Brian K. Obach

Chair, Department of Sociology

Department of Sociology State University of New York 516A Jacobson Faculty Tower 1 Hawk Drive New Paltz, New York 12561 (845) 257-3447 obachb@newpaltz.edu

Hi.  I'm Brian.  I am an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at the State University of New York at New Paltz.   I teach classes on Environmental Sociology, Social Movements, and Political Economy as well as some basic required courses, such as Social Statistics and Introduction to Sociology.  My research interests parallel the classes that I teach.  I have done research on labor unions, the environmental movement, and on the way in which our social institutions, in particular our economic system, can have devastating ecological impacts.  The last subject is one that concerns me deeply, because the evidence suggests that current social practices are simply not sustainable, and that, unless drastic changes are undertaken soon, we will face an ecological crisis that may threaten our very survival.  For this reason, I focus much of my energy on addressing this issue.  Some colleagues and I created an Environmental Studies Minor program in order to better educate our students about these issues.  For several years I have chaired the campus Environmental Task Force, a group of faculty, staff and students who are seeking to improve environmental practices on the campus and in the community.  I am also conducting research on sustainable agriculture, a movement that I believe offers promise for addressing at least some of our environmental problems.  When I am not working I spend my time hiking or skiing on the beautiful Shawangunk Ridge or playing in New Paltz's only all-faculty rock band, Questionable Authorities.  Below are some more details about my work.  If you are a student who is attending or who wants to attend SUNY New Paltz and you're intereted in the subjects I teach, feel free to contact me.   

To see my full curriculum vita click here: Curriculum Vita 

Here is a summary:

EDUCATION

M.S. 1994. Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

B.A. 1989. Political Science, State University of New York-Albany

PUBLICATIONS

Books

Labor and the Environmental Movement: The Quest for Common Ground. 2004. Cambridge:MIT Press

Peer Reviewed Articles  

“Consumption, Ecological Footprints and Global Inequality: A Lesson in Individual and Structural Components of Environmental Problems. Teaching Sociology. Vol. 37, No. 3, July 2009, 294-300.

“Capitalism, State Economic Policy and Ecological Footprint: An International Comparative Analysis” (with Serife Ilgu Ozler). Global Environmental Politics. Vol. 9, No. 1, 2009, Pp. 79-108.

“Cross Course Collaboration in Undergraduate Sociology Programs” (with Eve Waltermaurer).  Teaching Sociology. Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2007, 151-60.

“Theoretical Interpretations of the Growth in Organic Agriculture: Agricultural Modernization or an Organic Treadmill?” Society and Natural Resources Vol. 20, No. 3, 2007, Pp. 229-44.

“New Labor: Slowing the Treadmill of Production?”  Organization and Environment. Vol. 17, No. 3, September, 2004, Pp. 337-354.

“Barriers to Collective Action: A Classroom Simulation,” Teaching Sociology. Vol. 31, July 2003, Pp. 1-7.

“Labor-Environmental Relations: An Analysis of the Relationship between Labor Unions and Environmentalists,” Social Science Quarterly, Vol. 83, No. 1, March 2002, Pp. 82-100.

“Teaching about Institutional Discrimination and the Controversies of Affirmative Action,” Teaching Sociology Vol. 28, No. 1, January 2000, Pp. 50-55.

“Demonstrating the Social Construction of Race,” Teaching Sociology Vol. 27, No. 3, July 1999, Pp. 252-57.

“The Wisconsin Labor-Environmental Network: A Case Study of Coalition Formation among Organized Labor and the Environmental Movement,” Organization and Environment Vol. 12, No. 1, March 1999, Pp. 45-74.