Dr. Melissa Barfield-Works, Ph.D.

Dr. Barfield-Works joined the faculty of McKendree College in 2006.  Prior to joining McKendree College , Barfield-Works served as an assistant professor of sociology at California State University , San Bernardino . She currently teaches courses in the Social Work concentration of the Sociology major  http://www.mckendree.edu/current/Sociology06.aspx.  

Education:

Ph.D. Mississippi State University (Sociology), 2002
M.S. Mississippi State University (Sociology), 1995
B.A. Northeast Missouri State University (Sociology/Anthropology and Philosophy/Religion), 1993

Courses Taught: 

Principles of Sociology
Introduction to Social Work
Social Welfare Policy
Social Work Practicum
Community Action and Organization
Race and Ethnic Relations
Urban Sociology
Research Methods
Sociological Analysis

Research Interests, Publications, and Presentations: 

Her research interests include place-based issues influencing the poor:  the implications of welfare reform on employment, community-based organizations and welfare reform, the spatial dimensions of poverty, labor markets and economic restructuring in rural , and human capital endowments of rural welfare recipients.  Her co-authored research has been published in Rural America, Southern Rural Sociology, Research in Community Sociology, and Southern Perspectives.  She recently presented research at the 2006 Hawaii International Conference on the Social Sciences and the 2006 Pacific Sociological Association meeting.