Sam Kendrick

Sam Kendrick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Tennessee. Their research investigates cultural meanings of sex and love through the lens of evolving courtship practices, emphasizing intersections with gender inequality, race, and class. With a PhD from the University of Kansas (2024), they teach courses including Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Sociology of Families, and Politics of Physical Appearance.

• Education: PhD in Sociology (2024), University of Kansas

Kendrick's research focuses on how changing courtship patterns influence gender power dynamics and sexual norms, including pandemic-era impacts. Their publications analyze topics like sexual scripting in relationships, hegemonic masculinity in climate fiction films, and historical shifts in courtship. Recent work engages with sociological theory, cultural analysis, and interdisciplinary knowledge production frameworks.

Selected publications address: 1) gendered representations in Cli-Fi media; 2) temporal analysis of courtship practices (1950-2000); 3) sexual script theory in dating outcomes; and 4) intersections of gender and climate knowledge production. These works appear in venues like Sexuality & Culture and Masculinities: A Journal of Identity and Culture.