Academics
Vince Bolduc
Professor Bolduc is the “most senior” member of the Department and his interests in Sociology are reflected in the courses he teaches:
- Introduction to Sociology
- Population Analysis
- Methods of Research (mostly survey research)
- Sociology of Work, Education and Vocation
- Peace and Justice
- Poverty
Dr. Bolduc has a special interest in measuring society in an “objective” or statistical manner. Skeptical students are surprised at how interesting this approach can be, with topics such a “lying with statistics,” “why women live longer,” “the hidden costs of childbearing” and “why white collar crime is worse than getting mugged.” Almost all of his professional writing flows from the various surveys which he works on with students. Here are a few recent examples of the type of research that he writes about:
His research was recently highlighted in Footnotes, an article he was invited to write for the American Sociological Association on how to do significant research in small departments. Read the full article at http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/research_0909.html.
This latest project came at the invitation of a statewide non-profit that was putting together a 20-year plan for the state of Vermont. This book-length project on recent trends involved hiring some students, but his focus was keeping the data fair and objective, particularly in the areas of health care, the environment, crime, population, governance, and the quality of life. A copy of this 2009 book is available at http://futureofvermont.org/node/528.
"The Pulse of Vermont" – a series of four state wide quality of life surveys of Vermonters and how they feel about the subjective aspects of their lives in Vermont, such as health, friends, crime, economic growth and environmental pollution. The interviews for this were done by his students, and it was written with a colleague who is an economist. View the complete report [PDF].
But Dr. Bolduc is not only about numbers. He also feels a strong commitment to the spiritual and religious character of Saint Michael’s, and working with students, has also made this a focus of several articles that he has written. He encourages students to find the “spiritual side” of their lives whether it be religiously based or not. One meditation exercise that he does in one class brings students to a “sacred place” on campus for an hour of silence just as the semester’s work seems to be overwhelming them. To read more about this, see the article on “Time and Space” that appeared in the Saint Michael’s Magazine in 2008.
Professor Bolduc married high school sweetheart (Allyson) and has three adult children and three grandchildren. With his wife and a few friends, he hand built the energy efficient solar home they have lived in since 1979. Summers allow time for gardening, golf and grandchildren.