Sam Kendrick

Assistant Professor | Department of Sociology | University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Sam Kendrick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Kansas (2024).

Her research focuses on cultural meanings of sex and love in the context of changing patterns of courtship and what those changing patterns mean for gender inequality at the intersections of race and class. Her current project examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on courtship practices, gender power dynamics, and sexual norms. 

Areas of Specialization

Courtship & Marriage | Sexual Scripts | Cultural Studies | Gender & Sexuality

Publications

Kendrick, Sam and Joane Nagel. 2024. "Gender, Climate Change, and the Production of Scientific Knowledge" in Collyer, F.M. (editor) Research Handbook for the Sociology of Knowledge. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. 

Kendrick, Sam. 2023. "Courtship, 1950-2000" in Hartenstein, J.L. (editor) Marriage and Divorce in America: Issues, Trends, and Controversies. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

Kendrick, Sam and Nancy Kepple. 2022. "Scripting Sex in Courtship: Predicting Genital Contact in Date Outcomes.'' Sexuality & Culture. 22:1190-1214. doi: 10.1007/s12119-021-09938-2

Kendrick, Sam and Joane Nagel. 2020. "The Cowboy Scientist Saves the Planet: Hegemonic Masculinity in Cli-Fi Films.'' Masculinities: A Journal of Identity and Culture. 14:5-34.

Invited Talks and Presentations

Kendrick, Sam. 2022. "Sexual Scripts in Unsettled Times: How the Pandemic is Shaping Courtship." Invited Talk, Close Relationships Interest Group (CRIG), University of Kansas. 06 May.

Kendrick, Sam. 2021. “Quarantined Courtship: The Cultural Implications of Dating during the Pandemic.” Annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. August, Virtual.

Kendrick, Sam. 2021. “Scripting Sex in Courtship: Predicting Genital Contact in Date Outcomes.” Annual meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society. March, Virtual.

Kendrick, Sam. 2019. “The Racial Politics of Hooking Up: Policing Racial Boundaries in Sex and Courtship.” Annual meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society. April, Chicago, Illinois.