Sociology Faculty & Staff

Karen Branden grew up poor in Barnesville, Minnesota. She attended Moorhead State Univers...

Karen Branden grew up poor in Barnesville, Minnesota. She attended Moorhead State University (now MSUM) and received her degree in Sociology with a minor in Women Studies. She credits MSU with giving her the opportunity to have a great life and teaching her how to use her strong voice. She loves MSUM and is a proud Dragon. She has been a Professor of Sociology for over 20 years and absolutely loves teaching because of the students. She completed her Master’s in Sociology at North Dakota State University. She received her Ph.D. from South Dakota State University. She has taught at schools around the world including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Kampala, Uganda. Karen has been involved with diversity and social justice her entire career. She has taught and worked with a number of groups on systemic changes to create equity. She was a consultant for the World Food Program while living in Uganda, Africa. Her work at that time was on refugee camps and livelihood. She completed her Ph.D. working with the White Earth Indian Reservation on Wild Rice. She teaches a number of course but consistently offers Introduction to Sociology, The Sociology of Sexuality, Dominant/Subordinate Group Relations and Society and the Environment. She grew up with white privilege yet found her way to her Metis/Ojibwe heritage where she learned her names and her clan.

Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Department Chair 2022-2025 Criminal Justice Program Coordinator and Internship Supervisor

Lee Garth Vigilant (Ph.D. Boston College 2001) is professor of sociology at Minnesota Stat...

Lee Garth Vigilant (Ph.D. Boston College 2001) is professor of sociology at Minnesota State University Moorhead. His principal areas of teaching are contemporary sociological theory, qualitative methods for social research, social movements, and social problems. He is a past recipient of the Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award for Sociology at Boston College, the TCU Senate Professor of the Year Award for Tufts University, and the Excellence in Teaching Award at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Some of his peer-reviewed research are in the journals Sociological Spectrum, Humanity and Society, and Deviant Behavior. He is author of several sociological essays, encyclopedia entries, and book chapters. He is co-author with Dr. Joel Charon of the books The Meaning of Sociology (Sloan Publishing, 2016) and Social Problems: Readings with Four Questions, 4/E (CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning 2012). Dr. Vigilant is an Associate Editor of The Encyclopedia of Death and Human Experience (Los Angeles CA: Sage Publications, Inc. 2009).