Terence McDonnell

Terence McDonnell is a Professor of Sociology and Department Chair at the University of Notre Dame, with a concurrent appointment at the Keough School of Global Affairs. He earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 2009 and has been a Kellogg Institute faculty fellow since 2011. His academic career focuses on cultural sociology with particular attention to objects and media in everyday life.

McDonnell's research interests span Culture and Media, HIV/AIDS and Public Health, Social Movements, Gender and Sexuality, Urban Studies, and Sociological Theory. His work examines how cultural objects and media function in social contexts, particularly focusing on how HIV/AIDS media campaigns are interpreted in unexpected ways by communities in West Africa. He developed the concept of 'cultural entropy' to explain why evidence-based health campaigns often fail to achieve their intended outcomes due to complex cultural interpretations.

His publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output in top sociology journals including the American Journal of Sociology, Sociological Theory, and Poetics. His research shows a clear trajectory from examining reading practices and cultural memory to his current focus on material culture, media interpretation, and public health communication.

Among his notable recognitions are the Kellogg Institute's Undergraduate Mentoring Award (2020-21), the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, CSC, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2018-19), an honorable mention for the Sociology of Development's Best Book Award, and an honorable mention for the Geertz Prize in Cultural Sociology.

McDonnell has secured significant research funding including grants for 'Prosthesis Design, Fit, and Human Wellbeing in Ghana' (2021-22), 'Development in the Face of Global Inequalities' with the Barcelona Institute for International Studies (2016-17), and the 'Measuring Culture Conference' (2014-15). His work bridges theoretical sociology with practical applications in global health communication.