KU News Release

Jan. 29, 2008
Contact: William G. Staples, Department of Sociology, (785) 864-9414.

Privacy encyclopedia edited by KU sociologist gains magazine accolade

LAWRENCE — The recently published two-volume “Encyclopedia of Privacy,” edited by University of Kansas sociology professor William G. Staples was selected by Choice magazine in its January 2008 review of Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007.

Only about 10 percent of the 7,000 or more academic works reviewed in Choice each year are selected for what was once known as Choice’s annual Outstanding Academic Books list. In 2000, the list was renamed to include electronic products and Internet sites.

A first of its kind, the “Encyclopedia of Privacy,” published by Greenwood Press, is a comprehensive catalog of various aspects of privacy in the United States covering historical and current practices and legal, political, social and economic issues. Entries by more than 100 leading scholars and experts focus on topics ranging from abortion to wiretapping, from automatic tellers to workplace privacy.

In today’s world, personal privacy is more threatened than ever. News stories of corporate data mining, government surveillance programs, identity theft and computer hacking of personal information remind citizens almost daily of rapidly changing technologies and the impact on an individual’s privacy.

“On any given day, nearly all of us living in the contemporary United States face situations or engage in practices that have implications for personal privacy,” Staples notes in his preface. “We speak on cellular phones in public places, we log on to networked computers that monitor our activities, we purchase goods and services from companies that keep personalized profiles of our buying habits, and we visit medical professionals who retain important personal health information that we assume is kept secure and not shared with others. These and many other everyday events raise intriguing questions and should prompt us to think seriously about the changing nature of privacy in our information-saturated society.”

Yet Staples cautions the “contemporary privacy landscape is quite complex and defies simplistic and nostalgic interpretations that would have us believe that personal privacy is something that flourished in the past and is now being systematically destroyed.” He and his contributors sought to highlight some of that complexity.

“In the end, I believe we have ‘mapped’ the privacy terrain with its most fundamental landmarks, which will serve to guide novice researchers in their first excursion into the field.” Staples writes.

The selection by Choice magazine, which is read by librarians nationwide, was especially heartening for Staples because the encyclopedia’s market, by and large, will be libraries. The encyclopedia is available in both online and print versions.

Staples previous books include Power, Profits, and Patriarchy: The Social Organization of Work at a British Metal Trades Firm, 1791-1922 (2001), and Everyday Surveillance: Vigilance and Visibility in Postmodern Life (2000).

KU faculty and staff contributing to the encyclopedia include Brian L. Donovan, assistant professor, and Carol A.B. Warren, professor emeritus, both in sociology; Thomas G. Stacy, KU professor of law; and Larry Hoyle, associate scientist and Patricia Osland, research economist, both with the KU Policy Research Institute.

Recent KU alumni who contributed or assisted Staples include: Matthew Dwyer, 2005 law school graduate; Larkin Roberta Evans, 2004 KU law graduate; Ryan C. Hudson, 2005 law graduate and a 2001 bachelor’s degree in political science from KU; Steve Munch, 2006 bachelor’s degree in history and sociology; Ann Marie Neir, 2006 law degree from KU; Sarah Kim Parkinson, May 2007 master’s degree in sociology and bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from KU; and Ian W. Staples, December 2007 bachelor’s degree in political science.

KU graduate students in sociology who contributed entries or assisted Staples include the students listed below by their hometowns, their degree program and research interests, previous degrees and their parents names, when available.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence
Brian Lloyd Azcona, doctoral student in sociology who received a master’s in sociology at the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in New Orleans. He taught sociology at Xavier University of New Orleans. His doctoral study focuses on economic sociology, historical sociology and social theory.

Tori Barnes-Brus, Lawrence doctoral student in sociology, 2001 master’s degree from KU and bachelor’s degree from Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. Her areas of interest include culture, gender, and historical methods. She is currently exploring the perpetuation of social inequality in late 19th-century discourses on pregnancy.

Ophra Leyser-Whalen, doctoral candidate in sociology. Her master’s degree is from Northern Illinois University-DeKalb and her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-Bloomington. Her research interests include families, medical sociology, and gender.

KuoRay Mao, is a master’s degree student in sociology, exploring the formation of ethnic identity for immigrant youths in Southern California. His bachelor’s degree is from California State University at Fullerton

Uros Petrovic, doctoral student in sociology whose interests include theory, culture, nationalism, and race and ethnicity. His master’s degree is from North Dakota State University, Fargo.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
From Leavenworth 66048
Brian L. Zirkle, doctoral student in sociology, who is examining public harassment as a form of social control as well as a project examining the cultural dynamics of temporary work. His bachelor’s degree is from Wichita State University. He is the son of Robert and Patricia Zirkle.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka 66604
Shaun Parkman, doctoral student in sociology and is a co-editor of Social Thought and Research. His bachelor’s degree is from Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas and master’s degree from Kansas State University, Manhattan.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY
From Edwardsville 66111
Jose Luis Martinez is a master’s degree student in sociology, whose research interests in issues of race, gender, and class. He received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from KU May 2005. Martinez is the son of Jose and Lurdes Martinez and is a Bonner Springs High School graduate.

ALABAMA
From Auburn 36832
Evelyn A. Clark, doctoral student in sociology, is exploring social inequalities and neoliberal policies in Chile. She received a master’s degree in sociology from KU in 2000 and has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming in Laramie. She is the daughter of Cal and Janet Clark.

ILLINOIS
From Hillside
Christina Rae Dudzinski, doctoral student in the sociology, received her master’s degree from KU in May 2007 with a concentration in culture, media and social inequality. She is the daughter of Ray and Ginny Dudzinski and a graduate of Proviso West High School in Hillside.

MINNESOTA
From Cottage Grove 55016
Elizabeth Miklya Legerski, doctoral student in sociology with emphasis on gender, family, work and social inequalities and research focus on the effects of economic restructuring of the lives of working-class families. Her bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from Brigham Young University. She is the daughter of Ken and Colleen Miklya and a graduate of South St. Paul (Minn.) High School.

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