Research & Initiatives

Our faculty specialize in one or more aspects of race, indigeneity, gender, class, sexuality, or disability, and as a department we approach these subjects intersectionally, paying attention to the ways they intertwine. Other departmental research foci include cultural expressions such as mass media, gaming and sport, food systems, or social movements; justice studies; qualitative and quantitative research methods; and globalization and development.

The Visiting Scholar Program (VSP) within the UCCS Department of Sociology provides temporary appointments to visiting researcher scholars and visiting graduate student researchers to conduct sociological research under the guidance of our faculty members.

The VSP is a unique research opportunity that emphasizes international collaborations and exchanges, cross-cultural research, and a wider global vision. In recent years, the Department of Sociology has accommodated several visiting scholars from around the world who completed global-local research projects and shared their research with our faculty members and students.

The UCCS College of LAS Research Highlights Podcast is where we honor our diverse scholars and hope to instill a sense of community and collaboration among our research and creative works faculty and students.

Faculty Pay Research

Edwardo Portillos, Esther Lamidi, and Lei Zhang

This report highlights persistent and systemic concerns regarding faculty compensation at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). Quantitative data reveal pay disparities across colleges and ranks. Quantitative and qualitative data underscore dissatisfaction with salary structures, particularly among minoritized faculty and those in low-pay colleges, and with the implementation of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act at UCCS. Our data also help us assess the impacts of pay disparities on institutional commitment, morale, and financial well-being among tenured and tenure-track (T/TR) faculty.