Sociology and Anthropology Department
Education
Ph.D. Sociology, 2009, “Not All Suburbs Are Created Equal: The Dynamic Development, Interaction, and Character of Three Chicago Railroad Suburbs,” University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
M.A. Sociology, 2006, “Redeveloping the Cabrini-Green Housing Project: A Sociological Perspective, 1989-2004,” University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
B.A. Sociology, Anthropology, 2004, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
About Brian Miller
Dr. Miller’s sociological interests include American suburbs (particularly their development, culture, and housing) and cities, culture, mixed-income housing developments, McMansions, social network site use among emerging adults, and American evangelicalism and culture. Dr. Miller and his wife, Karen, live in Warrenville. His hobbies include watching the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, and Chicago Bulls, playing the piano, playing basketball, reading all sorts of non-fiction works, and blogging about his sociological interests and observations at legallysociable.com.
Dr. Miller's C.V.
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Sociology (Soc 115)
- Contemporary Social Concerns (Soc 238)
- Culture, Media, and Society (Soc 251)
- American Suburbanization (Soc 359)
- Statistics (Soc 383)
- Social Research (Soc 482)
Membership in Professional Societies
Research
Individual: Dr. Miller is working on projects that separately examine McMansions, suburban character, and several involving social network site use among emerging adults,
Publications
Miller, Brian J. forthcoming. “Competing Visions of the American Single-Family Home: Defining McMansions in the New York Times and Dallas Morning News, 2000-2009." Journal of Urban History.
Miller, Brian J. 2008. "The Struggle Over Redevelopment at Cabrini-Green, 1989-2004." Journal of Urban History 34(6):944-960.
Presentations
Miller, Brian J., Peter Mundey, Jonathan P. Hill. October 2011. Reading the Writing on the Wall: How Bible Reading Affects SNS Use Among Emerging Adults. Society for the Scientific Study of Religion meetings, Milwaukee.
Miller, Brian J., Peter Mundey, Jonathan P. Hill. August 2011. The Nexus between Sitting in the Pews and Using Facebook: How Religion Affects SNS Use. American Sociological Association meetings, Las Vegas.
Miller, Brian J. August 2010. Not All Suburbs Are the Same: Examining Suburban Character. American Sociological Association meetings, Atlanta.
Miller, Brian J. August 2009. A Two-Edged Sword: The Dynamic and Occasionally Surprising Religious Character of a Chicago Suburb. American Sociological Association meetings, San Francisco.
Media Citations, Unrefereed Publications
Berg, Nate. 2012. “The Widely Variable Definition of ‘McMansion.’” The Atlantic Cities, posted online 4/20/12 at http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/04/does-word-mcmansion-actually-mean-anything/1813/.
Sanserino, Michael. 2012. “Tim Tebow's gridiron faith sparks praise, comedic bits and criticism.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, posted online 1/8/12 at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12008/1202114-66.stm.
Loza, Cyndi. 2010. “Local woman goes on national tour to promote book about race.” Glen Ellyn News, posted online 5/9/10 at http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/warrenville/ topstories/x2084235434/Local-woman-goes-on-national-tour-to-promote-book-about-race.
Miller, Brian J. “The Dynamic Development, Interaction and Character of Three Chicago Suburbs.” CUSS Newsletter Winter 2010 22(1):12.