Join us for a lunchtime seminar with Professor Stefanie DeLuca.

Stefanie DeLuca
James S. Coleman Professor of Sociology & Social Policy
Johns Hopkins University

Stefanie is the James S. Coleman Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at Johns Hopkins University. Before settling in Baltimore, Stefanie lived in Chicago and received her B.A. in sociology and psychology at the University of Chicago. She completed her Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University in 2002.

Stefanie is particularly interested in the way social context (e.g. family, school, neighborhood, peers) affects the outcomes of disadvantaged young people, primarily in adolescence and at the transition to adulthood. Using interdisciplinary frameworks and multiple methodologies to examine these issues, her current research focuses on the sociology of education, urban sociology, neighborhoods, and social inequality in the life course. Her research also involves the sociological consideration of education and housing policy. Stefanie is motivated by an interest in rigorous research designs for causal inference using both experimental and non-experimental data, as well as the use of qualitative work to understand causality and the effectiveness of social policies.

Stefanie co-authored Coming of Age in the Other America, which demonstrates that despite overwhelming odds, some disadvantaged urban youth do achieve upward mobility. The book also highlights how the right public policies might help break the cycle of disadvantage.