Amie Hess

Profile

Professional biography

Dr. Amie Hess is an Assistant Professor in Sociology.  Dr. Hess’s research looks at the relationship between gender, sexuality, and education.  Her dissertation examined the implementation of abstinence-only sex education in New York State.  Her most recent piece from this project, “Hold the Sex, Please: The Discursive Politics Between National and Local Abstinence Education Providers” was published in the journal Sex Education.   Most recently, Dr. Hess was lead author of the Meredith College report, The Status of Girls in North Carolina, published in March, 2013.    Dr. Hess has appeared in numerous media outlets discussing the report, including WUNC’s The State of Things and the News and Observer in Raleigh.   She has given numerous talks on the report to alumnae, parent, and community groups.  Additionally, she has worked with a number of community organizations on issues affecting girls including the United Way of the Greater Triangle and the Daniels Center in Southeast Raleigh.  Dr. Hess has two new research projects. The first examines gender and participatory democracy in new social media.  This research, “”Heather from Queens” and “UWS Ethan”: Gender in an Online Public Sphere,” was presented at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in August, 2013.  The second project, “Flannels, Flatbills, and F150s: Gender Nonconformity in a Women’s College,” looks at the ways that students’ gender presentation influences their college decision-making process and adaptation to college life.  She is working on this project with an undergraduate researcher.