By Candice Brooks
As a 16-year-old college freshman, Lena Wright Myers, professor of sociology, had clear and definite career goals -- understanding just what makes people tick through pursuing an education in sociology.
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| Lena Wright Myers |
"At an early age I was very curious about the social world -- how and why people interact with each other in everyday life," she said.From a social psychological perspective, to answer why people behave the way they do, it is essential to understand how the society and the individual interact. Myers helps students explore this reciprocal relationship in her "favorite" class, "The Society and the Individual." The course discusses how socialization as a life-long process develops an individual's self-concept, self-images, and self-esteem contributing to how the individual behaves in society.
Myers said much discussion is spurred in class when examining how human behavior is affected by the ways people define situations and social contexts. In addition, she believes in the importance of demonstrating an understanding of the material through writing. One of her former students said, "She takes a no-nonsense approach when it comes to writing scholarly papers as one of our course requirements." Myers said such comments coming from a student are rewarding because her goal is to equip her students with the resources necessary to excel in the rigor of academic writing.
The 15-year veteran at Ohio University has had several students over the years choose to explore further into the field of sociology based on their interest and enthusiasm about the contents of her course. One student, from a discipline outside sociology, became Myers' research assistant through a summer individual research grant and is now in graduate school at Vanderbilt University focusing in social psychology.
Myers has also written several books. One of her more popular books is titled "Black Male Socialization Revisited in the Minds of Respondents." Her most recent book, "A Broken Silence: Voices of African American Women in the Academy," was published in 2002.
Candice Brooks is a student writer with University Communications and Marketing.
