations of teachers. These forms ask very sensible questions. Did the teacher effectively communicate the material? Were they available for students? Department chairs and deans take these evaluations very seriously. At teaching-intensive institutions, these … Continue reading “Should We Stop Asking College Students to Evaluate Their Instructors?”

The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire Aug 17, 2018
With the memory of last August’s violent alt-right protest and counter-protest still raw, the University of Virginia is again under siege. The new invasion actually began a few weeks ahead of schedule. “As grim anniversary nears,” the Chronicle of Higher Education began its coverage in late July, and Inside Higher Ed also emphasized “the approaching … Continue reading “The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire”
‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas Aug 15, 2018
The latest racket in higher education, evident at my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, is the disturbing proliferation of “social justice” as a degree program, a course topic, an academic emphasis, and even as a prerequisite in campus job descriptions. “Social justice” is a seemingly innocuous term with no established definition. Many … Continue reading “‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas”
No, the World Doesn’t Need More Humanities PhDs Aug 10, 2018
In May, The Chronicle of Higher Education asked four academics from across the country to weigh in on the “adjunct crisis.” The results were predictable, with most of the blame directed at the usual suspects: bean-counting administrators, complacent, tenured faculty members, tight-fisted state legislators, and, of course, those evil Republicans. Solutions generally involved pressuring colleges and universities to fork … Continue reading “No, the World Doesn’t Need More Humanities PhDs”

The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire Aug 17, 2018
With the memory of last August’s violent alt-right protest and counter-protest still raw, the University of Virginia is again under siege. The new invasion actually began a few weeks ahead of schedule. “As grim anniversary nears,” the Chronicle of Higher Education began its coverage in late July, and Inside Higher Ed also emphasized “the approaching … Continue reading “The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire”
‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas Aug 15, 2018
The latest racket in higher education, evident at my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, is the disturbing proliferation of “social justice” as a degree program, a course topic, an academic emphasis, and even as a prerequisite in campus job descriptions. “Social justice” is a seemingly innocuous term with no established definition. Many … Continue reading “‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas”
The New Racism, Part II: The Sociologist’s Toolkit: Justifying Racism Through Language Aug 3, 2018
Editor’s note: Part I of The New Racism can be read here. The best way to grasp how sociology has managed to make color-blind racism (CBR) seem believable is to study its Newspeak (to continue the Orwell theme). Whiteness To many modern sociologists, color blindness is a racist weapon that works, somehow, through whiteness, a … Continue reading “The New Racism, Part II: The Sociologist’s Toolkit: Justifying Racism Through Language”

The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire Aug 17, 2018
With the memory of last August’s violent alt-right protest and counter-protest still raw, the University of Virginia is again under siege. The new invasion actually began a few weeks ahead of schedule. “As grim anniversary nears,” the Chronicle of Higher Education began its coverage in late July, and Inside Higher Ed also emphasized “the approaching … Continue reading “The University of Virginia in an Uproar Again—Over a Single Faculty Hire”
‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas Aug 15, 2018
The latest racket in higher education, evident at my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, is the disturbing proliferation of “social justice” as a degree program, a course topic, an academic emphasis, and even as a prerequisite in campus job descriptions. “Social justice” is a seemingly innocuous term with no established definition. Many … Continue reading “‘Social Justice’ is Overrunning the University of Texas”
University Foundations: A Convenient Way to Bypass Oversight Aug 13, 2018
As public institutions funded by taxpayers, state colleges and universities are limited in the kinds of commercial activity in which they can participate. This is particularly so when it comes to university land or property. However, through the use of institutionally affiliated—but still private—non-profit “foundations,” universities have found a convenient way to bypass these restrictions … Continue reading “University Foundations: A Convenient Way to Bypass Oversight”