Junior Hopwood is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Interim Chair at Grambling State University. Dr. Hopwood is an administrator, teacher and researcher. As a teacher, he teaches several sociology courses including courses in theory, research methods and statistics, Sociology of Religion, Urban Sociology, Sociology of Work, Sociology of Education and Race and Ethnicity. Most importantly, as a teacher, Dr. Hopwood seeks to challenge his students to become the best version of themselves so that they can become the change agents needed for a just society. He is often known to tell his students that “my job is to prepare you for the next level.”
He earned his PhD. at Howard University and Masters in Sociology at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He is currently a member of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), the African Studies and Research Forum, and the Black Catholic Theological Symposium. Dr. Hopwood is also one of the directors of the Young Gifted Catholics Summer Training Program for catholic youth in the Caribbean.
As a member of SSSP, he is the Chair for the Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning (2023 – 2024), outgoing chair of the Accessibility Committee and has served in several other capacities including Section Co-Organizer - When the Company Leaves the Company Town: Research from Rustbelt Communities and Beyond, 2018 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA; Chair, Labor Studies Student Award Committee (2015– 2016); Permanent Organization and Strategic Planning Committee (2012- 2015); Labor Studies Division; Standards and Freedom of Research, Publication, and Teaching (Chair -2010-2011); Standards and Freedom of Research, Publication, and Teaching (2008-2011).
As a member of the African Studies and Research Forum (ASRTF), Dr. Hopwood is currently co-editor of the Diaspora section of the Journal of African Studies and Research Forum and member of the Events Committee for the organization. He has also served on the Governor of Maryland’s Commission on Caribbean Affairs (2013 – 2015), faculty advisor for both the Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society (2010 – 2017) and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Faculty Advisor (2012 – 2017).
Dr. Hopwood has several publications including: book chapters: A Comprehensive Introduction to Research Methods, Volume 1: Quantitative Methods co-authored with Abdul Karim Bangura; book chapters: Marcus Garvey in Abdul Karim Bangura edited Early Black Thinkers in the Diaspora and Their Conceptualization of Africa, A Case of Legitimacy and the Democratic Process of Voting” in Abdul Karim Bangura edited The United States Presidential Election of 2020, “Sociology” in Culpability of The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, “Unemployment” in Social-Economic Trends in Washington DC, and “Union membership” in Perceptions of Peaceful behavior in Washington, DC, which he also co-edited with Abdul Karim Bangura. Journal articles include “Measurement Validation of the Jamaican Macho Scale among African American males” with Marina Ramkissoon and Patricia Anderson, and HIV/AIDS and the Military in Sub-Sahara Africa: Control through Innovative Stress Management Approaches with Ivor Livingston.
Dr. Hopwood current research projects focus on Gendered perception of Masculinity – an exploration of women’s perception of masculinity (with a focus on black women); A Revival of Marcus Garvey’s Philosophy as a Catalyst for Sustained Black Resistance to Institutional Injustice; Unmasking the Socialization of Whiteness in Police Training, and Symbolism and Black worship in the Catholic Church. The Challenges for Underserved Communities in Pursuing STEM Careers.