Welcome to my website. I am a professor of sociology at Brigham Young University. Before coming to BYU in 1999, I was a senior research scientist at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a nonprofit firm affiliated with the University of Chicago. I am a native Virginian and completed a BS in Political Science at James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA); an MS in Justice Studies at American University (Washington, DC); a PhD in Criminal Justice at SUNY-Albany; and an MPH with emphases in Epidemiology and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health (Atlanta, GA). I also spent a few years studying mathematics and statistics at various schools.
At BYU, I regularly teach two social statistics courses to Master's level students, Linear Regression Analysis and Intermediate Statistics (Generalized Linear Models). I also teach research methods, criminology, and sociology of religion courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A description of several of these courses is available by clicking the link below.
My research addresses the etiology and consequences of drug use, theories of delinquency, mental health problems, and the influence of religious affiliation and practices on behaviors and attitudes. I am also developing an interest in visual studies, especially the use of photographs as a research tool to elucidate social phenomena. In my spare time, I like to spend time with my wife, Lynn, and our four wonderful boys: Brian, Christopher, Brandon, and Curtis. Our latest obsession is watching the fantastic BBC science fiction/fantasy series Dr. Who, but we've also gone through Star Trek, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings phases. I also enjoy reading, films, mathematics, and photography.
Links to:
Publications
Courses
Contact information
2039 JFSB
Department of Sociology
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
Tel: (801) 422-9298
email: John_Hoffmann@byu.edu