Dr. Peter Hart-Brinson
Contact Information
Monday, 10-12, Thursday 2-3, or email for appointment
Biography
Peter Hart-Brinson holds a joint appointment in the Departments of Sociology and Communication/Journalism. He teaches introductory level courses in both departments, along with elective courses pertaining to media technologies, culture, politics, and diversity. Through the Sociological Research Methods course, he administers the Eau Claire Longitudinal Student Survey (ECLSS), an annual omnibus social survey that measures students attitudes and experiences about a variety of topics chosen by student and faculty researchers.
His research interests pertain to culture, media, politics, knowledge, generations, and social change. His research on generational change in attitudes about same-sex marriage in the United States culminated in the publication of The Gay Marriage Generation (2018, NYU Press), and he is currently studying the origins and spread of generational mythology in American media and culture. He has also published research on generational changes in American civic engagement, the free radio movement, and asexuality.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- B.A., New College of Florida
Teaching and Research Interests
- CJ 105, Communication in Contemporary Society
- CJ/REGSS 317, Diversity and Communication
- CJ 318, Topics in Communication and Social Advocacy: Political Communication
- SOC 101, Introduction to Sociology
- SOC 332, Sociological Research Methods
- SOC 360, Sociology of Culture
- SOC 415, Social Movements
Published Research
Books
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2018. The Gay Marriage Generation: How the LGBTQ Movement Transformed American Culture. NYU Press.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Hart-Brinson, Peter, ML Tlachac, and Emily Lepien. 2024. “Contradictions in Experience of Compulsory Sexuality and Pathways to Asexual Citizenship.” Sexuality & Culture. 28, 1, pp. 187-213. Published online, June 27, 2023.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2016. “The Social Imagination of Homosexuality and the Rise of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World. 2, pp. 1-17. Published online open-access, February 8: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2378023116630555
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2014. “Discourse of Generations: The Influence of Cohort, Period, and Ideology in Americans’ Talk about Same-Sex Marriage.” American Journal of Cultural Sociology. 2, 2, pp. 221-252.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2012. “Civic Recreation and a Theory of Civic Production.” Sociological Theory. 30, 2 (June), pp. 130-147.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2011. “New Ways of Bowling Together?” Contexts. 10, 4 (Fall), pp. 28-33.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2010. “Vox Regni? Underestimating the Role of the State in Radio Licensing Decisions: A Comment on Greve, Pozner, and Rao.” American Journal of Sociology. 116, 2 (Sept), pp. 643-655.
Brinson, Peter. 2006. “Liberation Frequency: The Free Radio Movement and Alternative Strategies of Media Relations.” The Sociological Quarterly. 47, 4 (Fall), pp. 543-568.
Selected Essays & Book Chapters
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2024. Chapter 5: “Mass and Social Media” in Sociology: Think Outside the Book, edited by Robert Brym and Mellisa Holtzman. Top Hat.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2023. “Diversity, equity, inclusion critical in education.” Guest column, Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, p. A29. September 22.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2018. “Lessons from Proposition 8, 10 Years On.” The Advocate, October 22.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2018. “How Generational Mythology Misleads Social Movements.” Invited essay, Mobilizing Ideas Essay Dialogue on Millennials and Activism, June 29.
Hart-Brinson, Peter, Guobin Yang, and Piermarco Aroldi. 2016. “Techno-Social Generations and Communication Research.” In Communication Across the Life-Span, edited by Jon F. Nussbaum. New York: Peter Lang, pp. 91-106.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2014. “A cultural shift in the view of marriage, homosexuality.” Guest column, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, p. 9A. June 10, 2014. Published online: June 9. Also published June 18, in Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, “Same-sex marriage ruling caps a gradual cultural shift,” p. 6A.
Hart-Brinson, Peter. 2010. “Gay marriage is not going to go away.” Guest column, Des Moines Register, p. 11A. November 4.