Sociology Department
David G. Wagner
Professor
Expertise: Social Psychology
Contact Info:
- dwagner@albany.edu
- Office: 310 Arts & Sciences Building
- Phone: (518) 442-4689
- Mailing Address:
- 1400 Washington Ave.
Arts & Sciences 351
University at Albany
Albany, NY 12222
CV: Curriculum Vitae
Education
- 1978 Ph.D., Sociology, Stanford University
- 1974 M.A., Sociology, Stanford University
- 1971 B.A., Sociology, Michigan State University
Recent Research Projects
- Daring Modesty: The Generation, Analysis and Development of Sociological
Ideas. -- This is a comprehensive, book-length consideration of four basic questions regarding the construction of sociological theories: - What is the purpose of theorizing?
- From what sources do sociological theories come?
- How can we tell whether our theories are "good" or "bad?"
- How do we go about making our good theories better?
- The Attribution of Instrumental and Expressive Task Roles -- This work involves a series of experiments testing whether patterns of behavioral interaction (rather than gender differences, as is traditionally assumed) predict the attribution of instrumental and expressive roles in task groups.
- Characteristics, Objects, and Information: An Integrated View of Instrumental Task Behavior -- This work involves the extension of status characteristics theory and the performance of several experiments to account for the effects of group members' differential possession of task-relevant objects, abilities or information on task performance.
Research Interests
- Sociological Theory & Theory Construction
- Social Psychology
- Sex and Gender Stratification
- Sociology of Science and Knowledge
- Mathmatical Sociology
- Organizational Processes
Courses Taught
- SOC235: Sociological Theory
- SOC260: Social Psychology
- SOC325: Sociology of Science
- SOC460: Seminar in Social Psycholgy (usually subtitled "Status, Expectations and Rewards")
- SOC511: Sociological Theories II
- SOC549: Social Psychology
- SOC555: Social Interaction Processes
- SOC710: Theory Construction
