Ph.D., Sociology, Indiana University, 1999
M.A., Sociology, Indiana University, 1995
B.S., Electrical Engineering, GMI Engineering and Management Institute, 1989
Associate Professor, LSU Agricultural Center & Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 2006 – Present
Major Department: Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness
Minor Department: Sociology
Assistant Professor, LSU Agricultural Center & Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 2002 - 2006
Major Department: Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness
Minor Department: Sociology
Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University & LSU Agricultural Center, 2000 – 2002
Major Department: Sociology
Minor Program: Rural Sociology
Secondary School Teacher, Mwanza Secondary School, United States Peace Corps, Mwanza Malawi,1989-1991
Cooperative Engineering Student, General Motors Corporation, Harrison Radiator Division, Dayton, Ohio, 1984-1989
My current projects include understanding impacts of demographic, technological, and social change in diverse contexts.
Schafer, Mark J and Shana Khan. Forthcoming. “Flexischooling, Rurality, and Students with Disabilities.” Rural Sociology.
Schafer, Mark J, Wesley Shrum, B. Paige Miller, Paul N. Mbatia, Anthony Palackal, and Dan-Bright Dzorgbo. Forthcoming. “Agricultural Universities Versus Research Institutes: Technology, Professional Activities, and Productivity in Kenya: 2001-2010”. Science,Technology, & Society.
Miller, B. Paige, Antony Palackal, Mark Schafer, and Wesley Shrum. 2014. “Gendered Assessments of the Research Climate in Ghana, Kenya, and Kerala, India: Does Organizational Structure Make a Difference?” Sociological Imagination 50:80-104.
Perry, Ashley M. and Mark J. Schafer. 2014. “Resilience in Louisiana FEMA Parks: A Person-Centered, Fuzzy-Set Analysis.” Sociological Spectrum 34:39-60.
Singelmann, Joachim and Mark J. Schafer. 2010. “Dislocation and Depression: Social Consequences of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” Society & Natural Resources 23:919-934.
Hori, Makiko and Mark J. Schafer. 2010. “Social Costs of Displacement in Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita”. Population and Environment 31:64-86
Hori, Makiko, Mark J. Schafer, and David Bowman. 2009. “Displacement Dynamics in Southern Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.” Population Research and Policy Review 28:45-65
Paudel, Krishna P. and Mark J. Schafer. 2009. “The Environmental Kuznets Curve Under a New Framework: The Role of Social Capital in Water Pollution.” Environmental and Resource Economics 42:265-278.
Schafer, Mark J. 2006. “Household Change and Rural School Enrollment in Malawi and Kenya.” The Sociological Quarterly 47:665-691.
Schafer, Mark J. and Makiko Hori. 2006. “Spatial Dynamics of High School Dropout in Rural Louisiana.” Southern Rural Sociology 21:55-79.
Garnier, Maurice and Mark J. Schafer. 2006. “Educational Model and Expansion of Enrollments in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Sociology of Education 79:153-156.
Schafer, Mark J. 2004. “Family School Enrollments in Rural Malawi and Kenya A Regional Analysis.” Comparative Sociology 3:37-66.
Schafer, Mark J. 2004. “Family Contributions to Self Help Schooling in Malawi and Kenya.” Rural Sociology 70:70-93.
Principal Investigator. 2015-2018. Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural Research and Development (BHEARD) Program Scholarship. $176,000.
Co-Principal Investigator, Social Knowledge and Preparedness for Ebola: A Comparative Study of the US, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, and Mali. National Science Foundation Rapid Response Grant. 2015. $100,000.(PI: Wesley Shrum. Co-PIs: Paige Miller, Wenda Bauschpies, Heather Rackin)
Principal Investigator. 2013 – 2017. Hatch Project LAB94194. “The Effects of Changes in the Education Policy Population Demographics, Industrial base, and Information and Communication Technology on Individuals and Communities
Co-Principal Investigator, Ethnic Groups and Enclaves Affected by OCS. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement. 2010-2013. $412,735. (Co-Principal Investigators: Troy Blanchard, Helen Regis, Carolyn Ware, Diane Austin.)
Co-Principal Investigator, A Prospectus for Historical Social and Economic Analysis. U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service. 2010-2011. $90,373. (Co-Principal Investigators: James M. Fannin, Troy Blanchard, Tim Slack)
Co-Principal Investigator. Collaborative Research: Research on Information and Communication Technologies in the Educational and Research Communities of Kenya, Ghana, and Kerala. $571,869. 2010-2013. (Co-Principal Investigators: Wesley Shrum, Beverly P. Miller, Paul N. Mbatia)
Principal Investigator. Improving Capacity for Institutional Analysis of the Oil and Gas Industry for the Gulf of Mexico Region. U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service. 2009-2011. $404,553.
Louisiana State University Service-Learning Faculty Scholar Program Award. 2007-2008
My teaching responsibilities in the Department of Sociology include graduate & undergraduate courses.
Graduate: Education (SOCL 7491), Comparative International Development (SOCL 7591), Research Methods in Social Science (SOCL 7201)
Undergraduate: Sociology of Education (SOCL 4431), Global Society (SOCL 4551), and Current Social Problems (SOCL 2501)
American Sociology Society, Rural Sociological Society, Southern Sociological Society, LSU Center for Community Engagement Learning and Leadership, LSU African and African American Studies Faculty and Staff, Louisiana Center For Rural Initiatives
Principal Investigator. Education Research utilizing Restricted-Use Data from National Center for Educational Statistics.
Principal Investigator. Education Research utilizing the Adolescent Health Restricted-Use survey from the University of North Carolina Population Data Center/ICPSR