Matthew May
Biographic Data
| ID | 3891256 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew May |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew |
| FAMILY NAME | May |
| SIGNATURE | MAY M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Oakland University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5158-6871 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 34 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Can increased training and awareness take forest research to new heights
Forest canopies contribute significantly to global forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, yet are declining and understudied. One reason for a knowledge gap is that accessing forest canopies can be difficult and dangerous. Thus, lack of relevant canopy access skills may compromise knowledge gain and personal safety. We assessed skill levels in canopy access methods and self-perception of skills amongst ecologists worldwide via a web-based…
Superordinate Ties, Value Orientations, and Congregations' Organizational Cultures
In this paper, I examine how clergy's value orientations and congregations' relationships to the superordinate organizations in their institutional environment are reflected in congregations' organizational cultures. My analysis of nearly 50 qualitative interviews with clergy, members, and former members of four Southern Baptist Convention congregations and one Independent Christian megachurch indicates organizational cultures are (1) reflections…
Not by Bread Alone: Mobility Experiences, Religion, and Optimism about Future Mobility
Americans are quite optimistic about their chances of upward mobility, but sometimes even they have their doubts. The authors examine how mobility experiences boost or dampen American optimism about mobility and how the relationship is connected to religion. The authors find that Americans whose subjective financial situations have recently worsened are less optimistic, whereas those whose situations have improved are more optimistic. Objective m…
Does Funding Impact Our Research? Causality, Normativity, and Diversity in 40 Years of U.S. Sociology of Religion
In this article we use a sample of 40 years of sociology journal articles ( N = 1,024) on religion to ask what role funding plays in some of the leading trends in the subdiscipline. Our analysis reveals a considerable increase in the number of published articles on religion with funding over the past 40 years as well as a shift away from public funding as the primary source of funding. Engaging our findings in previous analyses of this database, …
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Religious (Dis)Affiliation and Depressive Symptomatology
Religious affiliation is generally associated with better mental health. The nonreligious, however, currently constitute one of the fastest-growing religious categories in the United States. Since most of the nonreligious were raised in religious homes, their growth raises important questions about the mental health of those who consider dropping out of religion. In this article, I use longitudinal data from the Portraits of American Life Study t…
The Emergence and Decline of Southern Baptist Congregations in a Southeastern County, 1784-2011: An Ecological Analysis
Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection, on the other hand, emphasize the role environmental forces play in organizational growth and decline. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the…
Religious Affiliation and Work-Family Conflict Among Women and Men
Religion is an important part of life for many women and men. Research on religion and work-family issues, however, remains limited. To better understand how religion influences work-family experiences, we use data from the General Social Survey to examine subjective experiences of work-family conflict across three religious groups and the nonreligious. Specifically, we examine how conservative Protestants, Catholics/Orthodox Christians, mainline…
Intersectionopoly: A Simulation of the Wage Gap
This article describes a simulation activity designed to teach students about the wage gap. The wage gap is an important topic in many sociology classrooms, but it can be difficult to convey the accumulated disadvantage experienced by women and racial/ethnic minorities to students using in-class discussions, lectures, or assigned readings alone. This is particularly true on college campuses that may draw their students from more affluent areas. C…
Minority Participation and Well-Being in Majority Catholic Nations: What Does it Mean to be a Religious Minority
Beyond the Possible
It is difWcult to imagine an indeWnite extension of the manifold and overlapping contradictions of contemporary global capitalism. The desires and dreams of peoples are amassed and quantiWed through patented data analytics of private Wrms and speculated on as projections of consumption and global labor productivity. 1 The local use- values of indigenous communities are enclosed through industry- backed nature conservancy policies and captured in …
Causality, Normativity, and Diversity in 40 Years of U.S. Sociology of Religion: Contributions to Paradigmatic Reflection
This article aims to contribute to paradigmatic reflection in U.S. sociology of religion. Analysis of 40 years of articles in U.S. sociology of religion journals shows an increasing trend toward portraying religion as an independent variable as well as in normative, especially positive terms. The data also show a surprising lack of diversification in the subdiscipline. Research on the United States, Christianity, and most specifically Protestanti…
The Imaginative-Power of “Another Materialist Rhetoric”
Simulating Secularization: A Pedagogical Strategy for the Sociology of Religion
Instructing students in sociological theory is a foundational part of the discipline, but it can also be a challenge. Readers of Teaching Sociology can find a number of activities designed to improve students’ understanding of sociological theory in their general theory courses, but there are fewer activities designed to improve student learning in more substantive coursework like the sociology of religion. The purpose of this note is to describe…
Religion, Motherhood, and the Spirit of Capitalism
Religion can help people cope with problems, but in the modern U.S. economy, it may also create problems for some women. Conservative Protestantism encourages women to avoid paid work when they have young children, but that is a preference many families cannot afford. To better understand how workplace outcomes may reflect religion, we examine whether conservative Protestant, mainline Protestant, Catholic, and non-religious women work the number …
How Can Social Psychology and Group Dynamics Assist in Curriculum Development
This article discusses some of the challenges departments face as they embark on curriculum development. The interpersonal dynamics of a department are often the first and most difficult obstacle to overcome but are often overlooked. The author suggests some strategies for how to address these issues as they arise
Contradiction and Overdetermination in Occupy Wall Street
Contradiction and overdetermination in the work of Louis Althusser provide conceptual resources for the theorization of capitalism as a structural totality, and instances of class struggle, such as Occupy Wall Street, as part of an immanent movement of movements that is embedded within and against the differential logic of the mode of production. A reconsideration of Althusser is warranted on the grounds that his early work resonates theoreticall…
Hobo Orator Union: Class Composition and the Spokane Free Speech Fight of the Industrial Workers of the World
From 1909 to 1910, the public performance of soap-box oratory began to effect dramatic changes in the composition of migrant workers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Municipal authorities in Spokane attempted to curb the formation of a union of hobo orators by outlawing public speech-making within the city fire limits. The ensuing confrontation has come to be known as the first major Industrial Workers of the World free speech fight. Despite the…
Spinoza and Class Struggle
Religious Affiliation and Work-Family Conflict Among Women and Men
Religion is an important part of life for many women and men. Research on religion and work-family issues, however, remains limited. To better understand how religion influences work-family experiences, we use data from the General Social Survey to examine subjective experiences of work-family conflict across three religious groups and the nonreligious. Specifically, we examine how conservative Protestants, Catholics/Orthodox Christians, mainline…
Not by Bread Alone: Mobility Experiences, Religion, and Optimism about Future Mobility
Americans are quite optimistic about their chances of upward mobility, but sometimes even they have their doubts. The authors examine how mobility experiences boost or dampen American optimism about mobility and how the relationship is connected to religion. The authors find that Americans whose subjective financial situations have recently worsened are less optimistic, whereas those whose situations have improved are more optimistic. Objective m…
Religion, Motherhood, and the Spirit of Capitalism
Religion can help people cope with problems, but in the modern U.S. economy, it may also create problems for some women. Conservative Protestantism encourages women to avoid paid work when they have young children, but that is a preference many families cannot afford. To better understand how workplace outcomes may reflect religion, we examine whether conservative Protestant, mainline Protestant, Catholic, and non-religious women work the number …
The Emergence and Decline of Southern Baptist Congregations in a Southeastern County, 1784-2011: An Ecological Analysis
Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection, on the other hand, emphasize the role environmental forces play in organizational growth and decline. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the…
Spinoza and Class Struggle
Superordinate Ties, Value Orientations, and Congregations' Organizational Cultures
In this paper, I examine how clergy's value orientations and congregations' relationships to the superordinate organizations in their institutional environment are reflected in congregations' organizational cultures. My analysis of nearly 50 qualitative interviews with clergy, members, and former members of four Southern Baptist Convention congregations and one Independent Christian megachurch indicates organizational cultures are (1) reflections…
Simulating Secularization: A Pedagogical Strategy for the Sociology of Religion
Instructing students in sociological theory is a foundational part of the discipline, but it can also be a challenge. Readers of Teaching Sociology can find a number of activities designed to improve students’ understanding of sociological theory in their general theory courses, but there are fewer activities designed to improve student learning in more substantive coursework like the sociology of religion. The purpose of this note is to describe…
How Can Social Psychology and Group Dynamics Assist in Curriculum Development
This article discusses some of the challenges departments face as they embark on curriculum development. The interpersonal dynamics of a department are often the first and most difficult obstacle to overcome but are often overlooked. The author suggests some strategies for how to address these issues as they arise
Spinoza and Class Struggle
Hobo Orator Union: Class Composition and the Spokane Free Speech Fight of the Industrial Workers of the World
From 1909 to 1910, the public performance of soap-box oratory began to effect dramatic changes in the composition of migrant workers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Municipal authorities in Spokane attempted to curb the formation of a union of hobo orators by outlawing public speech-making within the city fire limits. The ensuing confrontation has come to be known as the first major Industrial Workers of the World free speech fight. Despite the…
Contradiction and Overdetermination in Occupy Wall Street
Contradiction and overdetermination in the work of Louis Althusser provide conceptual resources for the theorization of capitalism as a structural totality, and instances of class struggle, such as Occupy Wall Street, as part of an immanent movement of movements that is embedded within and against the differential logic of the mode of production. A reconsideration of Althusser is warranted on the grounds that his early work resonates theoreticall…
Religion, Motherhood, and the Spirit of Capitalism
Religion can help people cope with problems, but in the modern U.S. economy, it may also create problems for some women. Conservative Protestantism encourages women to avoid paid work when they have young children, but that is a preference many families cannot afford. To better understand how workplace outcomes may reflect religion, we examine whether conservative Protestant, mainline Protestant, Catholic, and non-religious women work the number …
How Can Social Psychology and Group Dynamics Assist in Curriculum Development
This article discusses some of the challenges departments face as they embark on curriculum development. The interpersonal dynamics of a department are often the first and most difficult obstacle to overcome but are often overlooked. The author suggests some strategies for how to address these issues as they arise
Causality, Normativity, and Diversity in 40 Years of U.S. Sociology of Religion: Contributions to Paradigmatic Reflection
This article aims to contribute to paradigmatic reflection in U.S. sociology of religion. Analysis of 40 years of articles in U.S. sociology of religion journals shows an increasing trend toward portraying religion as an independent variable as well as in normative, especially positive terms. The data also show a surprising lack of diversification in the subdiscipline. Research on the United States, Christianity, and most specifically Protestanti…
The Imaginative-Power of “Another Materialist Rhetoric”
Simulating Secularization: A Pedagogical Strategy for the Sociology of Religion
Instructing students in sociological theory is a foundational part of the discipline, but it can also be a challenge. Readers of Teaching Sociology can find a number of activities designed to improve students’ understanding of sociological theory in their general theory courses, but there are fewer activities designed to improve student learning in more substantive coursework like the sociology of religion. The purpose of this note is to describe…
Minority Participation and Well-Being in Majority Catholic Nations: What Does it Mean to be a Religious Minority
Beyond the Possible
It is difWcult to imagine an indeWnite extension of the manifold and overlapping contradictions of contemporary global capitalism. The desires and dreams of peoples are amassed and quantiWed through patented data analytics of private Wrms and speculated on as projections of consumption and global labor productivity. 1 The local use- values of indigenous communities are enclosed through industry- backed nature conservancy policies and captured in …
Intersectionopoly: A Simulation of the Wage Gap
This article describes a simulation activity designed to teach students about the wage gap. The wage gap is an important topic in many sociology classrooms, but it can be difficult to convey the accumulated disadvantage experienced by women and racial/ethnic minorities to students using in-class discussions, lectures, or assigned readings alone. This is particularly true on college campuses that may draw their students from more affluent areas. C…
Does Funding Impact Our Research? Causality, Normativity, and Diversity in 40 Years of U.S. Sociology of Religion
In this article we use a sample of 40 years of sociology journal articles ( N = 1,024) on religion to ask what role funding plays in some of the leading trends in the subdiscipline. Our analysis reveals a considerable increase in the number of published articles on religion with funding over the past 40 years as well as a shift away from public funding as the primary source of funding. Engaging our findings in previous analyses of this database, …
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Religious (Dis)Affiliation and Depressive Symptomatology
Religious affiliation is generally associated with better mental health. The nonreligious, however, currently constitute one of the fastest-growing religious categories in the United States. Since most of the nonreligious were raised in religious homes, their growth raises important questions about the mental health of those who consider dropping out of religion. In this article, I use longitudinal data from the Portraits of American Life Study t…
The Emergence and Decline of Southern Baptist Congregations in a Southeastern County, 1784-2011: An Ecological Analysis
Studies of the growth and decline of religious organizations tend to focus on the ability of American religious institutions to adapt within an open market system, but theories of adaptation may overstate the ability of organizations to respond to changes in their environment. Theories of selection, on the other hand, emphasize the role environmental forces play in organizational growth and decline. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the…
Religious Affiliation and Work-Family Conflict Among Women and Men
Religion is an important part of life for many women and men. Research on religion and work-family issues, however, remains limited. To better understand how religion influences work-family experiences, we use data from the General Social Survey to examine subjective experiences of work-family conflict across three religious groups and the nonreligious. Specifically, we examine how conservative Protestants, Catholics/Orthodox Christians, mainline…
Not by Bread Alone: Mobility Experiences, Religion, and Optimism about Future Mobility
Americans are quite optimistic about their chances of upward mobility, but sometimes even they have their doubts. The authors examine how mobility experiences boost or dampen American optimism about mobility and how the relationship is connected to religion. The authors find that Americans whose subjective financial situations have recently worsened are less optimistic, whereas those whose situations have improved are more optimistic. Objective m…
Can increased training and awareness take forest research to new heights
Forest canopies contribute significantly to global forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, yet are declining and understudied. One reason for a knowledge gap is that accessing forest canopies can be difficult and dangerous. Thus, lack of relevant canopy access skills may compromise knowledge gain and personal safety. We assessed skill levels in canopy access methods and self-perception of skills amongst ecologists worldwide via a web-based…
Superordinate Ties, Value Orientations, and Congregations' Organizational Cultures
In this paper, I examine how clergy's value orientations and congregations' relationships to the superordinate organizations in their institutional environment are reflected in congregations' organizational cultures. My analysis of nearly 50 qualitative interviews with clergy, members, and former members of four Southern Baptist Convention congregations and one Independent Christian megachurch indicates organizational cultures are (1) reflections…
Sociology (15 works) · Political science (11 works) · Law (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Religion and Society Interactions (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Social science (8 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (7 works) · Epistemology (6 works) · Gender Studies (5 works)