
{"id":5,"date":"2012-10-25T22:04:15","date_gmt":"2012-10-25T22:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/template-faculty01\/?page_id=5"},"modified":"2024-11-18T15:42:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T15:42:15","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/scott-fitzgerald-twb\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-163 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Scott-Fitzgerald-twb-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"114\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Scott-Fitzgerald-twb-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Scott-Fitzgerald-twb-768x1097.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Scott-Fitzgerald-twb-717x1024.jpg 717w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Scott-Fitzgerald-twb.jpg 1050w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 114px) 100vw, 114px\" \/><\/a>Professor and Chair,<br \/>Department of Sociology<\/p>\n<p>Professor of Public Policy<\/p>\n<p>The University of North Carolina Charlotte<\/p>\n<p>Email: <a href=\"mailto:sfitzger@charlotte.edu\">sfitzger@charlotte.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>My research (see &#8220;Publications&#8221; tab above) and teaching centers on economic inequality, social movements, religion and the nation state. Substantively, one branch examines the social, political, and economic consequences of religious participation. A second branch focuses on the causes and consequences of economic inequality and social change. A third branch addresses symbolic discourse and meaning creation.<\/p>\n<p>I am also a faculty member in the <a href=\"http:\/\/publicpolicy.uncc.edu\/\">UNC Charlotte Public Policy PhD program<\/a> and former co-editor of the Political Sociology Section of <a href=\"http:\/\/sociology-compass.com\/political-sociology\/\">Sociology Compass<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 I currently teach and serve as the College of Liberal Arts (CLAS) Coordinator for UNC Charlotte&#8217;s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/prospect.uncc.edu\/\">Prospect for Success<\/a> <\/em>program for incoming students.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_at-lake.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-139 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_at-lake-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"El Salvador_at lake\" width=\"367\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_at-lake-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_at-lake-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_at-lake.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I served as the faculty advisor for the UNC Charlotte Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and routinely teach various study abroad programs: a <a href=\"http:\/\/studyabroad.uncc.edu\/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&amp;Program_ID=10003\">5-week study abroad program in Manchester, UK<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/edabroad.uncc.edu\/programs\/europe\/community-and-identity-changing-city-manchester\">; <\/a>a <a href=\"http:\/\/studyabroad.uncc.edu\/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&amp;Program_ID=10041\">10-day program in the Netherlands<\/a>, and a <a href=\"http:\/\/studyabroad.uncc.edu\/?go=habitat\">10-day collaborative program with Habitat for Humanity in El Salvador.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_digging-foundation.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-140 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_digging-foundation-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"El Salvador_digging foundation\" width=\"210\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_digging-foundation-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_digging-foundation-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2012\/10\/El-Salvador_digging-foundation.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/fitzgerald-8-10-twb\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-162 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Fitzgerald-8-10-twb-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Fitzgerald-8-10-twb-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Fitzgerald-8-10-twb-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2017\/10\/Fitzgerald-8-10-twb-819x1024.jpg 819w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Additionally, I served as\u00a0Coordinator for the first-year student\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/sociology.uncc.edu\/undergraduate\/global-village-learning-community\">Global Village Learning Community<\/a> from 2009-2014.\u00a0 I have also worked with the non-partisan <a href=\"http:\/\/www.interactivityfoundation.org\/\">Interactivity Foundation<\/a> to facilitate citizen discussion groups and am a current member of the UNC Charlotte <a href=\"https:\/\/freeexpression.charlotte.edu\/about\/\">Free Expression and Constructive Dialogue<\/a> Task Force.<\/p>\n<p>I was formerly the Director of Graduate Studies for our <a href=\"https:\/\/sociology.uncc.edu\/graduate\">M.A. Program in Sociology.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Click here for my <a href=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2024\/11\/fitzgerald_cv_for_website_2024.pdf\">c.v.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.routledge.com\/books\/details\/9780415709521\/\">\u00a0 <\/a><!--more--><a href=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2022\/10\/MCM-3rd-edition_cover_large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-237 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2022\/10\/MCM-3rd-edition_cover_large-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2022\/10\/MCM-3rd-edition_cover_large-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/413\/2022\/10\/MCM-3rd-edition_cover_large.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"description\">\n<div>\n<p>New <strong>THIRD EDITION<\/strong> now available!\u00a0 In accessible prose for North American undergraduate students, this short text provides a sociological understanding of the causes and consequences of growing middle class inequality, with an abundance of supporting, empirical data. The book also addresses what we, as individuals and as a society, can do to put middle class Americans on a sounder footing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Based on income alone, nearly half of all adults in the United States can be considered &#8220;middle class,&#8221; complete with the reassurance of a steady job, the ability to raise a family, and the comforts of owning a home. And yet, for many, because of structural forces reshaping the finances of the American middle class, the margin between a stable life and a fragile one is narrowing.<\/p>\n<p>The new edition of <i>Middle-Class Meltdown in America: Causes, Consequences, and Remedies<\/i> tells the story of the struggling American middle class by weaving together sociological and economical research, personalized portraits and examples, and a profusion of current data illustrating significant social, economic, and political trends. The authors extend their analysis to include the COVID-19 pandemic, a focus on the effect of race and ethnicity, as well as the ever-increasing costs of housing, health care, and education.<\/p>\n<p>In clear, accessible writing, the authors provide a sociological and balanced understanding of the causes and implications of increasing middle class precarity. <i>Middle-Class Meltdown in America<\/i> is particularly well-suited for courses in sociology, economics, political science, anthropology, and American Studies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Middle-Class-Meltdown-in-America-Causes-Consequences-and-Remedies\/Leicht-Fitzgerald\/p\/book\/9780367459116\">Purchase<\/a> <em>Middle Class Meltdown;\u00a0 <\/em>also available at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Middle-Class-Meltdown-America-Leicht\/dp\/0367459116\/ref=asc_df_0367459116\/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=598359424988&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=165582679661728092&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9009981&amp;hvtargid=pla-1767044504559&amp;psc=1\">Amazon.com<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/middle-class-meltdown-in-america-kevin-t-leicht\/1116363637?ean=9780415709521\">Barnes &amp; Noble<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/wfae.org\/post\/middle-class-meltdown-rebroadcast\">Podcast<\/a> of my interview on <em>Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins <\/em>(WFAE 90.7) discussing <em>Middle Class Meltdown,<\/em> 2nd edition; original air date September 16, 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Professor and Chair,Department of Sociology Professor of Public Policy The University of North Carolina Charlotte Email: sfitzger@charlotte.edu My research (see &#8220;Publications&#8221; tab above) and teaching centers on economic inequality, social movements, religion and the nation state. Substantively, one branch examines the social, political, and economic consequences of religious participation. A second branch focuses on the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":319,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/319"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5\/revisions\/252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/scott-fitzgerald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}