Department of Sociology

Dr. Anna Holleman joined the Sociology faculty in 2024. Her research and teaching interests include religion, health, inequality, and research methods. She received a BA in Psychology from Clemson University, an MDiv from Duke University Divinity School, and a PhD from Duke University. She enjoys teaching introductory sociology courses, and she appreciates the opportunity to help students cultivate their sociological imaginations. She also enjoys teaching research methods courses and applied research courses, especially when she can work alongside students to ask and investigate important social questions. Dr. Holleman’s research focuses on how religion and inequality interact as social determinants of health, as well as how religious organizations and leaders respond to health crises. Her work has been published in JAMA Psychiatry, Social Science & Medicine, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Sociology of Religion, among other outlets. 

Courses Taught

• SOC 1000: The Sociological Perspective
• SOC 3885: Research Methods

Research Interests

• Religion
• Health
• Inequality

Recent Publications

Bo-Hyeong, Jane Lee, Anna Holleman, and Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell. 2024. “Stability and Shifts in the Combined Positive and Negative Mental Health of Clergy: A Longitudinal Latent Class and Latent Transition Analysis Study of United Methodist Pastors Before and After the Onset of COVID-19.” Social Science & Medicine 344:116651. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624000959

Holleman, Anna. 2024. “Programming Provided by Congregations in the United States to Address Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder.” Journal of Religion and Health 63:551-566. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10943-023-01804-9

Johnston, Erin, Anna Holleman, and Laura Krull. 2023. “‘There’s Theology and Then There’s the People I Love...’: Authority and Ambivalence in Seminarians’ Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Relationships, Marriage, and Ordination.” Sociology of Religion. https://academic.oup.com/socrel/advance-article/doi/10.1093/socrel/srad040/7283023