Research Summary
I have published and presented a variety of papers addressing technology, authority, American Pragmatists, Charles Cooley, William James, Religion and Animal Rights.
Education
- Bachelor of Science, Sociology, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. Project: Sociology Major, Psychology Minor, Allied hours in Humanities.
- Master of Education, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
- Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH. Project: Sociology Major. Areas of specialization: Theory and Social Psychology. Allied hours in Communication Theory.
Biography
I grew up in Holladay Utah in the 1950's and spent most of my time riding horseback alone in the foothills of Mount Olympus long before they were indated with houses. On Saturday afternoons I wrote my black morgan mare down to old Holladay and with her tied up in front, watched Flash Gordon movies for 25 cents at the old theater. Undoubtly, that shaped my character and interests. In high school, I worked part-time at a variety of jobs that included working at a gas station, a garage, and a sporting goods store. I also taught swimming in the summers. I entered college in 1964 and graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S degree in 1969. I completed my Master’s in Education in 1972. From 1972 until 1985, along with my brother, I owned and operated Page Amusement and Vending Company, which we sold in 1985. From 1986 to 1989 I lived in New Jersey with my wife who at the time was working for Sesame Street. While there I worked as a musician playing the piano and singing, and as a writer. After moving back to Salt Lake City with our son, I was accepted into the Ph.D program in Sociology at the University of Utah. I finished my doctorate in 2000.
My initial teaching experience was acquired while obtaining my Master’s Degree in Education. At that time, I taught Psychology at the high school level for one year. However, much of my early college teaching experience took place at the University of Utah. While working on my doctorate, I was an instructor from l992 through l997. During that time, I taught one and sometimes two or three courses per quarter. From 1998 through 2001, while I was finishing my dissertation, I taught at Salt Lake Community College. From December 2002 through August 2003 I held the position of temporary Assistant Professor at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. Currently, from 2004 to 2019, I was an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Utah. In 2020 I was promoted to the rank Associate Proffessor (Lecturer). I am now regularly teaching Social Theory, Sociology of Religion, and Social Psychology. In the past I have taught Race, Class and Gender and the American Dream, Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Deviance, Marriage and Family, Criminology, Rural Sociology, and Research Methods. As a member of the Undergraduate Commitee, I regularly attend Sociology faculty meetings. In the past, I also attended faculty meetings in the Religious Studies Program where I have served on numerous committees, some of which helped to develop the minor and then a major in Religious Studies.
In 2008, I proposed and developed the Sociology of Religion course, which is now cross-listed in the Humanities Religious Studies program. In 2012, I also proposed and developed Sociology Through Film, a successful class I teach every year. I am currently teaching many of my classes online, and, for these classes I videotape lectures and establish online discussions groups.
I received the Professor of Year for Teaching Excellence Award from the Department of Sociology at the University of Utah in 2009 and 2011. I was nominated for the College of Behavioral Science Teaching Award in 2000, and recently nominated for a University Teachng Award in 2023. My teaching evaluations have been consistently high.
Vitae
CURRICULUM VITAE
Frank J. Page, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology
University of Utah
380 S. 1530 E. (Rm. 429)
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112
E-mail: frank.page@soc.utah.edu
Telephone: (801) 664-5590
Formal Education
2000: Ph.D., Sociology, University of Utah (Graduate G.P.A: 3.76)
1972: M.S., Education, University of Utah
1969: B.S., Sociology (w/minors in Psychology & Humanities), University of Utah
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2020 - Present: Associate Professor (Lecturer), Sociology Department,
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
2019 - 2020 Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Sociology Department, University of Utah,
Salt Lake City, Utah
2004 - 2019 Adjunct Assistant Professor, Sociology Department, University of Utah,
Salt Lake City, Utah
2001 - 2003: Temporary Assistant Professor, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah
1998 - 2000: Instructor, Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah
1990 - 1997: Teaching Assistant (Instructor), Sociology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE
1984 - 1989: Musician, writer
1973 - 1983: Owner/ Operator, Page Amusement and Vending Co., Salt Lake City, Utah
PUBLICATIONS
Page, F. J. (2014). Fiver and the psychology of rabbits. Seattle, WA: CreateSpace Publishing.
Page, F. J. (2014). William James. In Blackwell American Sociological Association Encyclopedia of Sociology, G. Ritzer (Ed.).
Page, F. J. (1996). Stars and stripes and other signs of life. Journal of Creative Social Discourse.
Page, F. J. (1996). Dancing at the north yard cafe. Journal of Creative Social Discourse.
Page, F. J. (1994). Morality and the mediation of machines: Star Trek as icon. Published by The Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery (SISSI). Golden, Colorado.
CONFERENCE PAPERS / PANEL DISCUSSIONS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Page, F. J. (2023). Weber’s Iron Cage of Rationality and Milgram’s Agentic State: Why Good People Sometimes Do Bad Things and Sometimes Not. Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Conference, Seattle, WA.
Page, F. J. (2018). On the Theoretical and Pragmatic Significance of Charles Cooley's Conception of Sentiment, Self, and Society. National Communication Association Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, Nov. 10, 2018.
Page, F. J. (2015). Modern Religion Symposium, Panelist, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Park City, UT.
Page, F. J. (2009). Religion as a Total Institution. Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Convention, San Diego, CA.
Page, F. J. (2008). How Does Religion Fit in the Classroom? Presented at the Teaching Symposium, Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, August 2008.
Page, F. J. (2006). American Pragmatist Conceptions of Sentiment and their Absence in Contemporary Symbolic Interactionist Theory. Presented at the Midwestern Sociological Society Convention, Omaha, NE.
Page, F. J. (2005). William James on Consciousness, Conduct, and Sentiment. Presented at the American Sociological Association, Chicago, IL.
Page, F. J. (2005). Self as Sentiment. Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Convention, Portland, OR.
Page, F. J. (2004). Charles Peirce on Sign, Sentiment, and Self. Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Page, F. J. (2000). A Reinterpretation of American Pragmatism and its Influence on Symbolic Interactionism. Presented at the American Sociological Association Convention, Washington, D. C.
Page, F. J. (2000). A Reinterpretation of Cooley’s Conception of Self and the Social Order. (2000). Presented at the American Sociological Association Convention, Washington, D.C.
Page, F. J. (1996). On the Sociological Imagination, Methods, and Morals. Guest speaker on methodology and modernity, Dr. Mary Riddick's Graduate seminar in library science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Page, F. J. (1995). The Meaning and Value of Sociological Insight. Presented at the Utah Women's Studies Group, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Page, F. J. (1994). Morality and the Mediation of Machines: Star Trek as Icon. Presented at the Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery (SISSI) Convention, Golden, CO.
Page, F. J. (1993). Sociology in Film. Presented at the Pacific Sociological Association, Seattle, WA.
Page, F. J. (1992). Population, Property, and the Violent Language of Denial: A Study in the Mechanics of Speciesism and Racism. Presented at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Wildlife in Ogden, UT.
Page, F. J. (1992). Censorship and the Fear of Obscenity as a Denial of Death. Presented at the Mid-Western Sociological Association Convention, Saint Paul, MN.
PUBLISHED INTERVIEW
Published Interview, Utah Author, Fiver and the Psychology of Rabbits, Utah Stories, Dec. 2021.
ABC News, Storage Sheds and Conspicuous Consumption. Interview, Feb. 2017.
Documentary on the Importance of Expanding Media Coverage, April 2016.
Documentary Interview, Chasing Death, KRCL Video Production, Released Nov. 2014.
Radio Interview, Sociology of Religion, Modern Trends, KRCL Radio, May, 2011
Radio Interview, National Public Radio, Modern Paganism, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 2009.
Published Interview, Baby Boomers and Aging, Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 2006.
Televised Interview, Language of War, Channel Five, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 15, 2003.
Televised Speech, Speciesism, Channel Four, Salt Lake City, Utah, July 1997.
BOOK & ARTICLE REVIEWS
Journal of Social Thought and Research. (June 28, 2011). Department of Sociology, University of Kansas. Reviewed Journal Article.
Social Problems Prospectus Review. (Summer 2004). Wadsworth Publishing.
Understanding Social Problems (4th ed.). (Fall 2003). Mooney, Knox, and Schact, Wadsworth Publishing.
Self and Society. (Spring 1994). Hewitt, J. Allyn and Bacon Press.
WORKSHOPS / SYMPOSIUMS
C.O.D.E. Conference on Diversity and Excellence, University of Utah, April, 2016.
Modern Religion Symposium, Panelist, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Park City, Utah, Nov. 2015.
World Parliament of Religions Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct, 2015.
National Conference on Undergraduate Research, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, Panel Moderator, March 20, 2003.
Teaching Telecourses Symposium, University of Utah, Department of Continuing Education, Salt Lake City, Utah, Summer 1994.
MEMBERSHIPS IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society
American Sociological Association
Pacific Sociological Association
Society for the Study of Symbolic Interactionism
Writers Guild of America
AWARDS
Nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Social and Behavioral Science, 2020.
Appreciation of Service Award for George Herbert Mead Lecture, National Communication Association Conference, Nov. 2018.
Nominated for Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Social and Behavioral Science, 2016.
Adjunct Professor of the Year Award for Teaching Excellence, Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, April 2011.
Student Advisory Committee Professor of the Year Award for Teaching Excellence, Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, April 2009.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
My initial teaching experience was acquired while obtaining my master’s degree in Education. However, much of my early college teaching experience took place at the University of Utah. While working on my doctorate, I was an Adjunct Instructor from 1992 through 1997. During that time, I taught one to three courses per quarter. From 1998 through 2001, while I was finishing my dissertation, I taught part-time at Salt Lake Community College. From December 2002 through August 2003, I held the position of Temporary Assistant Professor at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. From 2004 to 2019 I was a full-time Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah. In 2020 my position was changed to Career Line Assistant Professor and then to Associate Professor in 2022. I am currently teaching Social Theory, Sociology of Religion, Social Psychology, and Sociology Through Film. I have also been teaching Social Psychology and Race, Class, Gender and the American Dream in the School of Business. I have also taught Introduction to Sociology, Social Problems, Deviance, Marriage and Family, Criminology, Rural Sociology, and Research Methods. I regularly attend Sociology faculty meetings, and I am a member of the Undergraduate Committee. I have served on two doctoral committees, one in Sociology and one in Political Science. Currently I am on graduate committee for a student working on a Master’s Degree in Human Development and Social Policy.
For a number of years, I attended faculty meetings in the Religious Studies Program where I helped develop a minor and then a major in Religious Studies. In the Sociology Department I proposed and developed the Sociology of Religion and Sociology Through Film courses. Early in my career, I taught an Introduction to Sociology course that was televised on KUED. As noted below, I have received two Teaching Excellence Awards from the Sociology Department and have been nominated twice for the College of Social and Behavioral Science Teaching Award.
TEACHING AREAS
Social Theory Social Psychology Sociology of Religion
Sociology Through Film Research Methods Deviance
Criminology Marriage and Family Social Problems
Intro. to Sociology Rural Sociology Social Inequality
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
I am a generalist interested in studying and communicating basic concepts and ideas that illuminate the nature of society and its relationship to individual well-being. Social Psychology and Social Theory are my two primary areas of specialization. These fields complement one another in that social theory is very useful at the macro-level while social psychology has many micro-level applications and illuminates important macro-micro linkages. Together they provide a sound conceptual framework for many of my subjects and courses.
In my classes, I use a variety of textbooks and materials and make a conscientious effort to continually develop a mature syllabus that reflects core concepts, recent research, and important theorists and issues. Essentially, I take a classical, theoretical, and historical approach. In doing this, I underscore the way in which sociology can be used to contextualize human nature and illuminate factors associated with many social, moral, and political issues and problems. Among these, violence, aggression, racism, sexism, speciesism, crime, inequality, conflict, poverty, prejudice, alienation, and environmental degradation get considerable attention.
As a matter of objectivity, I address causation in terms of different yet interactive levels of analysis that include, biology, psychology, social psychology, human development, sociology, history, and even some existential paradigms. At the Sociological level, I emphasize familial, economic, political, and religious institutions and the important use and misuse of power, ideology, authority, socialization, and social control. Class and stratification are addressed along with social roles, identities, self, and the social construction of reality. Underscoring the relevance of sociological analysis to real-life experience, I complement theory and research with an eclectic mix of works drawn from philosophy, art, literature, and poetry. Accordingly, in some of my classes, students will be exposed to writings by Wendell Berry, Carl Sandburg, Gabor Mate, George Orwell, James Baldwin, Frederick Douglass, and others. Most importantly, I emphasize the importance of sound reasoning, empirical analysis, the scientific method, creative thinking, and the use of sympathetic introspection.
In teaching, I emphasize discussion and the application of class materials to current events. In my online classes, students participate on discussion boards and can meet with me personally by appointment. To help students formulate their views and express them clearly and logically, I assign extra credit papers and give them a variety of topics and qualitative and quantitative methods from which to choose. The recommended methods include formal research papers such as surveys and experiments or meta-analyses, ethnographies, participant observation studies, role playing experiments, breaching experiments, and biographical and historical analysis, all done with an eye to immersing students in the subject matter. With that in mind, my syllabus contains a suggested book list and a list of suggested documentaries and movies that they can also write about. My classes include one or two objective midterms and a final exam.
When I grade papers, I evaluate the extent to which students can understand and apply key concepts to real life events and issues. My specific grading criteria and grading scales are posted in my syllabi. I also give guidance on organization, basic grammar and the student's ability to make clear sound arguments. In that many of my students come from diverse backgrounds with different abilities, I give considerable weight to the insight, effort, creativity, and authenticity I find in their writing.
The goals and values that guide my teaching and research are traditional enlightenment ideals that propose that reason, knowledge, and creativity can be used to promote and preserve freedom, morality, and human well-being. Much of my inspiration comes from C. Wright Mills and his conception of “The Sociological Imagination,” which asserts that sociologists should address the relationship between society and personal well-being and put forth a clear model of society and concepts that people can understand. As noted by Mills, this entails addressing the malaise often associated with personal and social problems and identifying underlying social phenomena and factors that influence personal well-being and then proposing needed changes in the social order. To accomplish this, essentially my goal as a teacher and researcher in sociology is to make human interdependence and the nature and influence of the social order and other social forces obvious and understandable. My basic assumption is that knowledge of the social world will help individuals, policy makers, parents, and voters make better decisions. Hopefully, this will allow people to be more objective in their analysis of human problems and more compassionate and understanding in their judgment of others, and this includes all life forms. Moreover, I think that to function fairly and effectively, democracies require an enlightened public, and that the survival of society and the planet depends upon the ability of democracies to afford and perpetuate open informed discussion.
AREAS OF ACADEMIC INTEREST AND SPECIALIZATION
My primary areas of interest are social theory, social psychology, and the sociology of religion. Essentially, I rely upon classical and contemporary social theory to address social forces and issues at the macro-level, and social psychology, much of which is drawn from symbolic interactionism and the sociology of knowledge, to address macro-micro relationships and thus the impact of the social order upon the individual. Accordingly, at the macro level a variety of classical and contemporary theorists have had a profound influence upon my work. These include Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Karl Mannheim, Thorstein Veblen, W. E. B. Dubois, Hans Girth and C. Wright Mills, Peter Berger, Karl Marx, and a number of neo-Marxists such as Michael Parenti. At the Micro level and in terms of macro-micro linkages, the works of Charles S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey, Jane Adams, George Herbert Mead, Charles Cooley, and Herbert Blumer have had a strong and seminal influence on my thinking and analysis. I complement this with a number of contemporary theorists such as Joseph E. Stieglitz on Inequality, and I treat stratification as a measure of the health and morality of a society and its ability to meet human needs. Regarding issues of caste, race, and gender, I turn W. E. B. Dubois, Isabel Wilkerson, Michael Kimmel, Robert Reich and many other contemporary theorists and writers, many of whom are outside the discipline of sociology.
Using a distinctly eclectic approach, I have written articles and presented papers that address technology, social psychology, social change, symbolic interactionism, the sociology of knowledge, prejudice, speciesism, authority, religion and aggression, and most importantly social conceptions of self, society, and sentiment. Of these, my dissertation A Reinterpretation of the Influence of American Pragmatism on Symbolic Interactionism, my short stories, my novel, Fiver and the Psychology of Rabbits, and my article on William James in the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology are contributions that have given me my greatest satisfaction. In the future, I plan to submit two papers; however, my long term goal is to publish my book on Charles Cooley’s conception of self and society as sentiment, which would be a major accomplishment and contribution to the field.
OUTSIDE AREA OF STUDY
In my doctoral program, my outside area of interest was in the field of communication. In the Department of Communication at the University of Utah, I studied conversational analysis, interpersonal communication, critical theory, communication theory, semiotics, qualitative methods, and post-modernism, much of which complemented my studies in social theory and social psychology.
DISSERTATION
My dissertation, "A Reinterpretation of the Influence of American Pragmatism on Symbolic Interactionist Theory" addresses American pragmatism and its influence upon symbolic interactionism. It entails in-depth summaries and critiques of the writings and conceptions of self put forth by Charles Peirce, William James, Charles Cooley, and George Herbert Mead. Essentially, it posits that while many assumptions that underlie current symbolic interactionist theory and conceptions of self are drawn from the American pragmatists, many of their seminal concepts, particularly those regarding the nature of sentiments, have been overlooked or misinterpreted. As a result, they are not adequately reflected in current symbolic interactionist and sociology of knowledge literature. It concludes by asserting that American pragmatist conceptions of sentiment and, most importantly, Charles Cooley's conceptualization of self and society in terms of sentiments, are central to understanding the true nature of the social order and should be incorporated into contemporary theory at all levels and any conceptual model of society.
GOALS AND PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY
Having worked in both the public and private sectors, I have found that I am content when my work entails more than just personal gain and includes some kind of contribution. Similarly, I have found that I am fulfilled when I am engaged in something interesting and something that is relevant to the times and the problems of the times.
Put simply, I think that knowledge can be used to mitigate suffering and increase well-being. Seeing knowledge as a source of empowerment, in my teaching and my research, I strive to create and impart knowledge that is useful and meaningful for people in all walks of life. My teaching and my writing reflect this approach to life. Consequently, for me, sociology is not just a job or a career, but rather, the ongoing development of my character and the meaning in my life.