Samuel Perry

Religion, Culture, Race/Ethnicity, Politics, Families, Sexual Behavior

• 2024 Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professorship, University of Oklahoma
• 2022 Vice President for Research and Partnerships Award for Excellence in Research in the Social Sciences, University of Oklahoma
• 2020 Vice President for Research and Partnerships Award for Outstanding Research Impact, University of Oklahoma
• 2018 Irene Rothbaum Outstanding Assistant Professor Award “In Recognition of Distinguished Teaching as Demonstrated Through Scholarship, Dedication and the Ability to Inspire Students to High Levels of Academic Achievement,” College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma

Samuel Perry is the Sam K. Viersen Presidential Professor of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma. An award-winning scholar and teacher, Dr. Perry is among the nation's leading experts on conservative Christianity and American politics, race, families, and sexual behavior. He is currently recognized as among the top sociologists in the world in terms of research productivity and impact.

Along with well over 100 peer-reviewed articles published in leading academic journals, Dr. Perry is also the author or co-author of five books, including Growing God's Family (NYU, 2017), Addicted to Lust (Oxford, 2019), Taking America Back for God (Oxford, 2020, with Andrew Whitehead), and The Flag and the Cross (Oxford, 2022, with Philip Gorski). His most recent book is entitled Religion for Realists: Why We All Need the Scientific Study of Religion (Oxford, 2024).

Dr. Perry is also a public sociologist. In addition to regular speaking engagements around the country, he has frequently written for outlets like TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, NBC News, and The Dallas Morning News. Dr. Perry's interviews and research findings have also been featured on CNN and The Mehdi Hasan Show, recent documentaries by Frontline and Al Jazeera, and the movie Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy.

Thanks for your interest!

To save prospective applicants some time, I’m only interested in advising doctoral students who hope to be world-class sociologists of religion, race/ethnicity, politics, and/or families.

Let me break that sentence down, because it should eliminate the following three groups of applicants:

1.      I’m only interested in advising doctoral students. This means I’m not interested in advising students who hope to do their masters at OU and then apply elsewhere. That’s a completely legitimate pathway to the PhD, but not one you need me for.

2.      I’m only interested in advising doctoral students who hope to be world-class sociologists. That doesn’t necessarily mean applicants must want to be professors for life, but rather world-class sociologists working either in the academy or private sector. Who is excluded by this? Often I’m contacted by Christian ministers or ex-ministers who want to get a PhD in [whatever] and figure sociology might be the quickest path to that credential. I have numerous objections to that mindset (both as a sociologist and as a Christian). But suffice it to say that I choose to invest in doctoral students who are genuinely kept-awake-at-night-fascinated by their area of interest and want to be among the best sociologists in the world. If your goal is a mere credential, look elsewhere.

3.      I’m only interested in advising doctoral students who hope to be world-class sociologists of religion, race/ethnicity, politics, and/or families. You can do qualitative work, quantitative work, or both. But those are my areas of expertise. So you’ll need to look elsewhere for advising if your main area of interest does not fall under one of those headings. Caveat: Though I’m not a criminologist, I include research on authoritarian states, punitiveness, and inequality in the criminal justice system under the race/ethnicity and politics headings, so I will advise criminology students who wish to integrate religion, race, and/or politics into their work.

What you can expect from me as your advisor is high expectations, honesty, numerous opportunities for collaboration, a deep concern for you as a person, and advocacy for you and your work whatever you choose to do after your studies.

Given everything I’ve written above, if you feel like a good fit, I hope you apply! 

• Tables for The Flag and the Cross