Sociology: The Core
Michael Hughes is Professor of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).  He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University in 1979 and has taught introductory sociology over the past 34 years.  He also regularly teaches courses in minority group relations, deviant behavior, the sociology of mental illness, and data analysis.  From 2000 to 2004, he served as editor of theJournal of Health and Social Behavior.  He has held positions as research fellow at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (1992–1994) and research associate at Vanderbilt University (1980–1982).  With Walter R. Gove he is the author of the book,Overcrowding in the Household.  His research interests in mental health and mental illness, race and ethnicity, and crowding and living alone have resulted in over 60 professional articles published in a variety of journals.  In 2004–2005, he served as president of the Southern Sociological Society.CAROLYN J. KROEHLER is a professional writer and editor who has received her sociological education “on the job.”  Before her work onSociology: The Core, she contributed to criminology and criminal justice textbooks.  She edited and helped with the writing of a guide to academic success for college students,Straight A’s: If I Can Do It, So Can You.  At the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, she wrote public education and technical materials about water quality and other environmental issues, including a book on drinking water standards.  Her writing experience also includes several years in a college public relations office and writing and editing for theLancaster Independent Press.  She earned her Ph.D. in botany at Virginia Tech and has published in theCanadian Journal of Botany, Plant and Soil, andOecologia. Mike and Carrie live in Blacksburg, Virginia, with their children Edmund and Camilla.