Amy August

Amy August is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Assistant Director of the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change at San José State University. Her research focuses on the intersections of sport, education, and family, employing qualitative methods. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology (University of Minnesota), M.A. in Social Sciences (University of Chicago), M.A. in Teaching (Dominican University), and B.A. in English (University of Illinois at Chicago).

Her work includes an ethnographic study comparing cultural capital recognition in preschool education and sports, and the collaborative Kids' Involvement and Diversity Study examining youth sports participation in Minnesota. Her research themes span cultural capital, early childhood socialization, and institutional comparisons in education and sports.

Recent publications analyze youth sports typologies, teacher-coach categorization of children, and sociological reflections on race and social progress. She advises on projects blending sport and social change, and her teaching focuses on sociological theory and methods. Active in academic service, she contributes to interdisciplinary dialogues on sport and society.