Gold Shield Alumnae

Professor Jeffrey Alexander

1990 Faculty Prize Recipient

Jeffrey Alexander was a distinguished professor in the UCLA Department of Sociology. He joined the faculty in 1976 and was promoted directly to full Professor in 1981, an impressive accomplishment coming as it did only five years after receiving his Ph.D. from Berkeley. He did his undergraduate work at Harvard University.

Professor Alexander launched his scholarly career with a monumental four-volume work entitled Theoretical Logic in Sociology, an acknowledged achievement for one so young. In his practical research and teaching, Dr. Alexander translates his theories into empirical innovations of broad interest both to his students and to society in general. For example, in examining the Watergate scandal, he analyzed American cultural values to explain how, within the deeply divided American society of the early 1970s, a bungled burglary was transformed into a major constitutional crisis.

Professor Alexander distinguished himself in the UCLA Division of Honors through his intellectually demanding course, “Social Theory in the Twentieth Century.” For his contributions, he was presented with the Honors Collegium Faculty Recognition Award. In his department, he played a key role in revitalizing the graduate program and campaigned for the development of small seminars in the undergraduate curriculum.