The NDSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is scheduled to host a visit by distinguished sociologist Ronald Berger Oct. 27-28. Berger is a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he was chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice and coordinator of the Criminal Justice Program and Disability Studies Program.
Berger’s research has focused on Holocaust studies, disability studies, sociological criminology and qualitative methodology. He has published 17 books and more than 50 journal articles and book chapters.
“We are eagerly looking forward to Ron Berger’s visit. He is a delightful person and an outstanding researcher," said Kent Sandstrom, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. "Dr. Berger’s scholarly work clearly demonstrates the value and importance of the sociological imagination. It tells the story of how personal troubles, such as grappling with a physical disability or simply trying to stay alive, are linked to and informed by larger social structures and circumstances. His publications also give a central place to the voices of ordinary people, sharing their stories in a compelling, respectful and richly illuminating way.”
During his visit, Berger will meet with NDSU faculty, students and administrators, and give guest presentations in three or more classes.
He also is scheduled to give a public lecture titled “Surviving the Holocaust: One Family's Story” Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. in Beckwith Recital Hall.
In his lecture, Berger will recount the story of his father and uncle’s survival of the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland by highlighting pre-war experiences, decision-making, risk-taking and collective networks that helped them elude the Nazis. Berger challenges the conventional view that survival was simply a matter of luck and steers a new course between condemnations of Jewish victims’ passivity and romanticized celebrations of their heroism.
Berger earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology at UCLA and taught for 34 years at UWW.
Berger received UWW’s highest awards in both teaching and research, as well as the Chancellor’s Award for Service to Students with Disabilities and the Wisconsin Sociological Association’s William H. Sewell Outstanding Scholarship Award. He is the Wisconsin state director for the Midwest Sociological Society.
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