Biography
Tim Slack (Ph.D., Penn State) joined the LSU Department of Sociology in 2004. His scholarship
focuses on the areas of social stratification, social demography, and rural sociology.
An overarching theme is thinking about space and place as axes of difference. Prof.
Slack has published widely and received funding to support his research program from
sources including the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
and U.S. Department of the Interior. Recent and ongoing research projects include
studies of working poverty and other forms of underemployment; household livelihood
strategies and participation in the informal economy (i.e., unrecorded work for cash
and barter); and various aspects of regional inequality (e.g., place-based poverty
dynamics, disaster vulnerability and resilience). Prof. Slack’s expertise has been
sought for stories produced by major media outlets (e.g., The New York Times, USA
Today, and Newsweek) as well as for briefing policy audiences (e.g., U.S. Congress
and Louisiana State Legislature). He has served on the editorial boards of Rural Sociology,
Demography, and Population Research and Policy Review. Prof. Slack’s work has been
recognized with several honors, including the LSU Rainmaker Award, LSU Alumni Association
Faculty Excellence Award, and LSU Distinguished Faculty Award. He teaches a variety
of courses at LSU, spanning introductory sociology to specialized graduate seminars.
His book, coauthored with Shannon M. Monnat,Education, Rural and Small-Town America: Context, Composition, and Complexities (University of
California Press, 2024), (University of California Press, 2024), paints a social scientific portrait of rural
America. The book examines social, economic, and demographic changes and how these
changes present both problems and opportunities for rural communities. Throughout,
empirical evidence is used to confront common myths and misunderstandings about rural
people and places. The book was the winner of the 2025 Frederick H. Buttel Outstanding
Scholarly Achievement Award from the Rural Sociological Society.
Education
PhD: Pennsylvania State University (2004)
Curriculum Vitae
Courses Recently Taught at LSU
(Syllabi are for illustrative purposes & subject to change)
- SOCL 2001: Introductory Sociology
- SOCL 2002: HONORS: Introductory Sociology
- SOCL 3505: Poverty in the United States
- SOCL 4351: Rural Social Organization
- SOCL 7351: Rural Social Organization
- SOCL 7391: Social Stratification
- SOCL 7591: Poverty in the United States
- SOCL 7903: Proseminar in Sociology