Fresno Pacific University

McDonald Hall, Room 251
Telephone: 559-453-5556
Fax: 559-453-5558
Email: shammons@fresno.edu

What programs do you teach in?

Education

B.S.W., University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, 1984 - summa cum laude
M.S.W., integrated practice concentration, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, 1985
M.A., sociology with emphasis in family and gender, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 1997
Ph.D., Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 2000

Share why you teach at FPU

I teach at FPU because I want to be involved in an intellectual community centered upon Christ and which seeks to integrate one’s academics with one’s religious faith. I also appreciate FPU’s emphasis upon community and upon the need to critique and challenge the larger culture and society by speaking to current issues.

Scholarly interests

Publications and presentations

“Assisted Reproductive Technologies: Changing Conceptions of Motherhood,” in Affilia: The Journal of Women and Social Work, currently in press
“The Judgment and Consequences of Justice Among American Newlyweds: A Social Exchange Perspective,” with Ying-Ling Hsiao in EurAmerica, 2007
“Family Violence: The Language of Legitimacy,” in Affilia: The Journal of Women and Social Work, 2004
“Gender, Control, and Marital Commitment,” with Jan E. Stets in Journal of Family Issues, 2002
“Attaining a Sophisticated Maturity: A Brief History of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion,” with Armand Mauss in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 2000
"U.S. Mental Health Policy: A Study in Elitism," in National Forum, 1993
"Faith and Practice: A Critical Integration," in Social Work and Christianity: An International Journal, 1991
Book Reviews:

Review of Women at the Margins: Neglect, Punishment, and Resistance, edited by Josefina Figueira-McDonough and Rosemary C. Sarri, published by The Haworth Press, Inc., 2002, in Journal of the Community Development Society, 2003
Review of Bridging the Generations, by Katie Funk Wiebe, published by Herald Press, 2001, in Direction, 2002
Review of Polygamous Families in Contemporary Society, by Irwin Altman and Joseph Ginat, published by Cambridge University Press, 1996, in Journal Of Comparative Family Studies, 1997
Review of Empirical Studies in Field Instruction, edited by Miriam S. Raskin, published by Haworth Press, 1989, in Social Work and Christianity: An International Journal, 1993
Review of Your Daughters Shall Prophecy: Women in Ministry in the Church, edited by John E. Toews, Valerie Rempel, and Katie Funk Wiebe, published by Kindred Press, 1992, in Direction, 1993
Review of Christian Perspectives on Social Problems, edited by C. De Santo, Z. Lindblade, and M. Poloma, published by Wesley Press, 1992, in Social Work and Christianity: An International Journal, 1992

“Studying the Interrelationship between Religion and the Family: A Longitudinal View,” presentation at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, 2007
“Collaborative Research between the University and Community: The Challenge of Defining Community,” presentation at the Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting in Oakland, CA, 2007

Current professional and service experiences

Participant in a planning meeting for the AAC&U 2008 Network for Academic Renewal Conference in Long Beach, California, 2007
Consultant for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2005 through present
Outside evaluator for a $20 million HOPE VI grant awarded to the City and County of Fresno Housing Authorities in Fresno, California, 2005 through 2009

Honors and awards

Nickel Excellence in Teaching Award, Fresno Pacific University, 2005
Alpha Chi National Honor Scholarship Society, Professor of the Year Award, 2005
American Sociological Association Honors Program, 1998
Susan and Sarah Dolan Scholarship, Washington State University Department of Sociology, 1998
James F. Short, Jr. Research Award, Washington State University Department of Sociology, 1997
Gloria Rummels Award for Best Paper Using SSDBA Data, California State University, 1995

Professional affiliations