Dr. Tim Clydesdale

Professor

Degrees Earned

• Ph.D., Sociology, Princeton University
• M.A., Sociology, Princeton University
• B.A., Sociology and Biblical Studies, Wheaton College

Courses Taught

• Religion & American Culture
• Education & American Culture
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Tutorial: Qualitative Interviewing & Analysis
• Faculty/Student Research Course
• USA Core Seminar: American Cultural Critics -- Saints or Scoundrels?
• Freshman Seminar: American Christianity -- From Scopes to September 11th

Research Interest

• Religious Life & American Higher Education
• Youth, Religion, & American Culture

Recent Research & Activities

Dr. Clydesdale has been awarded a $512k grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., for a nearly four-year national investigation into the vocational thinking and processes of religious and nonreligious American college students. He calls this project "The Life and Vocation of American Youth Project: A National Evaluation of PTEV's Impact on Students and their Mentors," and intends to write two books based on his findings. Several TCNJ students have already been involved in this project -- conducting interviews, coding texts, and analyzing data, and Dr. Clydesdale looks forward to involving other students during the months and years to come.

Clydesdale Helps Shape National Debate on Affirmative Action well before the Grutter v. Bollinger case at the University of Michigan Law School ignited the world of academia with the sparks of a Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action practices in higher education. Tim Clydesdale, sociology professor at the College, was immersed in his own research on affirmative action and law school admission. Now, he’s finding himself at the forefront of a national debate on the question, “Does affirmative action hurt minority law students?”  More... .

Publications

Clydesdale, Tim. 2007.  The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens after High School. University of Chicago Press. 

Clydesdale, Tim. 2006. "Abandoned, Pursued, or Safely Stowed: The Religious Life of First Year Undergraduates." (appearing in the Social Science Research Council's web forum on Religion & College Students - www.ssrc.org).

Richard O. Lempert, William C. Kidder, Timothy T. Clydesdale, and David L. Chambers, "Affirmative Action in American Law Schools: A Critical Response to Richard Sander's `A Reply to Critics'" (February 2006). University of Michigan Legal Working Paper Series. University of Michigan John M. Olin Center for Law & Economics Working Paper Series. Working Paper 60. http://law.bepress.com/umichlwps/olin/art60.

Chambers, David L., Timothy T. Clydesdale, William C. Kidder, Richard O. Lempert. 2005.  “The Real Impact of Eliminating Affirmative Action in American Law Schools:  An Empirical Critique of Richard Sander’s Study.”  Stanford Law Review.  57 (6): 1855-1898. 

Clydesdale, Timothy T.  2004.    “A Forked River Runs Through Law School:  Toward Understanding Age, Gender, Race, and Related Gaps in Law School Performance and Bar Passage,”  Law & Social Inquiry.  29:4 (711-770). 

Clydesdale, Timothy T. 2000. “Dobson, James,” “Focus on the Family,” and “Young Life,” in The Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Religion.  W. Clark Roof, senior editor.  Macmillan Reference. 

Clydesdale, Timothy T.  1999.  “Toward Understanding the Role of Bible Beliefs and Higher Education in American Attitudes Toward Eradicating Poverty, 1964-1996.”  Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 38 (1): 103-118. 

Clydesdale, Timothy T. 1997.  “Family Behaviors Among Early U.S. Baby Boomers:  Exploring the Effects of Religion and Income Change, 1965-1982.”  Social Forces.  Vol. 76 (2): 605-635.

Clydesdale, Timothy T. 1995. “Decision” in M. Fackler and C.H. Lippy (eds.), Popular Religious Magazines of the United States.  Westport, CT:  Greenwood Press.

Clydesdale, Timothy T.  1990.  “Soul-Winning and Social Work:  Giving and Caring in the Evangelical Tradition,”  in R. Wuthnow and V.A. Hodgkinson (eds.), Faith and Philanthropy in America.  San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Clydesdale, T.T., I.J. Fahs, K.M. Kilgore, M.L. Splaingard.  1990.  “Social Dimensions to Functional Gain in Pediatric Patients,” Arch of Phys Med Rehab.  Vol. 71 (7): 469-472.