When Eric Grodsky was finishing up his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002, he told his advisor that one of his career ambitions was to return to campus as a faculty member. Ten years later, he’s fulfilled that goal.
Grodsky was hired as an associate professor of sociology after holding the same position at the University of Minnesota for two years. Before that, he was an assistant professor of sociology at Minnesota from 2008 to 2010 and an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California-Davis from 2002 to 2008.
Welcome, Eric! Are you excited to be back?
My wife and I have always loved living here. The sociology department is hands down the best place in the world to study social inequality and education, and the graduate students I have the opportunity to work with are phenomenal. I am thrilled to become part of a tradition to which I owe such a large intellectual debt. It is a special place.
What are your research interests?
The basic goal of most of my work is to understand how and why social inequalities get passed on from one generation to the next. I study education – especially higher education – as one of the principle means by which social inequalities are reproduced or in some cases eroded.
What can students expect in the classroom?
I like to engage students with actual sociological research and data. I tell them at the beginning of my classes that the most important things they will take away from me are critical thinking and writing skills. I came out of a liberal arts college and maintain a liberal arts orientation in my classroom, whether I am teaching statistics, methods or sociology of education.
What are your interests outside of work?
Bicycling, beer, and hanging out with my family.
Who's your go-to artist on your iPod?
Tough call. Marcy Playground or the Grateful Dead, depending on my mood.
What's your favorite spot in Madison?
Probably the same as yours – the Terrace.
We're not going to see you wearing maroon and gold around campus, are we?
Not the weekend of October 20.