Kelsy Burke joined the department of sociology as an assistant professor during Fall 2016. She completed her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2013, and was an assistant professor at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin prior to coming to Nebraska.
Dr. Burke is an expert in sexualities and religion and is the author of an award-winning book called Christians Under Covers. This book examines online Christian sex advice websites and discussion boards to understand how Christians talk about sex and sexual pleasure, sometimes in surprising ways. She has published op-eds and online essays in outlets including the Huffington Post, The Conversation, Newsweek, and Salon. Her work also has appeared in journals including Socius, Contexts, Sexualities, and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Recent important findings by Dr. Burke include that a majority of Nebraskans oppose religious exemption laws that would allow religious business owners to deny services to gays and lesbians. In an article co-authored with fellow Nebraska sociologist, Dr. Emily Kazyak, and alumnus Dr. Mathew Stange, Dr. Burke finds that Nebraskans on both sides of “religious freedom” debates use similar logics related to freedom and the protection of rights to justify their positions.
Dr. Burke regularly teaches the large lecture sections of Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 101) and graduate-level seminars in her areas of expertise.
Dr. Kelsy Burke is a very welcome addition to the university's sociology department!
