Patrick Akard
Ph.D. University of Kansas , 1989
Interests: Inequality, Social Theory, Political Sociology, Media and Society

Professor Akard's primary teaching and research interests are in the interrelated areas of social inequality, political sociology, and social theory. Over the last several years he has been studying the politics of social and economic policy, with emphasis on decisions that have reinforced the growing economic inequality in the U.S. since the 1970s. This research has also led to an examination of the ideological elements of policy formation and the strategies by which policy issues are framed through the media by competing interest groups. In a related theoretical project, he has been mapping divergent conceptions of 'social class' as they have been applied in sociology. Currently, Dr. Akard is helping coordinate the expansion of distance education offerings in the department - a project that has fostered a growing interest in the pedagogy of online instruction.