Department of Sociology

Joyce Hill-Powers, M.A., and Senior Lecturer joined the faculty in the Department of Sociology at Appalachian State University in May 2000, right after completing her degree at Appalachian State University in the MASS Program: Master of Arts in Social Science Education. Joyce earned her master's degree in Sociology and History Education to teach at the post-secondary level. She also worked in College Awareness Programs, Conferences and Institutes, and Ashe County Middle and High schools while remaining a teacher in the department, which enabled Joyce to connect college students with the community and support first-generation college students through federal education grants. Joyce is excited to be a part of the Pathways to Resilience App State’s current Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). This five-year university effort seeks to grow students’ climate literacy and agency and build confidence in our capacity to respond to climate disruption in ways that reduce harm and improve local and global communities' well-being. She is also a Quality Matters Certified SOC 2020 web-based course instructor.

Courses Taught

• SOC 1100: Social Problems in American Society
• SOC 1110: Social Deviance
• SOC 2020: Social Deviance
• SOC 3340: Criminology
• SOC 3360: Juvenile Delinquency
• SOC 3549: Climate Responses

 Research Interests

• Deviance and Social Control
• The Stigmatization Process
• Social Integration
• Socialization
• Rural Communities
• Culture and Identity