Jack Spencer

Jack Spencer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Purdue University, where he has served on the faculty since 1989. He holds a Ph.D. from Indiana University (1983) and specializes in public discourse surrounding social problems, with particular expertise in deviance and social control mechanisms.

Education:

• Ph.D., Indiana University (1983)

His research examines mass media narratives about societal issues, focusing on two primary threads: media coverage of youth violence during the 1990s (resulting in his book The Paradox of Youth Violence) and homelessness discourse in the 1980s–early 1990s. Spencer analyzes how these narratives shape public understanding of deviance and institutional responses to social problems.

Professional engagement includes active membership in the Society for the Study of Social Problems and Midwest Sociological Society, where he regularly presents research, chairs sessions, and serves on committees.