Sociology Department Chair Joe Kotarba was honored with a lifetime achievement award Wednesday from the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (SSSI).
‘I always had this love in my heart for sociology,’ Kotarba said. ‘Ever since I took the course in high school.’
Kotarba teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in sociology. He came to UH in 1980 after teaching at public middle schools and high schools in Chicago.
Kotarba said receiving the SSSI George Herbert Mead Award for Lifetime Achievement is an awesome distinction.
‘It’s very a humbling experience to win the award,’ Kotarba said. ‘Because of the great scholars who have preceded me as award winners.’
Kotarba said throughout his 20 years at UH, he has seen the campus change for the better.
‘The students and the faculty have changed as the University has changed,’ Kotarba said. ‘The students show excitement now at sociology of popular culture, which is part of my work. They are also much more competent in technology and this is useful to me for a couple of reasons.’
Kotarba has used the interest in technology to his advantage.
‘I offer a course in popular music and society online. It fills up fast,’ Kotarba said. ‘I have placed my lectures on podcast, which allows me to update them frequently. It gives the students the convenience to listen to my lecture when it’s convenient for them.’
Aside from teaching and chairing the department, Kotarba recently finished writing a book and is almost done with another.
‘I just published a book called Understanding Society through Popular Music,’ Kotarba said. ‘My forthcoming book called Growing Old with Rock and Roll is about how the first generation of rock ‘n’ roll fans (the baby boomers) have used rock ‘n’ roll as a way of obtaining of cultural meaning to solve issues and problems as they grow older.’
Kotarba’s book, Growing Old with Rock and Roll, will also explore the emotional ties between the baby boomers and their music.
‘Back in the day, in the ’50s and ’60s, baby boomers used rock ‘n’ roll as a medium to learn about the opposite sex and relationships,’ Kotarba said. ‘Now the same people use the same songs to celebrate anniversaries.’
The SSSI is an international professional organization of scholars interested in the study of a wide range of social issues with an emphasis on identity, everyday practice and language, according to its Web site.’
Kotarba said he is able to juggle teaching, research and writing because everyday is an exercise in sociology.
‘In many ways, sociology has become a lifestyle,’ Kotarba said. ‘I study social phenomena that are interesting and enjoyable to people. I enjoy pop music, but I also understand how important it is to people in their everyday life. I also understand the pleasure it brings to other people.’
Kotarba has help with his research, though. He invites his students to take part in his work and believes it enhances their educational experience.
‘An example project that I’m completing on is Latino music scenes in Houston,’ Kotarba said. ‘I’ve put together a team of graduate students to work with me on the project. So students each study a different music scene – Tejano, salsa and Christian Spanish language music.’
Kotarba said projects like this help his students learn marketable skills.’
‘What my students learn are very useful skills such as interviewing and learning to appreciate other people’s cultures,’ Kotarba said. ‘They also learn how those principles apply to all these different styles of Latino music.’
Kotarba will be presented the George Herbert Mead Award for Lifetime Achievement in August at the SSSI meeting in San Francisco.
Though Kotarba has several projects in the works, he doesn’t have a problem managing all of his responsibilities.
‘I juggle them because doing sociology in all those ways is a very enjoyable experience,’ Kotarba said.
