Austin H. Johnson joined the Kenyon community in 2017 after earning his master of arts and doctorate from Kent State University's Department of Sociology.
Johnson's scholarship is aimed at understanding how gender operates as an axis of inequality in contexts of health, healthcare, and medicalization. His current research bridges medical sociology, sociology of gender, and the sociology of sexualities to understand how medical authorities affect transgender and gender diverse people’s lived experiences of health, community and identity. Johnson has published articles and book chapters on the medicalization of transgender and gender diverse experiences, transfeminist methodology and the unequal experiences of emotional labor in healthcare settings.
Johnson teaches courses on the sociology of health and illness, the sociology of sexualities, queer theory, research methods, and an introductory sociology course, Institutions & Inequalities.
Areas of Expertise
Sociology of sexualities, medical sociology, sociology of gender, transgender studies
Education
2017 — Doctor of Philosophy from Kent State University
2013 — Master of Arts from Kent State University
2008 — Bachelor of Arts from University of South Carolina
Courses Recently Taught
SOCY 107
Institutions and Inequalities
SOCY 107
This course introduces students to the field of sociology through the study of social inequalities as they are created, maintained and challenged within the institutions of our everyday lives. This course covers major themes in sociology by exploring how society operates within and through social institutions, how those institutions create and maintain social norms that disenfranchise some while privileging others and how individuals challenge those norms to enact change in their everyday lives, local communities and society at large. This course will analyze social structures and their impact on the experiences of individuals. We will look at the ways in which social structures construct and constrain reality for individuals and how society and social institutions shape individual values, attitudes and behaviors. The course will examine sociological concepts through an analysis of culture, social inequality, social institutions, social movements and social change. By the end of the course, you should understand common sociological concepts and perspectives and be able to consider aspects of the social world through the sociological lens. Students may take only one introductory-level course. This counts toward the foundation course requirement for the major. Offered every year.
SOCY 224
Sociology of Health and Illness
SOCY 224
From fitness trackers on wristwatches to diet apps on our pocket devices, we are surrounded by ways to monitor or improve our health. Corporations and public figures engage in health activism by encouraging young people to "Play 60" or inviting us into healthier habits by suggesting, "Let's Move!" We have become a health-conscious society but what does it mean to be healthy and which factors determine who has access to it and who benefits from it? Through class discussions and critical analysis of classical and contemporary readings in medical sociology, this course will answer that question and many others related to the social meaning and determinants of health, the sociohistorical construction of both health and healthcare, healthcare systems and healthcare practitioners and health social movements. This counts toward the institutions and change requirement for the major. Prerequisite: 100-level sociology course or permission of the instructor.
SOCY 271
Methods of Social Research
SOCY 271
Knowing how to answer a question, including what constitutes good evidence and how to collect it, is a necessary ability for any sociologist, or for any student reading the sociological research of others. Our goal will be to learn to understand when and how to use research strategies such as survey questionnaires, interviews, fieldwork and analysis of historical documents. Students will conduct small-scale research projects using these techniques. This course is not intended for seniors, although it is required for all sociology majors. Students are advised to enroll in this class as soon as they begin to consider majoring in sociology. This counts toward the methods requirement for the major. Prerequisite: 100-level sociology course. Offered every year.
SOCY 277
Sociology of Sexualities
SOCY 277
Social life is saturated by sexuality in unstable and disjointed ways. From advertisements that promote the use of sexual enhancement pharmaceuticals to laws restricting access to safe and healthy sexual encounters, the sociocultural framing of sexuality is unequal and often illogical. This course examines sexualities as they are constructed, experienced and regulated across multiple social contexts and institutions. We will explore the social history of sexuality and the evolution of its framing in contemporary society; lived experiences of those labeled or identifying as sexual minorities; privileges associated with hegemonic sexual identity categories; the ongoing sociopolitical regulation of sexual bodies, communities, and desires; and the history of social activism centered on sexual minorities. This counts toward the institutions and change requirement for the major. Prerequisite: 100-level sociology course
SOCY 291
Special Topic
SOCY 291
This mid-level course will explore the methods that sociologists use to study popular culture and media products, and will examine the connections of popular culture and media to broader social patterns within American society. Course material will cover a range of subjects, including movies, television, the news, novels, and advertising. Students will become familiar with several approaches to the study of popular culture and mass media, and examine what these cultural products can reveal about social norms, trends, and relationships. In addition to empirical assessments of the content of cultural products, the course will examine the institutional structures that shape their production and distribution, as well as patterns of audience consumption and interpretation. This work will culminate with the opportunity to design a research project that uses sociological methods to critically interpret and analyze popular culture products. Prerequisite: foundation course in sociology or permission of instructor.
SOCY 375
Community Based Research
SOCY 375
This course enlists community partners to join Kenyon students in collaboratively designing and executing sociological research projects of clear benefit to their organization. Students will collaborate in groups to make substantive contributions to problems or issues in the greater Knox County community. The range of partner organizations may include those addressing public and environmental health, natural resources management and sustainability, social welfare and services, community infrastructure and planning and local economic development. Class meetings will take diverse formats, including occasional field trips (campus transport provided), guest speakers, group planning sessions, short lectures and lab/ group work sessions.This counts toward the methods requirement for the major. Prerequisite: 100-level sociology course and SOCY 271 and sophomore standing. Offered every year.
SOCY 491
Special Topic
SOCY 491
This course is for advanced students. See online searchable schedule for further description. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and department chair.
SOCY 493
Individual Study
SOCY 493
Individual study is an exception, not a routine option, with details to be negotiated between the student(s) and the faculty member and the department chair. The course may involve investigation of a topic engaging the interest of both student and professor. In some cases, a faculty member may agree to oversee an individual study as a way of exploring the development of a regular curricular offering. In others, the faculty member may guide one or two advanced students through a focused topic drawing on his or her expertise, with the course culminating in a substantial paper. The individual study should involve regular meetings at which the student and professor discuss assigned material. The professor has final authority over the material to be covered and the pace of work. The student is expected to devote time to the individual study equivalent to that for a regular course. Individual studies will be awarded 0.5 units of credit. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study preferably the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval before the registrar’s deadline.