Helen Rizzo is an associate professor of sociology. She received her Ph.D. degree in sociology from The Ohio State University in 2000. She has been teaching in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Egyptology at the American University in Cairo since 2001. Her research interests include political sociology, with a focus on democratization, development and the Middle East, and stratification, particularly gender and race/ethnic inequality.
She has published numerous articles on public opinion, citizenship rights and the democratization process in Kuwait. Her book, Islam, Democracy and the Status of Women: The Case of Kuwait , was published in 2005 by Routledge Press. She is currently working with colleagues from political science and sociology on a NSF Human and Social Dynamics grant project examining the dissent/repression nexus in the Middle East.
Research Interests
Political sociology, with a focus on democratization, development in the Middle East; Stratification, emphasizing gender and race/ethnicity.
Teaching Interests
Research methods and statistics Political sociology
Social stratification, including international Sociology of development
Sociology of gender Introductory sociology
Race/ethnicity Sociology of religion
Sociological theory Gender and development