Rachel Stein, Ph.D.
Member of the Religion and Society Group
Dr. Stein received her M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Akron. Her research is focused primarily on community building and solidarity in Old Order Amish communities. Her current projects explore how visiting practices strengthen the Amish community and contribute to its growth.
A second area of her research is the scholarship of teaching and learning. Specifically, she is interested in team-based learning practices in the classroom. Her final area of research is on opportunities that lead to crime and victimization. Her work has appeared in The Journal of Religion and Health, The Sociological Quarterly, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, the Sociology of Religion, and Sociological Inquiry.
Selected Publications
Stein, Rachel E., Katie E. Corcoran, and Corey J. Colyer. 2025. “Vaccination Risk through the Lens of Faith, Family, and Community.” Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities. 5(2): 1-19.
Stein, Rachel E., Corey J. Colyer, Katie E. Corcoran, and Annette M. Mackay. 2023. “Pathways to Immunity: Patterns of Excess Death Across the United States and within Closed Religious Communities.” Journal of Religion and Health. 62(4): 2820-2835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01838-z
Stein, Rachel E. Katie E. Corcoran, Corey J. Colyer, and Bernard DiGregorio. 2023. “Echo Chambers in a Closed Community: Vaccine Uptake and Perceived Effectiveness among the Amish and Old Order Mennonites.” The Sociological Quarterly 64(1): 165-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2022.2053315
Courses Taught
- SOCA 232 Criminology
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SOCA 324 Gender and Crime
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SOCA 488 The Capstone Experience: Crime and Deviance in Amish Culture
- SOCA 600 Becoming a Sociologist
- SOCA 710 Teaching Sociology