Dr. Geoff Harkness

Dr. Harkness is on sabbatical for the Fall 2023 semester.

Geoff Harkness is associate professor of sociology and director of the Justice Studies undergraduate program. Professor Harkness earned a B.A. and M.A. in sociology from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern University. He teaches courses in sociology, law and society, theory, and research methods that serve the sociology and justice studies programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Before coming to RIC, Professor Harkness spent three years as a postdoctoral teaching fellow at Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon Universities in Doha, Qatar.

Professor Harkness’ scholarship focuses on the interactive, micro practices of group behavior and the role of stratification in shaping culture. His research examines phenomena such as race, ethnicity, social class, gender, social movements, and globalization through topics that include hip hop, street gangs, sports, clothing, marriage, and popular culture. His research has been widely published by academic journals and scholarly presses. His first book, Chicago Hustle and Flow: Gangs, Gangsta Rap, and Social Class, won the 2016 Distinguished Book Award from the Midwest Sociological Society. His second book, Changing Qatar: Culture, Citizenship, and Rapid Modernization, was published in 2020. His third book, DVS Mindz: The Twenty-Year Saga of the Greatest Rap Group to Almost Make it Outta Kansas was published in 2023.