Susan Olzak

Professor of Sociology, Emerita
Ph.D., Stanford University, 1978
M.A., San Jose State University, 1972
B.A., University of Wisconsin, 1969
Susan Olzak

Susan Olzak is Professor of Sociology at Stanford University, where she does research on armed conflict, ethnic violence, collective action, and social movement organizations. Her current research projects include (1) a combined state, national, and international-level project (funded by the Sociology Program at NSF and by the UPS Endowment Fund) analyzing the impact of environmental advocacy group activity on pro-environmental legislation in the U.S. Congress and in the California State Legislature (with Sarah A. Soule); (2) continuing research on the impact of economic, cultural, and political globalization on armed conflict  in the contemporary period,  (3) examination of temporal and spatial factors influencing the fate of organizations within a variety of social movement sectors, and (4) examination of the role of recent changes in immigration policy on anti-immigrant attacks in five Western European countries (with Ruud Koopmans).

"Dynamics of Collective Action." Dataset including information on over 23,000 protest events that occurred in the United States, 1960-1995.

 

All-American Diving Champion Who are Prof. Olzak's Research Assistants
All-American Diving Champion Who are Prof. Olzak's Research Assistants

 

 

 

Latest Publications

Journal Articles & Book Chapters

Forthcoming. “School Shootings, Protests, and the Gun Culture in the U.S.” Social Forces 

Olzak, Susan, with Sarah A. Soule, Marion Coddou, and John Muñoz. 2016. "Friends or Foes? How Social Movement Allies Affect the Passage of Legislation in the U. S. Congress”. Mobilization 21(2): 213-230.

Contact

Telephone
650-723-3830
Office
Bldg. 120, rm. 244