Urban Sociologist Joseph 'Piko' Ewoodzie Brings Students to the Big Picture
July 16, 2019
Joseph Ewoodzie, Malcolm O. Partin Assistant Professor of Sociology
If your carâs air conditioning isnât working, turning the knob back and forth repeatedly isnât going to fix it. You must open the hood to see whatâs really going on.
âIf we see an achievement gap, for example, like black kids arenât scoring as high on tests, you canât say itâs the black kids causing the problem,â he said. âThatâs like saying the air conditioning just wonât work. Sociologists are lifting the hood of society to see what we donât understand. What is happening at the very bottom of this issue?â
Ewoodzie arrived in Davidson after growing up in Ghana and making educational and career stops in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and the South Bronx. He set his sights on Davidson before a job was even available because he wanted to teach at a small liberal arts institution, in the South, near a city and near a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
Students work so much harder if the work theyâre doing is bigger than their professor.
