Darren Sherkat | Sociology | SIU

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Darren Sherkat

Professor

Darren Sherkat

Office: Faner 3422

Phone: (618) 453-7619

Email: sherkat@siu.edu

CV (PDF)

Darren Sherkat received his PhD in sociology from Duke University in 1991, and earned a BA in Sociology from the University of Tulsa. He is author of 2 books, an edited volume, over 60 peer-reviewed articles, and dozens of book chapters and book reviews. Before coming to SIU in 2001, he was an Associate Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University. His work has appeared in many of the most prestigious journals in sociology, including American Sociological Review, Social Forces, The Sociological Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Social Science Research, and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Most of his work focuses on issues in the Sociology of Religion, including religion and politics, religion and stratification, and religion and sexuality. Most of his work is quantitative. His book, Changing Faith: The Dynamics and Consequences of Americans' Shifting Religious Identities was published on NYU Press. His recent articles explore the impact of religion on scientific literacy (in Social Science Quarterly) and support for science (in Politics and Religion), the measurement of religious identification and identities (in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion), the influence of religion on anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiments (in Social Science Quarterly), how religion and cognitive sophistication influenced voting for Donald Trump (in Social Science Quarterly), and ethnic differences in the effects of religion on verbal ability (in Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion). He is currently working on research investigating the predictors of Christian nationalism in the United States, and on a series of papers investigating the reciprocal influences between religious and political identities. He is also working on a book on the rise of anti-intellectualism in the Republican Party.

Areas of Specialization and Interest

  • Sociology of religion
  • Social movements and collective behavior
  • Statistics and methods
  • Contemporary sociological theory

Selection of Courses Taught

  • SOC 351: Sociology of Religion
  • SOC 424: Social Movements and Collective Behavior
  • SOC 476/POLS 476: Religion and Politics
  • SOC 497: Senior Seminar
  • SOC 526A: Statistical Data Analysis in Sociology I
  • SOC 551: Sociology of Religion

Recent Publications

Lehman, Derek and Darren E. Sherkat. 2018. “Measuring Religious Identification in the United States.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Sherkat, Darren E. and Derek Lehman. 2018. “Bad Samaritans: Religion and Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the United States” Social Science Quarterly.

Sherkat, Darren E. 2017. “Politics, Religion, and Confidence in Science.” Politics and Religion. 10:137-160.

Sherkat, Darren E. 2017. “Intersecting Identities and Support for Same-Sex Marriage in the United States.” Social Currents. 4:380-400.

Sherkat, Darren E. 2016. “Sexuality and Religious Commitment Revisited: Exploring the Religious Commitments of Sexual Minorities from 1991-2014.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 55 (4), 756-769.