Barum Park

Assistant Professor

Overview

My research interests lie in political sociology, social networks, and social mobility. In most of my work, I focus on how several social dimensions intersect to create social structures we care about. In my research on political polarization, I show how cross-cutting lines of ideological conflict prevent belief systems to bifurcate into clear-cut liberal and conservative positions. Further, my work documents that such a cross-cutting structure emerged due to the dealignment of moral issues from traditional ideological cleavages in the US over the last decade. In my research on social mobility, I use network approaches to identify boundaries to worker flows and examine the pattern through which these boundaries cross-cut the boundaries of occupational classes. My current projects explore the dynamics of political polarization over the 2016 presidential campaign in the US using data on online forums. I am also expanding my research on worker flows and mobility boundaries using data on workers' resumes. I received my Ph.D. from New York University in 2020 and hold a B.A. in German literature and sociology from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea.

Recent Courses

SOC 3490 - Micro-Macro Processes

SOC 6110 - Social Networks 

SOC Courses - Fall 2024

SOC Courses - Spring 2025

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