simon griffith
Sociology graduate student (Fall 2023-2025), California State University San Marcos
Bachelor of Arts, Sociology (2023) California State University San Marcos
simongriffith.com is now queergeographies.org
Working research statement
Having lived in or around Hillcrest, San Diego's famous gay village, for over a decade, I have witnessed significant changes to the physical space and demographic composition, which have made the area increasingly unfamiliar and potentially unwelcoming to locals, visitors, and vicarious citizens who once considered it an essential safe space. This phenomenon is not unique to San Diego, as research from the past decade indicates that historic gay districts across the United States and beyond are undergoing similar transformations. In response to this, my research primarily focuses on the impact of closures of LGBTQ+ establishments on the community and social dynamics.
Additionally, I aim to understand how the obsolescence or absence of cultural and social markers that previous generations relied upon affects the psychological well-being and social skills of young LGBTQ+ individuals. To provide context to this issue within our highly divided sociopolitical climate, I will investigate how rapidly changing ideological landscapes, disseminated by corporate-controlled mass media outlets, contribute to the emergence and persistence of in-group stigmatization within LGBTQ+ communities.
To address these questions, I will draw upon various theoretical perspectives on culture, behavior, and urbanization.
Scholarly work
Graduate
A Genocide Six Months On (blog post)
Sociology 518 Seminar on Institutions and Justice
April 8, 2024
Presentation: Queer Geographies (Three-Minute Thesis)
California State University San Marcos Grad Slam 2024
April 5, 2024
Presentation: Actor Network Theory and the Erosion of LGBTQ+-Centered Spaces
Pacific Sociological Association Conference 2024
March 21, 2024
Undergraduate
Examining the Factors Behind the Disproportionate Incarceration of Black Americans
Sociology 444 Perspectives on Corrections and Penology
January 15, 2023
Perfect Illusion: The Complicated Evolving Landscape Of Queer Nightlife
Sociology 361 Qualitative Research Methods (Ethnography)
October 23, 2022
Congressional Insider Trading: Making Their Own Rules
Sociology 445 White Collar Crime
August 14, 2022
The Psychopathy of Corporations (blog post)
Sociology 445 White Collar Crime
July 21, 2022
Gun Ownership and Religious Affiliation: A Current Look
Sociology 360 Quantitative Research Methods
May 21, 2022
Capitalism, Culture, and Climate Consequences
Sociology 320 Sociological Theory
March 18, 2022
Colonizing the Pedagogy: The War on Anti-Racist Education
SOC 207 Race and Ethnic Relations
December 5, 2021