SoJAC Lab (Social Justice Activism Lab)
PI: Dr. Meredith G. F. Worthen
Established in 2025, our lab investigates sociological questions that challenge existing status quos and promote social justice activism. We are interested in interdisciplinary and collaborative scholarship across a wide variety of fields in the social sciences that focus on social inequalities including criminology, stigma, deviance, and victimology. Students and scholars from any discipline are welcome. We use a variety of methods, both quantitative (e.g., surveys) and qualitative (e.g., interviews, focus groups). In our lab, students will participate in all aspects of the research process from data gathering, analyses, writing, and presenting. Contact Dr. Worthen for information about current projects and expectations/qualifications for RA positions.
Part of the Department of Sociology Social Sciences Research Labs (SoSCI Labs)
SoJAC Lab Members
Maria Cullum | Sex work, Crime and Deviance, Cyber Sociology, Stigma |
| Lauren Fishel | Sexual Violence, Trauma Embodiment, Gender & Sexuality, Reproductive Justice and Emotional Labor |
Kenneth Frantz | Sociology of Religion, Political Sociology, Sociology of Law, Public Sociology, Book Banning |
| Ashlynn Mathena | Criminal Justice Reform, Rehabilitation, Recidivism, Social Justice, Forensic Psychology, Trauma, and Criminal Behavior |
Isaac Romero | Jotería Studies, Chicano/a/e Studies, Queer Criminology, Hispanic/Latine Culture, Gender |
Abby Tessmer | Queer methods; Du Boisian Sociology; Whiteness; Queer & Transgender Studies; Intersectionality; Queer of Color Critique; Victimology Tessmer, A., Worthen, M. G. F. and Schleifer, C. (2026). Drag Participation and Trans Women’s Mental Health. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health McGee, T., Tessmer, A., Worthen, M. G. F. and Hope, T. (2026). Walking while Trans: Exploring Police Violence and Misconduct Towards Trans People through Intersectional Subjection. International Journal of Transgender Health Tessmer, A., & Worthen, M. G. F. (2025). Transgender Realities: The Relationship Between Transgender Visibility, Race, and Victimization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence |
Jordyn Vann | LGBTQ studies, Victimization and Polyvictimization, Structural Inequality, and Quantitative Methods |
| Sally Wiser | Crime, Gender, Education, Policing, Quantitative Methods, Mixed Methods Wiser, S., & Worthen, M. G. F. (2026). Down With the Patriarchy or up in Smoke? Gender Differences in Marijuana Use. Feminist Criminology |
 | PI: Meredith G. F. Worthen LGBTQ studies; queer criminology; stigma; deviance; social inequalities |
Former SoJAC Lab members: Dr. Darci Schmidgall
