Faculty

Ph.D. University of Kansas, M.A. Marquette University
Professor, Chair (Sabbatical 2020-2021), & Director, Civitas University Honors Program
605.274.5329
william.swart@augie.edu
M.S. South Dakota State University
Instructor
605.274.5302
susan.bunger@augie.edu
Prof. Bunger earned her bachelor's degree with an emphasis in sociology from Augustana and her master's degree in sociology from South Dakota State University. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society, and Augustana chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta. The courses Prof. Bunger teaches include Native American Social Systems, Aging Studies, and The Injustice of Social Justice. Her areas of study include social stratification, inequality in society, and cultural diversity. Bunger’s master thesis “The socio-economic influences on the all-volunteer military” addresses the inequality of sacrifice. Prof. Bunger is a contributing columnist for the Argus Leader.
Ph.D. University of Notre Dame
Assistant Professor
605.274.5212
kelcie.vercel@augie.edu
Dr. Vercel is a sociologist specializing in family, culture, and consumption. She is particularly interested in the ways meanings of family, work, and the home impact intimate relationships, economic decisions,and communities. Her dissertation investigates how home stages, homebuilders, and realtors translate their ideas about the home into housing interactions and into the material qualities of houses. Her research reveals how their decisions shape the landscape of housing in the U.S. and conrtibute to symbolic exclusion. Dr. Vercel's other research has investigated definitions of fatherhood among low-income fathers and meanings of work and leisure among lifestyle bloggers. She offers courses in the Family and Community Services Major/Minor, Research Methodology, and topics in Cultural Sociology.
Dr. Spencier Ciaralli
Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University, M.A. Cleveland State University
Visiting Assistant Professor
Dr. Ciaralli teaches courses inclusive of Medical Sociology, Contemporary Society, and Race and Gender in Medicine and Health. As a past AAUW fellow, Dr. Ciaralli prioritizes nontraditional student success in her classroom. Dr. Ciaralli centers their research within social inequalities, particularly at the intersection of gender and sexuality. Currently, Dr. Ciaralli is examining sexual behavior, heteronormativity, and gender embodiment within the queer community. Additional research interests fall within medical sociology, with past research pertaining to cancer, aging, race, and health such as: “The Landscape of Perception: Racial Differences in how Disability is Viewed by Older-Adult Cancer Survivors,” or “Cancer Disclosure, Stigma and Identity: Racial Differences among Older Adult, Cancer Survivors,” and “Life Satisfaction among Older Adult, Long-Term Cancer Survivors: A Comparison of Black with White Survivors”. This research uses data collected as the project manager and data analyst of the Cancer Survivors Research Program (NIH Grant RO1-CA-78975).
Faculty Emeriti