About MSSA

The Mid South Sociological Association is a valuable organization for sociologists at all career levels in the Mid-South region and across the United States.  The MSSA annual meetings provide sessions on the cutting edge of research interests including but not limited to deviance, criminology, gender studies, theory, disaster and immigration studies. In addition, each meeting includes round tables and panels focusing on professional growth in the areas of teaching, tenure and applications to graduate schools. Besides the formal sessions MSSA has proven invaluable in informal networking opportunities where colleagues brainstorm new research ideas and collaborate on extending existing research interests. Several of us owe our current successes and positions, in part, to the networking provided from MSSA meetings. The MSSA holds meetings near our institutions allowing both undergraduate and graduate students to attend the meetings.  If you haven’t checked us out lately, please do and please encourage your colleagues to do the same.

The MSSA is one of the most diverse organizations around in terms of the demographic make-up of members and the types of colleges and universities in which members are employed. In order to encourage and facilitate a diverse demographic membership, there are formal caucuses that are designed to address the particular needs of women (The Women’s Caucus) and minority groups (The Minority Caucus). Indeed, over the past years the MSSA has had an impressive representation of diversity not just in its membership but also in leading positions on its executive council.

Moreover, the MSSA supports the professional research journal, Sociological Spectrum, which is published six times a year, and to which each dues paying member recieves a subscription.   A peer reviewed journal, Sociological Spectrum publishes theoretical, methodological, substantive and applied articles as well as research notes and book reviews when space permits.  Sociological Spectrum has consistently improved its ranking among professional journals as it publishes pieces coming from social science disciplines including, but not limited to, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and political science.

Although many of our members renew their membership at the same time that they register for the annual conference each fall, we accept new members at any time of the year.  Simply follow this link – Joining the MSSA – to access the current membership application form or to access our new online marketplace.