Department of Sociology
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Harry Potter
Emeritus Professor of Sociology
Harry Potter received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1963, and became a faculty member at Purdue University in 1963.
Full Vita in Adobe PDF formatSpecialization: Research methods, social change, environmental sociology, and community.
Courses: Taught (Last two years)
SOC 531 - Community Organization
SOC 533 - Environmental Sociology
SOC 580 – Methods of Social Research
His interests are in social organization and social change, especially in relations across hierarchies, such as how communities interact with the national government. For the last several years that interest has focused on how those relationships are manifested in and through environmental issues. He has published papers in Public Opinion Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Journal of Community Development, Sociological Focus, Psychology of Women Quarterly, Water Resources Bulletin, and Journal of Economic Entomology, as well as book chapters and conference proceedings. He has provided considerable service to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, twice serving as Director of Graduate Studies, and as Director of the Social Research Institute where he was responsible for creating the first department instructional computing lab on campus. He teaches a graduate research methods course every fall, which attracts students from several departments across campus, and classes on community and environmental sociology.
Positions at Purdue University
1967 - present Associate Professor of Sociology
1963 - 1967 Assistant Professor
Service to the Profession
American Sociological Association
· Editorial Board, Contemporary Sociology, 2000-2004
· Committee Chair, Environment, Technology and Society Section, Marvin E. Olsen Graduate Student Paper Award, 2001-2002
· Chair, Micro-computing Section, Nominating committee, 1991-92.
North Central Sociological Association
· President, 1997-98
· Vice-President 1994-95
· Chaired numerous committees
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Peer Review Panel: Social Science; 1997-2001
Honors and Awards
Aida Tomeh Distinguished Service Award, North Central Sociological Association, 2002
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