Current Research
This is my first job after I received my Ph.D. My family and I love Mardi Gras, crawfish,
gumbo, and hot and humid weather. I am primarily a family sociologist. My research
interests include the division of household labor, marital satisfaction, work and
family relationships, parenting and issues on aging, among others. I am also interested
in psychological well-being/life satisfaction, inequality by class, race/ethnicity,
or gender, and sociology of sports. Originally from Japan, my work has involved comparative
aspects of family/inequality issues in Japan, the United States, and other countries.
To assess the catastrophic damage Hurricane Katrina caused to our family, my colleagues
and I completed a research project called "Aging Families in the Aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina." With funding from the National Science Foundation, we studied elderly people
who either evacuated from the New Orleans area or were affected by the hurricane while
living in Baton Rouge. In addition to journal articles and books in English, I wrote
a couple of books in Japanese (on Japanese society and on the American family). Some
of my research articles have been published in Japan also.
I have been enjoying teaching large sections of Introductory Sociology, and I even
coauthored a textbook. Other than Intro, I teach core courses in graduate statistics
(Intro and Regression), undergraduate statistics and undergraduate family. I served
as Director of Graduate Studies from 2007-2016 and enjoyed dealing with graduate students.
As Department Chair from 2016, I hope to enjoy the new position just as much.
Education
PhD: University of Washington (1989)
Curriculum Vitae
Courses Recently Taught at LSU
(Syllabi are for illustrative purposes & subject to change)
- SOCL 2001: Introduction to Sociology
- SOCL 2201: Introduction to Statistical Analysis
- SOCL 7201: Research Methods in Sociology
- SOCL 7203: Advanced Research Methods in Social Science