Department of Sociology

Dr. Joseph Jakubek joined the faculty of Appalachian State in 2019 and currently teaches courses on the sociology of Appalachian communities, religion and society, and the social construction of social problems. Prior to joining Appalachian State, he was a faculty member at Kansas State University and East Tennessee State University and has conducted research on social and economic development within rural communities across the country. His research interests sit at the broad intersection of social and economic development strategies, public and private social service systems, local religious organizations, and communities in rural spaces.

Areas of Expertise and Interest

•  Social and Economic Development Strategies 
•  Public and Private Systems of Social Service Provision
•  Community Sociology
•  Rural Sociology
•  Sociology of Religion

 Courses Taught at App State

• Sociology of Appalachian Communities (Soc. 3710)
•  Religion and Society (Soc. 2060)
• Sociological Pathways (Soc. 1530)
• Social Problems in American Society (Soc.  1100)
• The Sociological Perspective (Soc. 1000)

 Publications

 Jakubek, Joseph, and Spencer D. Wood. 2018.  "Emancipatory Empiricism:  The Rural Sociology of W.E.B. Du Bois."   Sociology of Race and Ethnicity  4 (1): 14-34.

Jakubek, Joseph , and Cornelia Butler Flora. 2017.  "Biofuels in an Age of Cheap Oil: Community Capitals and Motivations to Participate in Biodiesel Value Chains".  Perspectives on Global Development and Technology. 16 (4):410-433.