Brian Barry Headshot

Brian Barry

Associate Professor

Department of Sociology and Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts

585-475-2401
Office Location

Brian Barry

Associate Professor

Department of Sociology and Anthropology
College of Liberal Arts

Education

BA, St. John Fisher College; MSc, Ph.D., Syracuse University

Bio

Brian Barry received his B.A. in sociology (with honors) from St. John Fisher College in 1969. He got his Master of Social Science degree from Syracuse University in 1972 from Syracuse and his Ph.D. in Social Science from Syracuse in 1974. Since 1973 he has had a joint appointment in the Psychology and Sociology Departments at RIT where he is now an Associate Professor. Among the courses he teaches are The Social Psychology of Religion, Death and Dying (his special research interest) ,the Changing Family and the Urban experience.

585-475-2401

Select Scholarship

Invited Keynote/Presentation
Barry, Brian. "Urban Deviance: Review and Assessment of the Work of Sudhir Vandrkesh." Midwestern Meeting of the Association of Humanist Sociology. Association of Humanist Sociology. Cleveland, OH. 1 Feb. 2014. Conference Presentation.
Barry, Brian. "Student Perceptions of Good Work." Eastern Sociological Society. Eastern Sociological Society. Boston, MA. 1 Mar. 2014. Conference Presentation.

Currently Teaching

PSYC-231
3 Credits
This course examines the role of loss including death in our lives and the way we give and receive support during difficult times. It also looks at how society enfranchises some grievers and disenfranchises others. Included in this course is an examination of our options as consumers of funeral and burial services, grief counseling and other products and services which can either minimize or abate our grief. Central to the course is an examination of the ethical principles which apply to abortion, euthanasia and suicide and an examination of the ways in which the choices we make may be structured to express our core values. Finally, the course explores how The American way of Death differs from that of other societies and how we might incorporate the wisdom of other cultures into our own practices.
SOCI-215
3 Credits
Families are the microcosm of society. Sociological concepts and theories define the family as a fundamental institution that both mirrors and propels societal change. The field of family studies explores various parameters of family systems, including gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, division of labor, marriage and divorce, children, and generational relations. In the wake of significant changes in family forms, experiences, and prevailing household arrangements, the scope of sociological inquiry has expanded to meet the new realities of American family life.