Simon Gottschalk

Simon Gottschalk joined the department of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1992 after earning a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.A. from the University of Houston, and a B.A. from the University of Haifa (Israel). Combining critical symbolic interaction theory and qualitative research methods, his interests revolve around understanding the society-psyche link in phenomena as varied as youth cultures, the mass media, mental disorders, terrorism, and interactions in virtual, urban, and natural spaces. His current research projects include the social psychology of computer-mediated communication, hypermodern theory, and sensory social science. From 1996 to 2000, Gottschalk directed the interdisciplinary Cultural Studies program at UNLV. After serving as editor of the journal Symbolic Interaction from 2004 to 2007, he was elected president of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction in 2011.